As Roger Maris of the New York Yankees chased the legendary Babe Ruth’s single-season home-run record in 1961, his hair began falling out in clumps from the stress of pursuing the iconic mark held by a beloved figure.
Much of that was related one way or another to the asterisk looming over the difference between the 154-game season Ruth played and the 162-game season of Maris’ time (and since), a fact that further fueled derision of Maris in the media.
During the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 (which later became a disgrace), Mark McGwire of the Cardinals was frequently irritable — whether because of the scrutiny or the steroids or a combination of both.