The team (with Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Elston Howard, Yogi Berra and Moose Skowron), which defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series, was considered by many as the best ever, with sluggers Mantle and Maris chasing Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs (Maris eventually broke the record on the final day of a 162-game season) and pitcher Whitey Ford winning 25 games and losing four. Boyer batted only .224 during the regular season, but more than made up for it with his defense in an infield that also featured the double play duo of Tony Kubek at shortstop and Bobby Richardson at second base. In the first game of that World Series, Boyer displayed his defense by making two spectacular plays — one on a Gene Freese ground ball in the second inning, in which he backhanded the ball and threw Freese out from his knees, and another on a Dick Gernert ground ball in which he dove to his left and threw Gernert out, also from his knees.