Roger Maris breaks Babe Ruth's home run record. Phil Rizzuto, Red Barber and Mel Allen call the play-by-play of the four Maris at bats. Rizzuto (1st inning), Barber (4th inning, announcing Maris' 61st home run), Allen (6th and 8th inning).
Mel Allen, in the WPIX TV booth, interviews Sal Durante, the 19 year old truck driver who caught Roger Maris' historic home run ball.
Also, Bob Sheppard's poem about Maris and his record breaking 61 home runs is read by Mel Allen.
Following the conclusion of the game we hear THE RED BARBER SHOW post-game show. Maris guests and reviews, via video tape replay, his historic home run, with Red Barber.
NY Yankee Manager Ralph Houk and NY Yankee pitching coach, Johnny Sain also comment.
NOTE: This television audio air check was audio tape recorded, direct line, off the air at the time of the broadcast, by Phil Gries, founder and owner of Archival Television Audio, Inc. It is the only known recording of Roger Maris' four at bats as aired on this WPIX Channel 11 television broadcast.
A recording of this air check was given to Andy Strasberg who contacted me, while researching material for a book he was writing. He mentioned that for over fifty years searching for his holy grail broadcast of Roger Maris appearing on Red Barber's NY Yankee Post Game Show had alluded him. In his finished book "MY 1961," published by August Publications in 2021, the transcript of this peerless audio is greatly quoted verbatim by author Andy Strasberg on pages 257 through 270.
