In “61*”, New York Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris vie to break Babe Ruth’s 60-home-run record during the 1961 baseball season. While Mantle is the crowd-favorite battling personal struggles, Maris is the underdog facing fan disdain.

The film deftly captures the tension of the competition and the complexities of their friendship. Serving as both a thrilling sports story and a nuanced character study, the film offers a compelling glimpse into a defining moment in baseball history.

The asterisk in the “61*” title refers to the controversy surrounding Roger Maris’s breaking of Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. When Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961, it was done in a 162-game season, whereas Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs was set in a 154-game season.