This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 2/7/2014.
Best known as the fellow Yankee who broke Babe Ruth's home run record with 61 home runs in the memorable 1961 season, Roger Maris was also one of the finest players of his time, appearing in more World Series than any other player of the 1960s. In 1960, his first year with the Yankees, Maris was tops in the league with a .581 slugging percentage and beat out teammate Mickey Mantle for the MVP. With "The Mick," Maris helped usher in a new Yankees dynasty of five consecutive pennants. Many believe that his Hall of Fame qualification is long past due. These two game-used baseballs date to games from Maris’ beloved 1961 season in which he hit the record-breaking 61st home run, won the AL MVP and the Yankees won their 19th World Championship. The first is a well-toned “Reach” manufactured OAL Cronin baseball dating to August 15, 1961, game #118 of the Yankees season in which Maris hit his 46th home run of the season. The ball features inscriptions on nearly all of the panels, it reads “THE RAJAH HIT HIS 46th ROCKET - CHICAGO BEAT WHITEY FORD AND YANKEES 2-1” on the panels adjacent to the stamp. The other panels read “FORD LOST HIS 3RD GAME. He was going for his 21st win” and “H.R. DERBY - MARIS 46 MANTLE 45 - RUTH DID NOT HIT HIS 46TH UNTIL SEPT. 6”. The writing is done in blue ballpoint pen with some parts written over twice. The ball is accompanied by a LOA from Louis Avon, who states that he “personally caught this foul tip ball off the bat of Roger Maris in 1961 at Yankee Stadium. Whitey Ford lost his 3rd game, and Roger hit a homer for the Yankee’s only run of the game”. The second baseball is also a well-toned “Reach” manufactured OAL Cronin baseball that dating to October 1, 1961, game #163 of the Yankees season in which Maris hit his historic 61st home run. The ball features a large inscription on the sweet spot that reads, “YANKEE STADIUM 10-1-61”. On the panel to the right of the stamp is another inscription that reads, “GAME BALL 10-1-’61 MARIS HITS 61ST” along with the signature of Al Salerno who served as third base umpire during the historic game and the additional inscription, “3RD BASE UMPIRE - AMER. LEAGUE”. The signature and the inscription are done in black ballpoint pen and in our opinion the signature rates a 7. The baseball is accompanied by a LOA from Salerno that reads, “In my first year of professional umpiring, my crew umpired the game on October 1, 1961 at Yankee Stadium. This was the game in which Roger Maris hit his 61st home run to break Babe Ruth’s record for the most home runs in a season. I was umpiring 3rd base that day. After the game, I grabbed a few of the balls that were used in this historic game and have kept them at my home over the past 35 years.” Further accompanied by a Full LOA from JSA.