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Who broke Babe Ruth’s 1927 single-season home run record?
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Babe Ruth
When he joined the New York Yankees in 1920, Babe Ruth embarked on a home-run hitting campaign that would transform baseball and establish a record that would stand for nearly four decades.
Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s 1927 single-season record of 60 home runs by hitting 61 home runs in 1961.12
At the time, the achievement was controversial because Maris hit his 61st home run during a 162-game schedule, whereas Ruth had set his record during a 154-game schedule. Because Maris had hit only 59 home runs within the first 154 games of the 1961 season, baseball commissioner Ford C. Frick initially decreed that the record had not been broken. It was not until 1991 that Maris was recognized without dispute as the official record holder.1