M&M go back-to-back, Yanks beat Chisox 6-2

July 13, 1961 – Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle kicked off the second half of the season with back-to-back home runs in the first inning against Early Wynn and the Yankees went on to a 6-2 win over the White Sox at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

For the ninth time this year Maris, right, and Mantle, left, have homered in the same game, for the second time back-to-back.

Yogi Berra thinks that may have been the first time he uttered the famous Yogism “It’s deja vu all over again.”

Maris now has 34 home runs on the season and Mantle 30. Maris is 14 games ahead of Babe Ruth’s record 60 HR pace in 1927 and Mantle is even with the Babe through 84 games.

Bobby Richardson opened the game with a single, and one out later Maris reached the upper deck in right. Mantle followed with another upper deck shot, this one to center, the 350th home run of his career.

Clete Boyer later singled in the fourth run of the inning.

The White Sox cut the Yankee lead to 4-2 in the fifth when catcher Sherm Lollar and pitcher Frank Baumann hit back-to-back homers against Bill Stafford.

But the Yanks added some insurance in the ninth when Tony Kubek doubled and Mantle singled for a 6-2 lead.

Stafford (8-4) went six innings for the win, and Luis Arroyo pitched three innings of one one-hit relief for his 19th save. Wynn (7-2), gunning for the 292th win of his career, was the loser.

The Yankees moved back into a first place tie with the Detroit Tigers.

Box score

BETTER DAYS: With baseball and life in general on hold during the coronavirus crisis, the SportsLifer will take a daily look at the 1961 Yankees as they captured the attention of sports fans everywhere. It was the year of the great home run race, as Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle chased Babe Ruth into history. Hopefully the SportsLifer can provide some nostalgic entertainment for fans who are starving for baseball, past and present. Play ball!

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