On what date did Roger Maris hit his first home run during the season when he broke Babe Ruth’s record?

Maris hit his first home run on April 26, 1961, off of Detroit Tigers starter Paul Foytack, in the New York Yankees 11th game of the season. In comparison, during the year Ruth hit 60, he hit his first homer on April 15, 1927, in his team’s fourth game. In 1998, Mark McGwire hit his first on March 31, 1998 — the St. Louis Cardinals‘ first game of the season.