NOW YOU KNOW

Many people think that it is much easier to hit a home run now than in 1961, thus tainting the home run record Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are on pace to break. But is it really easier? A comparison of the American League in 1961, when Roger Maris set the single-season home run record, and the National League in 1998:

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1961 AL Category 1998 NL 1.90 HR per game 1.91 9.10 Runs per game 9.20 .256 Batting average .262 .395 Slugging % .403 Maris, 61 HR leader McGwire, 47 Mantle, 54 HR runner-up Sosa, 46

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