Nov. 15, 1961 - Yankee outfielder Roger Maris, whose 61 home runs last season were the most ever hit by a major league player in a championship campaign, was voted the American League’s most valuable player for 1961. The 27-year-old Midwesterner, who makes his home just outside Kansas City, bagged the prized award for the second year in a row. In the poll of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Maris scored 202 points to 198 points for his teammate Mickey Mantle. Mickey battled Maris in the most thrilling two-man home run derby in history until illness in the final 10 days stalled him at 54 homers.
