He enjoyed his breakout season in . He led the AL with a .361 average, and had 41 home runs (sixth in the AL), 132 runs batted in (fourth), 119 runs scored (fourth), 124 walks (second) for a .487 on-base percentage (first), and 354 total bases (second) for a .662 slugging average (second); but his season was overshadowed by the 61 home runs of Roger Maris, and teammate Rocky Colavito finished with more home runs and RBI. Still, his .361 average would be the highest by any major league player in the 1960s. The Tigers finished 101–61 for their best regular season record since 1934, and scored the most runs in baseball, though they finished second in the AL, eight games behind the New York Yankees; Cash was fourth in the MVP voting. In addition, Cash later admitted to using an illegal corked bat during the 1961 season, demonstrating how he had drilled a hole in his bats and filled it with a mixture of sawdust, cork and glue. His 1961 statistics turned out to be career highs which he rarely approached again – in later years, he never reached 100 runs or 100 RBI, and never batted above .283. His 118-point drop to a .243 average in was the largest ever by a batting champion.