September 26 Maris ties Ruth

This Day in Baseball - The Daily Rewind

September 26, 1961 In New York's 159th game, Roger Maris rips a Jack Fisher fastball into the RF seats at Yankee Stadium for his 60th home run. New York beats Baltimore 3 - 2. There are fewer than 8,000 fans on hand to view this historic event. The legitimacy of the record would be a hot topic of debate since the American League had been expanded from 8 to10 teams and the number of games played was increased by 8.

September 26, 1998 Mark McGwire sends two balls the distance, collecting homers number 67 and 68 of the season. McGwire now stands alone as the single season home run king.. 48,212 fans would be on hand at Busch Stadium to witness McGwire's assault on history and the Cards lose 7 - 6 to Montreal.

September 26, 1971 Willie Mays hits his 646th and last home run as a member of the San Francisco Giants. It comes in the Giants' 12-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium.

September 26, 1955 - The Red Sox beat the Yankees 8-1 as Ted Williams goes 1-for-20. Williams finishes the season batting .356, well ahead of Al Kaline's .340, but does not have enough at bats to win the batting title due to the 71 times he walked. The same thing happened in 1954 when Williams was walked 136 times. A rule change would be made to recognize plate appearances, not times at bat.

September 26, 1981 - At the Astrodome, Nolan Ryan becomes the first pitcher to throw five no-hitters, defeating the Dodgers, 5-0. Ryan had shared the record of four with Dodger great Sandy Koufax.