Roger Maris of the New York Yankees broke Babe Ruth’s long-standing record of 60 home runs in a season in 1961, amid a strange set of circumstances beyond his control. Among the power hitters on the 1961 squad, Maris was the least liked by the staunch Yankee fans. That was the year when the league was expanded from eight to 10 teams and the season extended from 154 to 162 teams. Late in the season, Mickey Mantle was sidelined with a hip infection. And, Maris’ quest for the record was impacted by a ruling from the commissioner that if the record was not broken in the first 154 games it would be listed as being set in 162 games while the Ruth record would still stand. Maris had 59 home runs at the end of 154 games and hit his 61st home run in the last game.