| 1961 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 10 – October 12, 1961 |
| Number of games | 162 (AL), 154 (NL) |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| TV partner(s) | NBC, CBS, ABC |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Roger Maris (NY) NL: Frank Robinson (CIN) |
| AL champions | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
| NL champions | Cincinnati Reds |
| NL runners-up | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| World Series | |
| Champions | New York Yankees |
| Runners-up | Cincinnati Reds |
| World Series MVP | Whitey Ford (NY) |
The 1961 Major League Baseball season was played from April 10 to October 12, 1961. That season saw the New York Yankees defeat the Cincinnati Reds in five games in the World Series. The season is best known for Yankee teammates Roger Maris' and Mickey Mantle's pursuit of Babe Ruth's prestigious 34-year-old single-season home run record of 60. Maris ultimately broke the record when he hit his 61st home run on the final day of the regular season, while Mantle was forced out of the lineup in late September due to a hip infection and finished with 54 home runs.
In response to the proposed Continental League, the American League expanded by two teams in the first MLB expansion since 1901. The original Washington Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins. The American League therefore placed a new team in Washington, also called the Senators. Also, the American League placed a team in Los Angeles called the Los Angeles Angels.
In order to keep its schedule balanced, the American League season was extended by eight games. Previously, teams had played 154 games (22 games per opponent), but from 1961 AL teams would play opponents 18 times each for a total of 162 games. The National League played a 154-game schedule for the final time in 1961 before switching to 162 games when they also expanded to ten teams for the 1962 Major League Baseball season.