On with the Barrage

The home-run barrage goes on. On a Sunday, which for the first time saw a schedule of ten doubleheaders, big-league batters banged out a record 54 homers, four more than the previous one-day high of 50 in 16 games on May 30, 1956. Led by the Minnesota Twins with six homers. American League teams hit 30 balls into the stands or over the fence. In the National League, Cincinnati and Philadelphia swung the biggest bats, with four home runs each.

Though the New York Yankees' Roger Maris, last year's champion with 61 homers, is deep in a batting slump (only eleven homers so far), half a dozen other batsmen are mounting a new assault on the record books. San Francisco's always great Willie Mays leads both leagues with 21. is only ten games behind Maris' 1961 pace; six other players have 15 or more. By last week, baseball's sluggers had cost their respective teams some 1,200 baseballs. With two more teams added to the majors this year, the fans were talking about the possibility of 3.000 home runs (rt'. the record 2,730 last year) before the season is out.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.