1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase

by Phil Pepe

Before Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa, there was Roger Maris, the reluctant home run king who electrified the baseball world with one of the most unforgettable seasons the sport has ever known. Born in Hibbing, Minnesota, and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Maris was a small-town boy who unwillingly became a New York Yankee when he was traded by the Kansas City Athletics. Almost immediately, he was thrust into the glare of the big-city lights and found himself pursuing one of the most prestigious and most celebrated of all baseball Babe Ruth's single-season home run mark of 60, set in 1927. Thirty-four years later, Maris joylessly was drawn into the chase and found himself the eye in a storm of controversy. He became the center of attention he never sought and the recipient of a celebrity he didn't want. As a young sportswriter, Phil Pepe joined the fray on August 2, when he took over as the Yankees beat writer for the New York World-Telegram & Sun , and he covered Maris' race for the record to the very end. Here is his firsthand account of that historic home run challenge and the man that conquered it.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Luke Koran · Rating 4 out of 5]

As in the 2001 movie “61*”, the simple though magnificent journey of the breaking of Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record is highlighted in vast detail, this time around in longtime sportswriter Phil Pepe’s book “1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase.” However, Pepe fails in his effort to produce a totally glorious book commemorating this great occasion, as he often neglected the story and impact of Mickey Mantle on the chase and instead only focused on the man who still holds the untainted single-season home run record, Roger Maris. As a trained daily sportswriter, Pepe covers the 1961 season in impressive game-by-game detail, but sometimes fails to comment on the off-the-field aspects of the chase, including Mickey’s social life and Roger’s stress (partly due to the receiving of hate mail and death threats). The reader is opened up to plenty of details forgotten to time, but in this instance, a related movie (in this chase, Billy Crystal’s “61*”) is better than the book.

[corrynreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

very nice look inside the lives of these two in 61. easy read and very well written, while very informative.

[Wyatt Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is a great read for anyone who is interested in baseball history, or anyone who wants to get to know a little bit more about the most successful franchise in MLB history. Furthermore, while I wasn't alive during the chase, I think this book has the potential to pacify Maris's name in the minds of those who turned against him, whether they did so for his record or for his sometimes "rude" remarks and actions that were taken out of context by many sources.

It is informative and well written. While it won't blow a professor's mind, for it is not necessarily sophisticated in its vocabulary or use of literary devices, it flows. I think the easiness of the read speaks actually benefits it, because at the end of the day, baseball is a game, right?

[R.J. Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read Quick, but interesting. It makes you wish you could have been there in 1961 living this amazing home run race.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would actually give this 3.5 stars. An interesting, concise look into the 1961 season. I loved the interviews with people who were there, and Pepe does a good job into putting the home run chase into context. However, Pepe's background as a beat writer comes out a bit too much; I didn't need quite so many descriptions of numerous at-bats and plays throughout the season. Also, while Pepe understandably gives more background about Maris's life, he barely gives any information about Mantle's background. It makes me want to go read a biography of Mantle (which, fortunately, I have).

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. This book gave really great and clear insight into the 1961 home run race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Focusing a great deal more on Maris we receive greater insight into the impact the race had on someone that truly was a quiet family man. Nobody in the modern era could have possibly hit as many home runs without performance enhancers and this book is a great insight into the pressure that makes the feat impossible today.

[Richard]

Decent account of the 1961 home run chase

This is a straight-forward account of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's pursuit of the single-season home run record in 1961. Maris is the main focus of the book, which was a good read but did not really shed new information on the subject.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like baseball and what it was in the glory days then this is a good book to read.

[Adam Howarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decently written, author covered the team during this year which was nice.