In 1953, batting right-handed, he hit a ball thrown by Chuck Stobbs of the Washington Senators over the 55-foot-high left-field fence in Griffith Stadium, a drive that was measured at 565 feet from home plate. Mantle won three American League MVP Awards and was a four time AL home run leader and one time AL RBI leader. And after leaving the Betty Ford Center, he seemed to be a revived person. [6] He hit 536 career home runs, batted .300 or more ten times, and is the career leader (tied with Jim Thome) in walk-off home runs, with 13: 12 in the regular season and one in the postseason. On May 22, Mantle hit a line-drive home run off the third-tier facade at Yankee Stadium, the closest that any hitter had come to hitting a fair ball out of the park. The second, he always will be. Roger Maris was born on September 10, 1934 in Hibbing, MN. Mickey Mantle played 18 seasons. [72] He was 63 years old. His strength as a hitter became legendary. In spite of short foul pole dimension of 296 feet (90m) to left and 301 feet (92m) to right in original Yankee Stadium, Mantle gained no advantage there as his stroke both left and right-handed drove balls there to power alleys of 344' to 407' and 402' to 457' feet (139m) from the plate. Mantle became a Christian when his former teammate Bobby Richardson, a Baptist, shared his faith with him. Roy Clark sang and played "Yesterday, When I Was Young". "When I was drinking," he said, "I thought it was funny -- the life of the party. "I was also playing semipro ball for a team they called the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids, and one night a scout from the Yankees named Tom Greenwade came through Baxter Springs. "[20] Mantle immediately broke out of his slump, and went on to hit .361 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs during his stay in Kansas City. He currently resides in Spavinaw, OK. In the second game of the 1951 World Series, New York Giants rookie Willie Mays hit a fly ball to right-center field. Shortly after Mantle completed treatment, his son Billy died on March 12, 1994 at age 36 of heart problems brought on by years of substance abuse. After an impressive spring training, the Yankees manager decided to promote Mantle to the major league team as a right fielder. He was a 20-time All-Star and seven-time World Series champion. And then came the era of Mantle. How many seasons did Mickey Mantle play? "Joe DiMaggio was my hero," Mantle said, "but he couldn't talk to me because I wouldn't even look at him, although he was always nice and polite." He later wrote a book (My Favorite Summer 1956) about his best year in baseball. The first main series #7 card not issued to Mantle or a Yankee was to shortstop Orlando Arcia of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021. As a teammate, he never complained about his injuries and always tried to lead by example. Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. But he was also a part-time baseball player who had such a passion for the game that he named his son in honor of Mickey Cochrane, the great catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and player-manager for the Detroit Tigers. Described by him as his "favorite summer", his major league-leading .353 batting average, 52 home runs, and 130 runs batted in brought home both the Triple Crown and first of three Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards. But as it turned out, nobody could stand to be around me. Some now call this his last home run at Yankee Stadium. [23][24] Mantle had high hopes that 1953 would be a breakout year but his momentum was stopped by an injury. Baseball scholars often ponder "what if" had he not been injured, and had been able to lead a healthy career. He remembered what his doctor told him then: "Your liver is still working, but it has healed itself so many times that before long you're just going to have one big scab for a liver. Frail, and humbled by the sad events of his later life, Mantle received thousands of letters of support after his transplant operation and discovered that the public could forgive and forget. [15] Mantle won the Western Association batting title, with a .383 average. On May 14, 1967, Mantle became the sixth member of the 500 home run club. Once, he put a live snake in Marshall Bridges's uniform, and another time he released a live mongoose into the visitors clubhouse at Tiger Stadium.[47]. He continued to be a solid player for the Yankees over the next few years and had his breakout season in 1956. [10] However, Mantle struggled defensively at shortstop.[10]. Mantle was a prized guest at baseball-card shows, commanding fees far in excess of those of any other player for his appearances and autographs. Anyone can read what you share. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 23:52, Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery, Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle, List of Major League Baseball retired numbers, List of Major League Baseball home run records, List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball batting champions, List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, "Longest Home Run Ever Hit by Baseball Almanac", "On what would have been his 80th birthday, Mickey Mantle's World Series home run record still stands", "New York 500 Home Run Club Mickey Mantle Yankees", Elven Charles "Mutt" Mantle + Lovell Velma Richardson PhpGedView, "Mickey Mantle Minor League Statistics and History", "Dickey Calls Mickey Mantle Best Prospect He Ever Saw", "Talkin' Matt Wieters and the concept of hype, with Bill James", "All-time and Single-Season World Series Batting Leaders Baseball-Reference.com", "Stunned Mantle Again Named 'Most Valuable', "Mickey Mantle 1961 Back in Time: January 1961 Photos SI Vault", "MANTLE'S HOMER SUBDUES A'S, 8-7; Clout in 11th Almost Clears Stadium--Two-Out Drive in 9th Ties Yankees", "July 9, 1963: Mays leads NL stars in return to single All-Star Game - Society for American Baseball Research", "Yanks' Woes of '08 Eerily Similar to '65", "Flashback: When Texas Opened the 8th Wonder of the World", "Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game", "Jeter adds games played to his Yanks records", "Mickey Mantle Almost Gave Up Switch-Hitting in 1960", "Mickey Mantle Career Home Runs Baseball-Reference.com", "The Lantern 19 May 1969 Ohio State University Newspaper Archives", "Yankees' Old-Timers' Day never gets old | Newsday", "Mickey Mantle Society for American Baseball Research", "Mickey Mantle Strikes Out, Then Hits a Homer", "Merlyn Mantle, widow of Yankee icon Mickey Mantle, succumbs to Alzheimer's disease at age 77", "Brett Favre, Tiger Woods, Sports Bad Boys Couldn't Touch Mickey Mantle", "Mickey Mantle's Nephew Has 2 Gay-Themed Plays in Chicago", "Sandomir, Richard. While "The Mick" patrolled center field and batted clean-up between 1951 and 1968, the Yankees won 12 American . Who Is Mickey Mantle's Wife? Mickey Mantle was 5-11 (180 cm) tall. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. He was a center fielder who was a switch hitter and threw right handed. Mantle was so insecure that he remembered later how he had ducked DiMaggio, even though he was playing his final season in center field and Mantle, who had been converted from shortstop to the outfield, was playing alongside him in right. "This is the most aggressive cancer that anyone on the medical team has ever seen," said Dr. Goran Klintmalm, medical director of transplant services at Baylor. [45] Still, Mantle was known as the "fastest man to first base" and won the American League triple crown in 1956. [48] In 1972 he served as a part-time television commentator for the Montreal Expos. In 1994, while presiding over Mickey Mantle's restaurant in Manhattan as a greeter, he entered the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, Calif., to undergo treatment for alcoholism. In a news conference on July 11, a remorseful Mantle told the nation, especially its children: "Don't be like me. The following two seasons were more frustrating for Mantle, though he still played comparatively well and made the all-star team as a reserve player in 1959. "I'm not gonna be cheated," he would say. Mantle two times hit balls off the third-deck facade at Yankee Stadium, nearly becoming the only player to hit a fair ball out of the stadium during a game. However, Mantle stole the show after hitting three home runs. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture. Of his fear of dying early, he once said: "I'll never get a pension. Mantle won his second consecutive MVP in 1957[25] behind league leads in runs and walks, a career-high .365 batting average (second to Ted Williams's .388), and hitting into a league-low five double plays. Mantle admitted that drinking had become a way of life even while he was playing. Deducting for bounces,[5] there is no doubt that both landed well over 500 feet (152m) from home plate. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. Mantle broke many records and made many accomplishments throughout his career. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. . Recently, he had been suffering from anemia, a side effect of aggressive chemotherapy treatment, and had been receiving blood transfusions. He showed a certain amount of humility and never let the stardom go to his head. Then my dad got me a job cleaning out the area around telephone poles. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Mickey Mantle Net Worth is $3 Million Mickey Mantle Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018. . In his sophomore year, he was kicked on the left shin during a practice game, and he developed osteomyelitisan infectious disease that was incurable just a few years earlierin his left ankle. Mickey Mantle Net Worth At Death. [34] He was selected an AL All-Star and pinch-hit at the All-Star Game on July 11. In 1989, it has been documented that Mantle made as much as $150,000 for three days of work at a 1961 Yankees reunion show in Atlantic City. The low batting average caused his lifetime average to dip below .300, which caused him anguish the next year as he worked with a statistician to review all of his at-bats since 1951, hoping to find enough uncounted hits to elevate his average to .2995, but his lifetime average remained .298. In 1952, Mantle played his first complete World Series and became a hitting star for the team with an on-base percentage above .400 and a slugging percentage above .600. [citation needed], Early in 1995, doctors discovered that Mantle's liver had been severely damaged by both alcohol-induced cirrhosis and hepatitis C. They also discovered that he had an inoperable liver cancer known as undifferentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, which further necessitated a liver transplant. Mantle began attending school there and was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School. [16] Mantle hit his first professional home run on June 30, 1949, at Shulthis Stadium. [24][35], Mantle announced his retirement at the age of 37 on March 1, 1969. He even got me out of the commencement exercises so I could play ball because he was thinking of signing me for the Yankees. Despite missing 41 games, he was selected as MVP for the third time, beating out teammate Bobby Richardson in the voting. After an impressive spring training, Yankees manager Casey Stengel decided to promote Mantle to the majors as a right fielder instead of sending him to the minors. Just those two pairs of pastel slacks and that blue sports coat that he wore every place. He hit .313, played shortstop and made 47 errors in 89 games. [79], In 1969, Mantle received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[80]. Mickey Mantle married Merlyn Johnson in 1951, and they had four children together. "TELEVISION: Summerall's Struggle with Alcohol" (, "THE DEATH OF A HERO; Mantle's Cancer 'Most Aggressive' His Doctors Had Seen", "Sports of The Times; Mickey Mantle's Cancer", "Questions Are Raised On Mantle Transplant", "Mickey Mantle, Great Yankee Slugger, Dies at 63", "Merlyn Mantle, widow of Mickey, dies at 77", "Cheers, Tears Ring For Mantle As Uniform No. Mantle batted left-handed against his father when his father pitched to him right-handed, and he batted right-handed against his grandfather, Charles Mantle, when he pitched to him left-handed. [10] In 1948, Yankees scout Tom Greenwade came to Baxter Springs to watch Mantle's teammate, third baseman Willard "Billy" Johnson. The Daily News reported it as a 502-foot homer. After Mantle graduated from high school, Greenwade returned to sign Mantle to a minor league contract. On Aug. 9, the hospital said the cancer had spread to his abdomen. In addition to his wife and son David, he is survived by two other sons, Danny and Mickey Jr. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 P.M. Tuesday at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas. [89], Major leagues, New York Yankees (19511968), Song and film appearances, depictions, and references. Mantle was one of the best players and sluggers of all time, and is regarded by many as the greatest switch hitter in baseball history. He is best known for setting a new MLB single-season home run record with 61 home runs in 1961. [66][67][68] In July, he had recovered enough to deliver a press conference at Baylor, and addressed fans that had looked to him as a role model. [9], Mantle was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, the son of Lovell (ne Richardson) Mantle (19041995)[10] and Elvin Charles "Mutt" Mantle (19121952). He is in 10th place in number of bases-empty bunt singles for his career, with 80 in only 148 at-bats. [86], In August 2022, a 1952 Topps baseball card (Topps; 1952; #311; SGC MT 9.5) in mint condition sold for $12.6 million, a record for sports memorabilia at the time. [10] During a slump, Mantle called his father to tell him he wanted to quit baseball. Mantle's #7 was retired by the New York Yankees and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Mantle's original plaque, along with DiMaggio's, are now on display at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, with the DiMaggio plaque still hung higher than Mantle's. He delivered a farewell speech on Mickey Mantle Day, June 8, 1969, at Yankee Stadium. When Greenwade came back a week later, he said he'd give me a $1,500 bonus and $140 a month for the rest of the summer. Mickey Mantle, the most powerful switch-hitter in baseball history and the successor to Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio as the symbol of the long reign of the New York Yankees, died of cancer. The cause was complications of cancer, his family said. When Mantle was four years old, his family moved to Commerce, Oklahoma, where his father worked in lead and zinc mines. [14] In addition to his first love, baseball, Mantle was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School, playing basketball as well as football. For the upcoming All-Star Game in Denver, a gem-mint. His life in baseball and afterward was the pith and marrow of a basic . [78] When Yankee Stadium was reopened in 1976 following its renovation, the plaques and monuments were moved to a newly created Monument Park behind the left-center field fence,[78] which has since been replaced by a new Monument Park at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. A statue of Mantle is located at Mickey Mantle Plaza at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, the home stadium of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, 2 South Mickey Mantle Drive in Oklahoma City. When Mantle finally fell short, finishing with 52, many of the traditionalists were relieved. liver cancer During this time, Mantle lived with his agent Greer Johnson. Mickey Mantle played his first game for the New York Yankees in 1951, replacing the legendary Joe DiMaggio in center field. His football playing nearly ended his athletic career. After the 1966 season, Mantle was moved to first base, with Joe Pepitone taking his place in the outfield. That was the start of my knee operations. [66] The Yankees played the Indians that day and honored him with a tribute. [73], After Mantle's death, his family pursued a federal lawsuit against Greer Johnson, his agent and live-in aide during the last decade of his life, to prohibit her from auctioning many of Mantle's personal items, including a lock of hair, a neck brace, and expired credit cards. Oklahoma Heritage Society: Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Mickey Mantle keeps his personal and love life private. [8] Despite his accolades on the field, Mantle's private life was plagued with tumult and tragedy, including a well-publicized bout with alcoholism that led to his death from liver cancer. Retrieved December 9, 2012. The osteomyelitic condition of Mantle's left leg had exempted him from being drafted for military service since he was 18 in 1949,[22][23] but his emergence as a star center fielder in the major leagues during the Korean War in 1952 led baseball fans to question his 4-F deferment. Mickey attended Commerce High School and was an all-around athlete. His last contract paid him $100,000 per season (the same as $800,000 after adjusting for inflation). In 1974 Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. | Movieclip(2) |", "Tom Russell's Talents Still Shine Through", "Mantle, Yanks' Rookie, Loses Duel With Sun", "Mickey Mantle Inherits Baseball's Biggest Job", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mickey_Mantle&oldid=1142182139, September 28,1968,for theNew York Yankees, 1956 - Mantle made a (talking) cameo appearance in, 1962 - Mantle and Maris starred as themselves in the film, 1988 - Mantle appeared in the official video for, 1993 and 1996 - References are made to Mantle in the sitcom, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 23:52. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951-1968) with the New York Yankees Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Roger Maris Net Worth. Mantle hit some of the longest home runs in Major League history. You're the best we've got.' The town respected Mantle's privacy, refusing either to talk about him to outsiders or to direct fans to his home. And down in Baltimore in 1963, Slick was pitching one night and Brooks Robinson hit a home run over the center-field fence. He was the storybook star with the storybook name, Mickey, or simply Mick, or Slick to Martin and Ford, who were also known as Slick to one another. "Years later, we were sitting around the dining room at the Yankees' ball park in Fort Lauderdale, and they had this oilcloth on the table, and Mickey said: 'This is what we used to have in our kitchen at home. Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire Major . His single season home run record of 61 stood for 37 years until Mark McGwire hit 70 in 1998. Mantle let others run the business but made frequent appearances. The internet stared in awe as the sports memorabilia sold for a whopping $5.2 million. He could drag a bunt, too, with runaway speed, and he played his role with a kind of all-American sense of destiny.
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