| abstract | - The 1961 World Series matched the New York Yankees (109–53) against the Cincinnati Reds (93–61), with the Yankees winning in five games to earn their nineteenth championship in their last 39 seasons. After the summer-long Roger Maris/Mickey Mantle pursuit of Babe Ruth's season home run record, the Series proved anti-climactic as the Yanks subdued the Reds easily. This World Series was surrounded by Cold War political puns pitting the "Reds" against the "Yanks". But the louder buzz concerned the "M&M" boys, Maris and Mantle, who spent the summer chasing the ghost of Babe Ruth and his 60 home run season of 1927. An injury to Mantle in September halted his bid to break the record, and he eventually wound up with 54. The less popular Maris stayed healthy and broke the record, with 61 dingers, getting the record-breaker on the last day of the season. Due to the expansion of the American League to ten teams, this marked the first year played under the new 162-game schedule. Because it took Maris eight extra games to break Ruth's record (Ruth played under the old 154-game schedule) commissioner Ford Frick took it upon himself to place an asterisk next to Roger Maris' name in the record books. The asterisk was later struck from the record book. The was the first year the Yankees were under the leadership of Ralph Houk, who succeeded Casey Stengel as manager. The Yankees, who won the American League pennant easily—eight games better than the Detroit Tigers—set a record for most home runs in a season with 240. Along with Maris and Mantle, four other Yankees, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Bill Skowron, and Johnny Blanchard, all hit over 20. The pitching staff was led by southpaw Whitey Ford (25–4, 3.21), and reliable righties, Ralph Terry, and Bill Stafford. The defense was air-tight with Bobby Richardson at second, Tony Kubek at short, and Clete Boyer at third. The Reds, skippered by Fred Hutchinson, finished four games better than the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League and boasted four, 20-plus home run hitters of their own; Frank Robinson (37, 124, .323), Gordy Coleman, Gene Freese, and Wally Post. The second-base, shortstop, and catcher positions were platooned while Vada Pinson led the league in hits with 208, finishing second in batting with a .343 average. 21-game winner Joey Jay (21–10, 3.53) led the staff along with dependable Jim O'Toole, and Bob Purkey. The Most Valuable Player Award was given to Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees who appeared in two games, won two games, and had an earned run average of 0.00. Ford left the sixth inning of Game 4 due to an injured ankle. Ford set the record for consecutive scoreless innings during World Series play with thirty-three and a third (33.1), when, during the third inning he passed the previous record holder, Babe Ruth, who had pitched twenty-nine and two-thirds (29.2) consecutive scoreless innings for the Boston Red Sox in 1916 and 1918. The only World Series record set by the Reds was accomplished during Game 4 when Frank Robinson was hit twice by a pitch during a single game. This was the shortest (by number of games) World Series since 1954, which had ended in a four-game sweep—all World Series after that (and until this one) went at least six games, with all but one series going to the maximum seven games.
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