1961 New York Yankees season

1961 New York Yankees
World Series champions
American League champions
LeagueAmerican League
BallparkYankee Stadium
CityNew York City
Record109–53–1 (.673)
League place1st
OwnersDan Topping and Del Webb
General managersRoy Hamey
ManagersRalph Houk
TelevisionWPIX–TV 11
(Mel Allen, Red Barber, Phil Rizzuto)
RadioWCBS–AM 880
(Mel Allen, Red Barber, Phil Rizzuto)

The 1961 New York Yankees season was the 59th season for the team. The team finished with a record of 109–53, eight games ahead of the Detroit Tigers, and won their 26th American League pennant. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the Cincinnati Reds in 5 games. This season was best known for the home run chase between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, with the former beating Babe Ruth's single season record by hitting 61. The Yankees won an MLB record 65 home games during the season, a record that they still hold to this day.

Offseason

Regular season

The 1961 season was notable for the race between center fielder Mickey Mantle and right fielder Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a season (set in 1927). Maris eventually broke the record, hitting his 61st home run on October 1, the season's final day. During the season, Maris had seven multi-home run games; in a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, he hit four home runs.

1961 was an expansion year, with the American League increasing from eight to ten teams, the first expansion in the 61-year history of the league. The old schedule of 154 games (seven opponents multiplied by 22 games apiece) was replaced by 162 games (nine opponents multiplied by 18 games apiece) which led to some controversy due to the eight extra games that Maris had to try to hit 61.

Ultimately, when Maris broke Ruth's record in game 162, baseball commissioner Ford Frick instigated "The Asterisk", which designated that Maris had only accomplished the feat in a longer season, and disallowed any reference to him as the record-holder. When commissioner Fay Vincent removed "The Asterisk" in 1991, Maris was finally given credit as the single-season home run record-holder. However, Maris had died in 1985, never knowing that the record belonged to him.

In addition to the individual exploits of Maris and Mantle, the 1961 Yankees hit a major league record 240 home runs. The record stood until 1996 when the Baltimore Orioles, with the added benefit of the designated hitter, hit 257 home runs as a team.

The Yankees set an MLB record by winning 65 home games during the season, a record that still stands as of 2026.

Roger Maris

In 1961, the American League expanded from eight to ten teams, generally watering down the pitching, but leaving the Yankees pretty much intact. Yankee home runs began to come at a record pace. One famous photograph lined up six 1961 Yankee players, including Mantle, Maris, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Johnny Blanchard, and Bill Skowron, under the nickname "Murderers Row", because they hit a combined 207 home runs that year. The title "Murderers Row", coined in 1918, had most famously been used to refer to the Yankees side of the late 1920s.

The "M&M Boys" together in 1961.

As mid-season approached, it seemed quite possible that either Maris or Mantle, or perhaps both, would break Babe Ruth's 34-year-old home run record. Unlike the home run race of 1998, in which the competition between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa was given extensive positive media coverage, sportswriters in 1961 began to play the "M&M Boys" against each other, inventing a rivalry where none existed, according to Yogi Berra.

The 1961 home run race between Maris and Mantle was dramatized in the 2001 film 61*, filmed under the direction of Billy Crystal.

Roger Maris 61 home runs

Number Game* Date Pitcher Team Inning
1 11 04-26-1961 Paul Foytack Detroit Tigers 5th
2 17 05-03-1961 Pedro Ramos Minnesota Twins 7th
3 20 05-06-1961 Eli Grba Los Angeles Angels 5th
4 29 05-17-1961 Pete Burnside Washington Senators 8th
5 30 05-19-1961 Jim Perry Cleveland Indians 1st
6 31 05-20-1961 Gary Bell Cleveland Indians 3rd
7 32 05-21-1961 Chuck Estrada Baltimore Orioles 1st
8 35 05-24-1961 Gene Conley Boston Red Sox 4th
9 38 05-28-1961 Cal McLish Chicago White Sox 2nd
10 40 05-30-1961 Gene Conley Boston Red Sox 3rd
11 40 05-30-1961 Mike Fornieles Boston Red Sox 8th
12 41 05-31-1961 Billy Muffett Boston Red Sox 3rd
13 43 06-02-1961 Cal McLish Chicago White Sox 3rd
14 44 06-03-1961 Bob Shaw Chicago White Sox 8th
15 45 06-04-1961 Russ Kemmerer Chicago White Sox 3rd
16 48 06-06-1961 Ed Palmquist Minnesota Twins 6th
17 49 06-07-1961 Pedro Ramos Minnesota Twins 3rd
18 52 06-09-1961 Ray Herbert Kansas City Athletics 7th
19 55 06-11-1961 Eli Grba Los Angeles Angels 3rd
20 55 06-11-1961 Johnny James Los Angeles Angels 7th
21 57 06-13-1961 Jim Perry Cleveland Indians 6th
22 58 06-14-1961 Gary Bell Cleveland Indians 4th
23 61 06-17-1961 Don Mossi Detroit Tigers 4th
24 62 06-18-1961 Jerry Casale Detroit Tigers 8th
25 63 06-19-1961 Jim Archer Kansas City Athletics 9th
26 64 06-20-1961 Joe Nuxhall Kansas City Athletics 1st
27 66 06-22-1961 Norm Bass Kansas City Athletics 2nd
28 74 07-01-1961 Dave Sisler Washington Senators 9th
29 75 07-02-1961 Pete Burnside Washington Senators 3rd
30 75 07-02-1961 Johnny Klippstein Washington Senators 7th
31 77 07-04-1961 Frank Lary Detroit Tigers 8th
32 78 07-05-1961 Frank Funk Cleveland Indians 7th
33 82 07-09-1961 Bill Monbouquette Boston Red Sox 7th
34 84 07-13-1961 Early Wynn Chicago White Sox 1st
35 86 07-15-1961 Ray Herbert Chicago White Sox 3rd
36 92 07-21-1961 Bill Monbouquette Boston Red Sox 1st
37 95 07-25-1961 Frank Baumann Chicago White Sox 4th
38 95 07-25-1961 Don Larsen Chicago White Sox 8th
39 96 07-25-1961 Russ Kemmerer Chicago White Sox 4th
40 96 07-25-1961 Warren Hacker Chicago White Sox 7th
41 106 08-04-1961 Camilo Pascual Minnesota Twins 1st
42 114 08-11-1961 Pete Burnside Washington Senators 5th
43 115 08-12-1961 Dick Donovan Washington Senators 4th
44 116 08-13-1961 Bennie Daniels Washington Senators 4th
45 117 08-13-1961 Marty Kutyna Washington Senators 1st
46 118 08-15-1961 Juan Pizarro Chicago White Sox 4th
47 119 08-16-1961 Billy Pierce Chicago White Sox 1st
48 119 08-16-1961 Billy Pierce Chicago White Sox 3rd
49 124 08-20-1961 Jim Perry Cleveland Indians 3rd
50 125 08-22-1961 Ken McBride Los Angeles Angels 6th
51 129 08-26-1961 Jerry Walker Kansas City Athletics 6th
52 135 09-02-1961 Frank Lary Detroit Tigers 6th
53 135 09-02-1961 Hank Aguirre Detroit Tigers 8th
54 140 09-06-1961 Tom Cheney Washington Senators 4th
55 141 09-07-1961 Dick Stigman Cleveland Indians 3rd
56 143 09-09-1961 Mudcat Grant Cleveland Indians 7th
57 151 09-16-1961 Frank Lary Detroit Tigers 3rd
58 152 09-17-1961 Terry Fox Detroit Tigers 12th
59 155 09-20-1961 Milt Pappas Baltimore Orioles 3rd
60 159 09-26-1961 Jack Fisher Baltimore Orioles 3rd
61 163 10-01-1961 Tracy Stallard Boston Red Sox 4th

[4]

*The Yankees played one tie game which was later made up, and hence took 163 games to achieve 162 decisions.

Season standings

American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 10953 .673 — 65‍–‍16 44‍–‍37
Detroit Tigers 10161 .623 8 50‍–‍31 51‍–‍30
Baltimore Orioles 9567 .586 14 48‍–‍33 47‍–‍34
Chicago White Sox 8676 .531 23 53‍–‍28 33‍–‍48
Cleveland Indians 7883 .484 30½ 40‍–‍41 38‍–‍42
Boston Red Sox 7686 .469 33 50‍–‍31 26‍–‍55
Minnesota Twins 7090 .438 38 36‍–‍44 34‍–‍46
Los Angeles Angels 7091 .435 38½ 46‍–‍36 24‍–‍55
Kansas City Athletics 61100 .379 47½ 33‍–‍47 28‍–‍53
Washington Senators 61100 .379 47½ 33‍–‍46 28‍–‍54

Record vs. opponents

1961 American League record

Sources:
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KCA LAA MIN NYY WAS
Baltimore —11–711–79–99–913–58–1011–79–9–114–4
Boston 7–11—9–95–138–1010–811–7–111–75–1310–8
Chicago 7–119–9—12–66–1214–410–89–9–16–1213–5
Cleveland 9–913–56–12—6–128–910–810–84–1412–6
Detroit 9–910–812–612–6—12–6–114–411–78–1013–5
Kansas City 5–138–104–149–86–12–1—9–97–114–149–9
Los Angeles 10–87–11–18–108–104–149–9—8–96–1210–8
Minnesota 7–117–119–9–18–107–1111–79–8—4–148–9
New York 9–9–113–512–614–410–814–412–614–4—11–7
Washington 4–148–105–136–125–139–98–109–87–11—

Notable transactions

Roster

1961 New York Yankees
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders

Other batters

 Manager

Coaches

Game log

Regular season

Legend
 Yankees win
 Yankees loss
 Yankees tie
 Postponement
 Clinched pennant
BoldYankees team member
1961 Game Log: 109–53–1 (Home: 65–16; Away: 44–37–1)[7]
April: 9–5 (Home: 6–1; Away: 3–4)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
1April 11Twins6–0Ramos (1–0)Ford (0–1)14,6070–1
2April 15Athletics5–3Turley (1–0)Daley (0–1)Stafford (1)11,8021–1
3April 17Athletics3–0Ford (1–1)Walker (0–1)1,9472–1
4April 20Angels7–5Ditmar (1–0)Grba (0–1)Stafford (2)3–1
5April 20Angels4–2Turley (2–0)Garver (0–1)Arroyo (1)7,0594–1
6April 218:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesW 4–2Ford (2–1)Barber (1–1)—2:1712,3685–1W5
7 (1)April 222:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesL 3–5Wilhelm (1–0)Duren (0–1)—2:1712,5365–2L1
8 (2)April 228:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesT 5–5 (7)———2:0914,1265–2T1
9April 232:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesL 1–4Estrada (1–1)McDevitt (0–1)Hall (1)2:4018,7045–3L1
10April 241:30 p.m. EST@ TigersL 3–4Lary (3–0)Turley (2–1)—2:195,6625–4L2
—April 251:30 p.m. EST@ TigersPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 15)
11April 268:15 p.m. EST@ TigersW 13–11 (10)Arroyo (1–0)Aguirre (0–1)—3:204,6766–4W1
12April 27Indians4–3Ditmar (2–0)Antonelli (0–2)8,8977–4
13April 29Indians4–2Terry (1–0)Perry (2–1)Arroyo (2)14,6248–4
14April 30@ Senators4–3Ford (3–1)Donovan (0–4)Arroyo (3)9–4
15April 30@ Senators2–1Woodeshick (1–1)Sheldon (0–1)Burnside (1)21,9049–5
May: 14–12 (Home: 7–6; Away: 7–6)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
16May 2@ Twins6 – 4 (10)Coates (1–0)Pascual (2–1)Arroyo (4)16,66910–5
17May 3@ Twins7–3Turley (3–1)Ramos (2–1)18,15811–5
18May 4@ Twins5–2Ford (4–1)Kaat (1–2)Coates (1)18,17912–5
19May 5@ Angels5–4McDevitt (1–1)Clevenger (2–1)Arroyo (5)17,80113–5
20May 6@ Angels5–3Grba (2–2)Ditmar (2–1)19,86513–6
21May 7@ Angels5–3Kline (1–0)Coates (1–1)Clevenger (1)19,72213–7
22May 9@ Athletics5–4Herbert (2–1)Arroyo (1–1)Archer (1)13,62313–8
23May 10@ Athletics9–4Clevenger (3–1)Daley (3–4)15,98614–8
24May 128:00 p.m. ESTTigersL 3–4Lary (5–1)Coates (1–2)—3:0923,55614–9L1
25May 132:00 p.m. ESTTigersL 3–8Regan (3–0)Turley (3–2)—2:4518,03614–10L2
26 (1)May 142:00 p.m. ESTTigersW 5–4 (11)Coates (2–2)Aguirre (1–2)—3:30—15–10W1
27 (2)May 145:55 p.m. ESTTigersW 8–6Coates (3–2)Bunning (2–3)—2:3940,96816–10W2
28May 16Senators3–2Woodeshick (2–1)Stafford (0–1)Sisler (5)10,05016–11
29May 17Senators8–7Burnside (1–2)Ditmar (2–2)Gabler (1)6,19716–12
30May 19@ Indians9–7Latman (3–0)Clevenger (3–2)Allen (2)21,24016–13
31May 20@ Indians4–3Funk (4–2)Stafford (0–2)8,43116–14
32 (1)May 212:00 p.m. ESTOriolesW 4–2Ford (5–1)Estrada (2–3)—2:22—17–14W1
33 (2)May 214:47 p.m. ESTOriolesL 2–3Barber (5–3)Sheldon (0–2)Wilhelm (5)2:3747,89017–15L1
34May 228:00 p.m. ESTOriolesW 8–2Coates (4–2)Fisher (1–5)Arroyo (6)2:4316,92318–15W1
35May 24Red Sox3–2Terry (2–0)Nichols (0–1)7,67319–15
36May 25Red Sox6–4Ford (6–1)Muffett (0–4)Arroyo (7)13,08720–15
37May 28White Sox14–9Lown (2–2)Arroyo (1–2)Pierce (2)20–16
38May 28White Sox5–3Coates (5–2)McLish (2–5)44,43521–16
39May 29@ Red Sox2–1Delock (3–1)Ford (6–2)21,80421–17
40May 30@ Red Sox12–3Stafford (1–2)Conley (2–4)Coates (2)19,58222–17
41May 31@ Red Sox7–6Sheldon (1–2)Muffett (0–5)McDevitt (1)17,31823–17
June: 22–10 (Home: 10–1; Away: 12–9)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
42June 1@ Red Sox7–5Monbouquette (4–5)Turley (3–3)Stallard (1)5,25723–18
43June 2@ White Sox6–2Ford (7–2)McLish (2–6)38,41024–18
44June 3@ White Sox6 – 5 (13)Hacker (1–0)Ditmar (2–3)16,48024–19
45June 4@ White Sox10–1Stafford (2–2)Pierce (1–5)28,36225–19
46June 5Twins6–2Coates (6–2)Lee (0–2)Arroyo (8)26–19
47June 5Twins6–1Sheldon (2–2)Stobbs (0–2)23,10327–19
48June 6Twins7–2Ford (8–2)Kralick (4–4)Arroyo (9)17,12928–19
49June 7Twins5–1Terry (3–0)Ramos (3–7)9,01629–19
50June 8Athletics6–1Stafford (3–2)Bass (4–3)30–19
51June 8Athletics9–6Archer (3–1)McDevitt (1–2)13,15730–20
52June 9Athletics8–6Arroyo (2–2)Herbert (3–6)22,41831–20
53June 10Athletics5–3Ford (9–2)Nuxhall (4–2)17,27232–20
54June 11Angels2–1Terry (4–0)McBride (5–4)33–20
55June 11Angels5–1Sheldon (3–2)Grba (5–5)Arroyo (10)37,37834–20
56June 12Angels3–1Stafford (4–2)Bowsfield (2–2)16,36335–20
57June 13@ Indians7–2Perry (5–4)Coates (6–3)Funk (5)21,70435–21
58June 14@ Indians11–5Ford (10–2)Bell (4–6)Arroyo (11)25,09536–21
59June 15@ Indians3 – 2 (11)Terry (5–0)Funk (7–5)23,35037–21
60June 168:15 p.m. EST@ TigersL 2–4Regan (7–2)Stafford (4–3)—2:1251,74437–22L1
61June 178:15 p.m. EST@ TigersL 10–12Foytack (4–4)Daley (4–9)Fox (4)2:5851,50937–23L2
62June 181:300 p.m. EST@ TigersW 9–0Ford (11–2)Lary (10–4)Arroyo (12)2:2744,45938–23W1
63June 19@ Athletics4–3Archer (5–1)Arroyo (2–3)16,71538–24
64June 20@ Athletics6–2Stafford (5–3)Nuxhall (4–3)Coates (3)19,92839–24
65June 21@ Athletics5–3Daley (5–9)Shaw (3–6)Arroyo (13)19,41640–24
66June 22@ Athletics8–3Ford (12–2)Bass (4–6)Arroyo (14)17,25441–24
67June 23@ Twins4–0Pascual (5–9)Turley (3–4)30,94041–25
68June 24@ Twins10–7Sheldon (4–2)Cueto (0–2)Arroyo (15)35,19942–25
69June 25@ Twins8–4Stafford (6–3)Kralick (6–5)Coates (4)35,15243–25
70June 26@ Angels8–6Ford (13–2)Donohue (1–2)Arroyo (16)18,87044–25
71June 27@ Angels7–6Bowsfield (4–2)Daley (5–10)Grba (2)16,10844–26
72June 28@ Angels5–3Duren (3–8)Turley (3–5)Donohue (3)14,67444–27
73June 30@ Senators5–1Ford (14–2)Donovan (3–8)28,01945–27
July: 20–9 (Home: 11–5; Away: 9–4)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
74July 1@ Senators7–6Arroyo (3–3)Sisler (1–3)16,01546–27
75July 2@ Senators13–4Daley (6–10)Burnside (1–5)Arroyo (17)19,79447–27
76 (1)July 41:30 p.m. ESTTigersW 6–2Ford (15–2)Mossi (9–2)—2:20—48–27W4
77 (2)July 44:15 p.m. ESTTigersL 3–4 (10)Lary (12–4)Stafford (6–4)Fox (6)3:2974,24648–28L1
78July 5Indians6–0Sheldon (5–2)Bell (5–9)24,37749–28
79July 6Indians4–0Stafford (7–4)Stigman (2–2)37,13650–28
80July 7Red Sox14–3Daley (7–10)Conley (3–7)29,19951–28
81July 8Red Sox8–5Ford (16–2)Delock (5–5)Arroyo (18)23,38152–28
82July 9Red Sox3–0Sheldon (6–2)Monbouquette (8–7)53–28
83July 9Red Sox9–6Schwall (7–2)Terry (5–1)Earley (1)47,87553–29
—July 1130th All-Star Game in San Francisco, CA
84July 13@ White Sox6–2Stafford (8–4)Wynn (7–2)Arroyo (19)43,96054–29
85July 14@ White Sox6–1Pizarro (5–3)Sheldon (6–3)43,45054–30
86July 15@ White Sox9 – 8 (10)Arroyo (4–3)Hacker (2–2)37,73055–30
87July 162:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesW 2–1Daley (8–10)Barber (10–7)—2:1038,48756–30W2
88July 178:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesW 5–0Ford (17–2)Pappas (6–5)—2:1844,33257–30W3
89July 18@ Senators5–3Arroyo (5–3)McClain (7–9)17,69558–30
90July 19@ Senators8–4Daniels (5–5)Daley (8–11)58–31
91July 19@ Senators12–2Donovan (6–8)Downing (0–1)27,17658–32
92July 21@ Red Sox11–8Arroyo (6–3)Earley (1–4)32,18659–32
93July 22@ Red Sox11–9Arroyo (7–3)Conley (4–9)25,08960–32
94July 23@ Red Sox5–4Schwall (10–2)Daley (8–12)28,57560–33
95July 25White Sox5–1Ford (18–2)Baumann (7–8)Arroyo (20)61–33
96July 25White Sox12–0Stafford (9–4)Pizarro (6–4)46,24062–33
97July 26White Sox5–2Sheldon (7–3)Herbert (7–9)22,36663–33
98July 27White Sox4–3Terry (6–1)Pierce (5–7)Arroyo (21)20,52964–33
99July 288:00 p.m. ESTOriolesL 0–4Brown (8–3)Daley (8–13)—2:0039,62364–34L1
100July 292:00 p.m. ESTOriolesW 5–4Ford (19–2)Fisher (4–10)—2:0842,99065–34W1
101 (1)July 302:00 p.m. ESTOriolesL 0–4Barber (12–8)Stafford (9–5)—2:30—65–35L1
102 (2)July 304:55 p.m. ESTOriolesL 1–2Pappas (7–6)Daley (8–14)Hall (3)2:5357,18065–36L2
—July 3131st All-Star Game in Boston, MA
August: 22–9 (Home: 7–9; Away: 7–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
103August 2Athletics6–5Arroyo (8–3)Archer (7–6)66–36
104August 2Athletics12–5Terry (7–1)Ditmar (2–6)Reniff (1)23,61667–36
105August 3Athletics6–1Shaw (7–9)Daley (8–15)12,58467–37
106August 4Twins8 – 5 (10)Arroyo (9–3)Pleis (3–2)24,10968–37
107August 5Twins2–1Coates (7–3)Kralick (10–7)18,88069–37
108August 6Twins7 – 6 (15)Reniff (1–0)Moore (4–4)70–37
109August 6Twins3–2Sheldon (8–3)Schroll (0–1)39,40871–37
110August 7Angels4–1Daley (9–15)McBride (9–8)13,94472–37
111August 8Angels5 – 4 (10)Arroyo (10–3)Fowler (5–5)24,08473–37
112August 9Angels2–0Coates (8–3)Bowsfield (8–4)17,26174–37
113August 10Angels3–1Ford (20–2)Donohue (4–5)Arroyo (22)15,57575–37
114August 11@ Senators12–5Terry (8–1)McClain (7–13)Reniff (2)22,60176–37
115August 12@ Senators5–1Donovan (8–8)Stafford (9–6)15,87076–38
116August 13@ Senators12–2Daniels (7–6)Daley (9–16)76–39
117August 13@ Senators9–4Coates (9–3)Kutyna (6–4)27,36877–39
118August 15White Sox2–1Pizarro (8–5)Ford (20–3)49,05977–40
119August 16White Sox5–4Terry (9–1)Lown (6–5)29,72878–40
120August 17White Sox5–3Stafford (10–6)Baumann (9–10)Arroyo (23)25,53279–40
121August 18@ Indians5–1Grant (12–6)Coates (9–4)37,84079–41
122August 19@ Indians3 – 2 (10)Ford (21–3)Locke (4–2)Arroyo (24)23,39880–41
123August 20@ Indians6–0Terry (10–1)Perry (9–11)81–41
124August 20@ Indians5–2Sheldon (9–3)Bell (8–13)56,30782–41
125August 22@ Angels4–3McBride (10–10)Stafford (10–7)19,93082–42
126August 23@ Angels8 – 6 (10)Arroyo (11–3)Donohue (4–6)19,77383–42
127August 24@ Angels6–4Morgan (6–2)Coates (9–5)19,81983–43
128August 25@ Athletics3–0Terry (11–1)Archer (8–10)30,83084–43
129August 26@ Athletics5–1Stafford (11–7)Walker (5–11)32,14985–43
130August 27@ Athletics8–7Ford (22–3)Shaw (8–12)Arroyo (25)34,06586–43
131August 29@ Twins3–0Pascual (12–13)Terry (11–2)40,11886–44
132August 30@ Twins4–0Stafford (12–7)Kaat (7–13)41,35787–44
133August 31@ Twins5–4Kralick (12–9)Sheldon (9–4)33,70987–45
September: 21–8 (Home: 15–1; Away: 6–7)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
134September 18:00 p.m. ESTTigersW 1–0Arroyo (12–3)Mossi (14–4)—2:4465,56688–45W1
135September 22:00 p.m. ESTTigersW 7–2Terry (12–2)Lary (19–8)Arroyo (26)2:0250,26189–45W2
136September 32:00 p.m. ESTTigersW 8–5Arroyo (13–3)Staley (2–5)—2:4255,67690–45W3
137September 4Senators5–3Reniff (2–0)Daniels (8–10)91–45
138September 4Senators3–2Daley (10–16)Burnside (1–7)34,68392–45
139September 5Senators6–1Coates (10–5)McClain (8–16)16,91793–45
140September 6Senators8–0Ford (23–3)Cheney (1–3)12,29594–45
141September 7Indians7–3Terry (13–2)Stigman (2–4)18,54995–45
142September 8Indians9–1Stafford (13–7)Bell (9–15)41,76296–45
143September 9Indians8–7Arroyo (14–3)Funk (11–10)37,16197–45
144September 10Indians7–6Coates (11–5)Locke (4–4)Arroyo (27)98–45
145September 10Indians9–3Daley (11–16)Perry (10–14)57,82499–45
146September 12@ White Sox4 – 3 (6)Terry (14–2)Pierce (9–9)36,166100–45
147September 14@ White Sox8–3Herbert (10–12)Sheldon (9–5)Hacker (7)100–46
148September 14@ White Sox4–3Kemmerer (3–3)Arroyo (14–4)18,120100–47
149 (1)September 156:00 p.m. EST@ TigersW 11–1Ford (24–3)Mossi (14–7)—2:47—101–47W1
150 (2)September 159:12 p.m. EST@ TigersL 2–4Kline (7–8)Daley (11–17)—2:3242,267101–48L1
151September 161:30 p.m. EST@ TigersL 4–10Lary (21–9)Terry (14–3)—2:3235,820101–49L2
152September 171:30 p.m. EST@ TigersW 6–4 (12)Arroyo (15–4)Fox (4–2)—3:4644,219102–49W1
153 (1)September 196:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesL 0–1Barber (17–11)Ford (24–4)—2:27—102–50L1
154 (2)September 198:52 p.m. EST@ OriolesW 3–1Daley (12–17)Brown (10–6)—2:0831,317103–50W1
155September 208:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesW 4–2Terry (15–3)Pappas (12–9)—2:0021,032104–50W2
156September 218:00 p.m. EST@ OriolesL 3–5Fisher (10–12)Stafford (13–8)—2:0422,089104–51L1
157September 23@ Red Sox8–3Ford (25–4)Schwall (15–6)Arroyo (28)28,128105–51
158September 24@ Red Sox3–1Monbouquette (14–13)Arroyo (15–5)30,802105–52
159September 268:00 p.m. ESTOriolesW 3–2Sheldon (10–5)Fisher (10–13)—2:1319,401106–52W1
160September 272:00 p.m. ESTOriolesL 2–3Barber (18–12)Stafford (13–9)Hall (4)2:077,594106–53L1
161September 29Red Sox2–1Sheldon (11–5)Monbouquette (14–14)21,485107–53
162September 30Red Sox3–1Terry (16–3)Schwall (15–7)Coates (5)19,061108–53
October: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Away: 0–0)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
163October 1Red Sox1–0Stafford (14–9)Stallard (2–7)Arroyo (29)23,154109–53

Detailed records

American League
OpponentHomeAwayTotalPct.Runs scoredRuns allowed
Baltimore Orioles4–55–49–9.5005552
Boston Red Sox8–15–413–5.72210671
Chicago White Sox7–25–412–6.6679872
Cleveland Indians9–05–414–4.7789961
Detroit Tigers6–34–510–8.55610485
Kansas City Athletics7–27–214–4.77810367
Los Angeles Angels7–25–412–6.6677864
Minnesota Twins8–16–314–4.7788858
New York Yankees——————
Washington Senators7–24–511–7.6119682
65–1644–37109–53.673827612

Postseason Game log

Legend
 Yankees win
 Yankees loss
BoldYankees team member
1961 Postseason game log: 4–1 (Home: 1–1; Away: 3–0)
World Series vs Cincinnati Reds (Home: 1–1; Away: 3–0)[8]
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1October 41:00 p.m. EDTRedsW 2–0Ford (1–0)O'Toole (0–1)—2:1162,397NYA 1–0W1
2October 51:00 p.m. EDTRedsL 2–6Jay (1–0)Terry (0–1)—2:4363,083TIE 1–1L1
3October 72:00 p.m. EDT@ RedsW 3–2Arroyo (1–0)Purkey (0–1)—2:1532,589NYA 2–1W1
4October 82:00 p.m. EST@ RedsW 7–0Ford (2–0)O'Toole (0–2)Coates (1)2:2732,589NYA 3–1W2
5October 92:00 p.m. EST@ RedsW 13–5Daley (1–0)Jay (1–1)—3:0532,589NYA 4–1W3

Starting Lineups

Regular Season

Batting Order

1961 Regular Season Batting Order game log
April
#DateOpponent1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
May
#DateOpponent1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
June
#DateOpponent1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
July
#DateOpponent1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
August
#DateOpponent1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
September
#DateOpponent1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
October
#DateOpponent1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th

Defensive Lineup

1961 Regular Season Defensive Lineup game log
April
#DateOpponentC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFP
May
#DateOpponentC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFP
June
#DateOpponentC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFP
July
#DateOpponentC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFP
August
#DateOpponentC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFP
September
#DateOpponentC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFP
October
#DateOpponentC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFP

World Series

Batting Order

1961 Postseason Batting Order game log
#DateOpponent1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
1 October 4 CIN #1
Richardson
(2B)		 #10
Kubek
(SS)		 #9
Maris
(CF)		 #32
Howard
(C)		 #14
Skowron
(1B)		 #8
Berra
(LF)		 #11
López
(RF)		 #6
Boyer
(3B)		 #16
Ford
(SP)
2 October 5 CIN #1
Richardson
(2B)		 #10
Kubek
(SS)		 #9
Maris
(CF)		 #8
Berra
(LF)		 #38
Blanchard
(RF)		 #32
Howard
(C)		 #14
Skowron
(1B)		 #6
Boyer
(3B)		 #23
Terry
(SP)
3 October 7 @ CIN #1
Richardson
(2B)		 #10
Kubek
(SS)		 #9
Maris
(RF)		 #7
Mantle
(CF)		 #8
Berra
(LF)		 #32
Howard
(C)		 #14
Skowron
(1B)		 #6
Boyer
(3B)		 #22
Stafford
(SP)
4 October 8 @ CIN #1
Richardson
(2B)		 #10
Kubek
(SS)		 #9
Maris
(RF)		 #7
Mantle
(CF)		 #32
Howard
(C)		 #8
Berra
(LF)		 #14
Skowron
(1B)		 #6
Boyer
(3B)		 #16
Ford
(SP)
5 October 9 @ CIN #1
Richardson
(2B)		 #10
Kubek
(SS)		 #9
Maris
(C)		 #38
Blanchard
(RF)		 #32
Howard
(C)		 #14
Skowron
(1B)		 #11
López
(LF)		 #6
Boyer
(3B)		 #23
Terry
(SP)

Defensive Lineup

1961 Postseason Defensive Lineup game log
#DateOpponentC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFP
1 October 4 CIN #32
Howard		 #14
Skowron		 #1
Richardson		 #6
Boyer		 #10
Kubek		 #8
Berra		 #9
Maris		 #11
López		 #16
Ford
2 October 5 CIN #32
Howard		 #14
Skowron		 #1
Richardson		 #6
Boyer		 #10
Kubek		 #8
Berra		 #9
Maris		 #38
Blanchard		 #23
Terry
3 October 7 @ CIN #32
Howard		 #14
Skowron		 #1
Richardson		 #6
Boyer		 #10
Kubek		 #8
Berra		 #7
Mantle		 #9
Maris		 #22
Stafford
4 October 8 @ CIN #32
Howard		 #14
Skowron		 #1
Richardson		 #6
Boyer		 #10
Kubek		 #8
Berra		 #7
Mantle		 #9
Maris		 #16
Ford
5 October 9 @ CIN #32
Howard		 #14
Skowron		 #1
Richardson		 #6
Boyer		 #10
Kubek		 #11
López		 #9
Maris		 #38
Blanchard		 #23
Terry

Game Umpires

Regular Season

1961 Regular Season Umpire game log
April
#DateOpponentHP1B2B3B
May
#DateOpponentHP1B2B3B
June
#DateOpponentHP1B2B3B
July
#DateOpponentHP1B2B3B
August
#DateOpponentHP1B2B3B
September
#DateOpponentHP1B2B3B
October
#DateOpponentHP1B2B3B

World Series

1961 Postseason Umpire game log
#DateOpponentHP1B2B3BLFRF
1 October 4 CIN Ed Runge
(AL)
(crew chief)		 Jocko Conlan
(NL)		 Frank Umont
(AL)		 Augie Donatelli
(NL)		 Shag Crawford
(NL)		 Bob Stewart
(AL)
2 October 5 CIN Jocko Conlan
(NL)		 Frank Umont
(AL)		 Augie Donatelli
(NL)		 Ed Runge
(AL)
(crew chief)		 Shag Crawford
(NL)		 Bob Stewart
(AL)
3 October 7 @ CIN Frank Umont
(AL)		 Augie Donatelli
(NL)		 Ed Runge
(AL)
(crew chief)		 Jocko Conlan
(NL)		 Shag Crawford
(NL)		 Bob Stewart
(AL)
4 October 8 @ CIN Augie Donatelli
(NL)		 Ed Runge
(AL)
(crew chief)		 Jocko Conlan
(NL)		 Frank Umont
(AL)		 Shag Crawford
(NL)		 Bob Stewart
(AL)
5 October 9 @ CIN Ed Runge
(AL)
(crew chief)		 Jocko Conlan
(NL)		 Frank Umont
(AL)		 Augie Donatelli
(NL)		 Shag Crawford
(NL)		 Bob Stewart
(AL)

Player stats

= Indicates team leader
= Indicates league leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; R = Runs; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB R H Avg. HR RBI
CElston Howard12944664155.3482177
1BBill Skowron15056177150.2672889
2BBobby Richardson16266280173 .261449
3BClete Boyer14850461113.2241155
SSTony Kubek15361784170.276846
LFYogi Berra11939562107.2712261
CFMickey Mantle153514131163.31754128
RFRoger Maris161590132159.26961141*

[9]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Johnny Blanchard9324374.3052154
Héctor López9324354.222322
Bob Cerv5711832.271620
Billy Gardner419921.21212
Joe DeMaestri30416.14602
Deron Johnson13192.10502
Earl Torgeson22182.11100
Jack Reed28132.15401
Bob Hale11132.15411
Jesse Gonder15124.33303
Tom Tresh982.25000
Lee Thomas221.50000

[9]

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Whitey Ford39283.02543.21209
Bill Stafford36195.01492.68101
Ralph Terry31188.11633.1586
Bud Daley23129.2893.9683
Bob Turley1572.0355.7548

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Rollie Sheldon35162.21153.6084
Jim Coates43141.11153.4480
Art Ditmar1254.1234.6424
Danny McDevitt813.0127.628
Al Downing59.0108.0012

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L SV ERA SO
Luis Arroyo65119.0155292.1987
Hal Reniff2545.12022.5821
Tex Clevenger2131.21104.8314
Ryne Duren45.00105.407
Johnny James11.10000.002
Duke Maas10.100054.000

1961 World Series

1961 World Series
New York Yankees def. Cincinnati Reds, 4–1
MVP Award: Whitey Ford, P, New York
GameDateScoreSeries
(NYY-CIN)		LocationAttendanceTime
1October 4Yankees 2, Reds 01–0Yankee Stadium62,3972:11
2October 5Reds 6, Yankees 21–1Yankee Stadium63,0832:43
3October 7Yankees 3, Reds 22–1Crosley Field32,5892:15
4October 8Yankees 7, Reds 03–1Crosley Field32.5892:27
5October 9Yankees 13, Reds 54–1Crosley Field32,5893:05

Awards and honors

1961 All-Star Game

League leaders

  • Whitey Ford, led league in innings: (283)
  • Whitey Ford, led league in games started: (39)
  • Whitey Ford, led league in batters faced: (1,159)
  • Luis Arroyo, led league in games pitched: (65) and saves: (29)
  • Roger Maris, Major League Baseball home run champion, (61)

Franchise records

  • Roger Maris, Yankees single season record, home runs in a season: (61)
  • Mickey Mantle, Yankees single season record, home runs by a center fielder: (54)

Team leaders

  • Home runs – Roger Maris (61)
  • RBI – Roger Maris (142)
  • Batting average – Mickey Mantle (.317)
  • Hits – Bobby Richardson (173)
  • Stolen bases – Mickey Mantle (12)
  • Walks – Mickey Mantle (126)
  • Wins – Whitey Ford (25)
  • Earned run average – Bill Stafford (2.68)
  • Strikeouts – Whitey Ford (209)

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Richmond Virginians International League Cal Ermer
AA Amarillo Gold Sox Texas League Sheriff Robinson
A Binghamton Triplets Eastern League Jim Gleeson
B Greensboro Yankees Carolina League Wayne Terwilliger
C Modesto Reds California League Vern Rapp
D Harlan Smokies Appalachian League Frank Parenti and Eddie Lyons
D St. Petersburg Saints Florida State League Bob Bauer
D Auburn Yankees New York–Penn League Loren Babe

Harlan affiliation shared with Chicago White Sox[11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Bob Cerv at Baseball Reference
  2. ↑ Art López at Baseball Reference
  3. ↑ Jake Gibbs at Baseball Reference
  4. ↑ "Roger Maris 1961 Home Run Season by Baseball Almanac". baseball-almanac.com.
  5. ↑ "Rome News-Tribune - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  6. ↑ Roy White at Baseball Reference
  7. ↑ "1961 New York Yankees Schedule & Results". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  8. ↑ "1961 World Series - New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds (4-1)". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "1961 New York Yankees Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. ↑ "1961 All-Star Game". baseball-almanac.com.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

References

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