Roger Maris History: September 4, 1991 - Panel of 8 baseball experts vote to drop asterisk next to Roger Maris home run record and determine an official no hitter must go at least 9 innings December 14, 1985 - Roger Maris, home run hitter, 61 in 61, New York Yankees, dies of cancer at 51 December 8, 1966 - A terrible Yankee trade, Roger Maris for Card's Charlie Smith May 22, 1962 - Roger Maris walks 5 times (record 4 intentionally) in a 9 inn game November 15, 1961 - Roger Maris is voted AL MVP October 1, 1961 - Roger Maris sets record of 61 home runs off of Tracy Stallard September 26, 1961 - Roger Maris hits home run number 60 off Jack Fisher, tying Babe Ruth's record September 20, 1961 - Roger Maris hits home run # 59 and barely misses # 60 in game 154 of the season. Yankees clinch pennant #26 June 19, 1961 - New York Yankee Roger Maris hits his 25th of 61 home runs June 11, 1961 - Roger Maris hits 19th and 20th of 61 home runs April 26, 1961 - Roger Maris hits 1st of 61 homers in 1961 November 2, 1960 - Roger Maris nips Mickey Mantle as AL MVP, 225-222 September 10, 1934 - Roger Maris, Yankee, home run champ, 61 in 1961, AL MVP 1960, 1961
More Notable Events on July 17:
1989 1st Test flight of U.S. stealth-bomber
1955 Disneyland opens its doors in rural Orange County
1955 Arco, Idaho becomes 1st U.S. city lit by nuclear power
1897 1st ship arrives in Seattle carrying gold from Yukon
1821 Spain cedes Florida to U.S.