The year was 1961; Roger Maris had broken the single-season home run record of 60. He would win the MVP that year. In 1961, another big-time hitter in the AL that year, Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles. Jim Gentile finished 3rd in the AL MVP voting finishing behind Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.

Maris .269 BA, 159 HITS, 61 HR, 142 RBI, .372 OBP, 132 RUNS (161 G’s)

Mantle .317 BA, 163 HITS, 54 HR, 128 RBI, .448 OBP, 131 RUNS (153 G’s)

Gentile .302 BA, 147 HITS, 46 HR, 141 RBI, .423 OBP, 96 RUNS (148 G’s)

In 1961, Gentile playing for a lesser team and appearing in fewer games made an excellent case for the AL MVP over Maris and Mantle. Gentile played well at first base, recording a .989 fielding percentage. It’s not surprising that he finished 3rd in the MVP voting behind Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. Maris hitting 61 home runs, breaking the all-time single-season record, basically cemented him that award. He also wasn’t going to beat out Mantle. However, that’s not the point.

In 1961, Gentile’s contract with the Orioles had a $5,000 bonus if he were to lead the AL in RBIs, but he finished one behind Roger Maris at 142. In 2010, it was determined by the Society for American Baseball Research that Roger Maris was incorrectly credited with an RBI in a game on July 5th, 1961. That meant that Maris and Gentile both led the league in RBIs with 141 each, respectively. That same year almost 50 years later, Peter Angelos, the new owner of the Baltimore Orioles, made good on the deal and presented Jim Gentile with a check for $5,000 at a game. With inflation, Jim Gentile’s 1961 $5,000 bonus was $36,464.21 in 2010 dollars. But hey, I guarantee anyone reading this would take a $5,000 payment any day of the week.

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