Suppose the season was shortened to 144 games. What of the Home Run record? Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED)?

What? Why would they shorten the season? Not the point but maybe to include all the teams in a playoff.

Would you expect batters to hit 60 Home Runs for a season record? So you're not among those who say a season is a season?

It would be unreasonable to expect as many Home Runs in 144 games as in 162. What about compared to 154, the scheduled games for full seasons from 1903 through 1960 in both the American League (AL) and National League (NL)? But I seem to be the only one who thinks that two sets of total Home Run records should be considered for 154 and 162 game seasons.

The logical way to compare Home Runs in those two different seasons is to consider the Home Run total in the first 154 games of a 162 game season. That's what was done in 1961 in the American League, the first 162 game season and the one in which Roger Maris hit more Home Runs than anyone ever in the AL or NL. Babe Ruth had the previous high: 60 in 1927. Maris hit 61 but fewer than 60 in his Yankee team's first 154 games.

Both the 1927 and 1961 Yankee teams played early season ties. Ruth hit number 60 in game 154 of 155. Maris hit number 61 in game 163. Maris not only got 8 more games (5.2%) than Ruth, he got one more after that and used it.

Nine is 5.8% of 154. Almost six percent more games. What the heck?

With all the fuss from steroid zealots making the higher totals of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa suspect, Babe Ruth is the only non PED user to hit 60 Home Runs in 154 games.

In 1961 the American League expanded from 8 to 10 teams, 25% more. That's why there were 8 more games. It was thought that another expansion would happen soon and that the season would return to 154 games but that did not happen.

So 25% of the 1961 American League players would not have been there in 1960. That means that Maris was hitting his 61 Home Runs against watered down pitching. And Maris "broke" the record by only one and in NINE more games.

Consider this the next time you hear the unimaginative likes of Bob Costas or John Heyman state that Roger Maris is the "real" season Home Run record holder. They use Maris as a tool against the Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) trio Bonds, McGwire and Sosa. Costas, Heyman, etc. will return Maris to the dustbin of history as soon as someone like Aaron Judge exceeds the Maris total. And they are sure that Judge has not been using PED. They're sure.

The case against Roger Maris 61 Home Runs in 1961: expansion (25% more teams) and EIGHT (5.2%) more games. Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Roger Maris hit #61 in team game 163, not 162. Only 60 in first 162 games. Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Babe Ruth never batted against Satchel Paige. Neither did Jackie Robinson. Friday, May 29, 2009