A Year Earlier: Regarding Babe, Mickey, Roger and Henry

The Yankees, having clinched their 25th pennant (it was the first of 5 straight pennants) a week or so earlier in Boston, have won 12 straight games and are opening the final series, a 3 game entity, at home, on September 30, 1960.

33 years earlier on a Sunday Sept 30, the ’60 “version” was on a Friday, Babe Ruth connected off Tom Zachary for his 60th home run, breaking his own record of 59.

A year later in ’61, (the September calendar was shown on a “Twilight Zone” episode last night on MeTV), Roger Maris, who had 39 home runs on that Sept 30 and for the ’60 season, connected off Tracy Stallard, for his 61st home run, breaking the Babe’s record, though notated with an infamous asterisk.

That night in ’60, the great Henry Aaron, who we lost recently (yesterday news the under rated, personable actor, Yaphet Koto passed away) hit his 39th home run vs the eventual ’60 champion, Pittsburgh Pirates, who had already clinched the N.L. Pennant.

Less than 14 years later, as with fellow 39 home runs on Sept. 30, 1960, Roger Maris, Aaron connected vs Al Downing, for his 715th home run, breaking another of Babe Ruth’s great records.

While Ernie Banks led a tight “bigs” Home Run race with 41 in 1960, Mickey Mantle, (pictured above), who would hit 54 such in ’61 (Babe also hit 54 in one season) led the A.L. with 40 in 1960. 

Mr. Aaron, praised a great deal by Mickey on a Dick Cavett Show, had 40 HR’s in ’60, teammate Ed Mathews like Maris had 39 while Jim Lemon of the A.L. Senators hit 38 out.