If you wanted to see major league baseball players hit home runs in 1961, you didn’t have to leave Winston-Salem; you just had to travel to Ernie Shore Field.
Following a exciting home run race in the regular baseball season, three major league hitters extended their season into October to participate in the home-run derby in North Carolina. The three hitters were Harmon Killebrew (Minnesota Twins), Jim Gentile (Baltimore Orioles), and Roger Maris (New York Yankees).
The home run derby was planned to take advantage of the “home run fever” that caught the interest of baseball fans during the season. Back to back exhibitions took place in Wilson, Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte, and Winston-Salem. The participants in the photo above are: Roger Maris, Chuck Weatherspoon (player for Wilson, exhibition catcher), Clyde King (Goldsboro native, former Brooklyn Dodger pitcher, exhibition pitcher), Jim Gentile, Jack McKeon (Wilson team manager, exhibition pitcher), and Harmon Killebrew.
Harmon Killebrew hit 46 home runs during the 1961 season, and hit 55 homers to win the home run derby after five nights.
Jim Gentile had 48 homers during the regular season. He suffered with blisters on his hands after the first game in Wilson, and hit 39 home runs in the derby.
During the regular season, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 162 games. Baseball fans were watching Maris during the season because he had the best chance of tying or beating Babe Ruth’s record of 60 homers in 154 games. Maris hit his 60th homer in his 158th game. During the home run derby, Maris hit 46 home runs.
Attendance at the five exhibition games was less than expected, and the backers were disappointed in the low number of spectators. When Maris walked out of the clubhouse at Ernie Shore Field, someone mentioned the small crowd to him. Maris replied, “I just don’t know what’s happened. I guess people would rather see somebody run with a football than see us hit baseballs at this time of the year.”
Other spectators speculated on how Maris, based on his outstanding season, might be expecting a raise in his $40,000 salary when the new contracts were negotiated at the first of 1962. The exhibitions supplemented his salary. He was slated to travel to Omaha to participate in a charity golf match. Then he would go home to Kansas City for a rest before fulfilling other off-season commitments.
Killebrew planned to spend the winter at home in Idaho. Gentile, who was from California, planned to spend the winter in Baltimore.
The three hitters spent some of their time that evening signing autographs for almost everyone in the park.
All of the photos used in this post were taken in Winston-Salem. Photographs courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
