In 1961, Yankees teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle had a mesmerizing season with both chasing Babe Ruth’s single season home run record. Ultimately, Maris broke it with 61 while Mantle, who was hospitalized with an abscessed hip late in the season, finished with 54.
The stress of it was devastating for Maris, who actually started to lose his hair as a result.
So you can imagine how difficult it must have been for Hank Aaron when he approached Babe Ruth’s career home run record in 1974.
Aaron got to 713 very near the end of 1973 but had to wait over the summer to actually break it.