The season of giving

Roger Maris with the Kansas City Athletics

Exactly two weeks before the start of both Christmas and Hanukkah in 1959, the Kansas City Athletics give the New York Yankees the best of all presents 65 years ago today as they trade outfielder Roger Maris to the Yankees.

In return, the Yankees send to Kansas City a couple of spare parts in pitcher Don Larsen and outfielder Hank Bauer, a solid hitter in first baseman Norm Siebern and another first baseman in the not-so-marvelous Marvelous Marv Throneberry.

With Maris, the Yankees – who disappointingly miss the World Series in 1959 – spend the next five Octobers in the World Series.

Over that time, Maris emerges as the American League’s MVP both in 1960 and ’61, and hits 61 homers in 1961 to break Babe Ruth’s single-season record of 60 set in 1927.

Maris – seen here by the New York Times watching his historic 61st home run clear the right-field wall on Oct. 1, 1961 at Yankee Stadium – plays twice more in the World Series for St. Louis in 1967 and '68 before retiring.

“I never wanted all this hoopla,” Maris later says of his time with the Yankees and the often-intrusive spotlight that comes with it. “All I wanted is to be a good ball player and hit 15 or 30 homers, drive in 100 runs, hit .280 and help my club win pennants. I just wanted to be one of the guys, an average player having a good season.”