Baseball Legends: Mickey Mantle (Yankees 1951-1968)

“Somebody once asked me if I ever went up to the plate trying to hit a home run. I said, ‘Sure, every time.’” – Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle (“The Mick”) is one of the most well known players to play the game. The card to the left might be one of the most well known cards other than the famous Honus Wagner T-206 card. He was an impact player on the Yankees almost from day one. He did not play well in his first stint in the majors. He thought that he played so badly that he actually called his dad to give him a ride home. His dad talked him into sticking it out, and we all benefited from that decision.

Upon returning to the majors he changed his number from #6 to #7. He did not like being in line with the Yankee greats that held the numbers leading up to six. In his first season he made it to the World Series playing right field. Another great center fielder of that generation, Willie Mays, was also playing in his first World Series. Mickey suffered a career threatening knee injury in the Series when center fielder Joe DiMaggio called him off at the last second. That knee combined with other injuries would hinder him the rest of his career.

In 1952 DiMaggio retired, and Mantle moved to center field where he would stay until 1967. 1956 might have been The Mick’s best year. He hit .353 with 52 home runs, and 130 RBI’s on his way to winning the Major League Triple Crown. He also was approaching the Babe’s single season home run record with Roger Maris in 1961 when his season was cut short by injury.

He was well known for his home runs. He hit enough long shots that the phrase ‘tape measure home run’ was coined because of him. The most famous of these was hit on April 17, 1953 at Griffith Stadium. He hit a ball that was estimated to be 565 feet. Another mammoth shot was hit on September 6, 1960. He hit a ball that cleared the right field roof at Tiger Stadium. Years later a historian determined that the ball traveled 643 feet.

Mantle could also beat you with his speed. When he came to the plate left handed he could put down a drag bunt that would get him on base for the guys behind him. He was also dangerous from both sides of the plate.

Over his career he won three MVP’s (1956, 1957, 1962), the AL Triple Crown once (1956), he was selected to every All-Star game from 1952-1965, and 1967-1968. How many players can say that they were selected to the All-Star game every year of their career except two? Mantle was part of twelve pennant winning teams, and won seven World Series. He finished his career with a .298 batting average, hitting 536 home runs and driving in 2,415 runs. At the beginning of his career he was worried about wearing the #6 because he did not feel like he was worthy of being in line with the Yankee greats. By the time that he retired he was one of the Yankee greats.

Mantle’s last days gave the country pause to reconsider his hero status. He found out that he had liver cancer in 1995, and spent his last days trying to spread the word about organ donation. At his famous press conference after his liver transplant he claimed that he was not a role model. His courage in the face of death showed a whole new generation what a hero he really was.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974 on his first ballot with 88.2% of the vote. His #7 was retired by the Yankees on June 8, 1969. A year after his death his plaque in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium was replaced with a monument. His statue along with one of Johnny Bench sits in front of Bricktown Park in Oklahoma. The Topps baseball card company retired the #7 in all of its sets in his honor in 1997. Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13th, 1995.

View Mantle’s career statistics at baseball-reference.com.

Written by Dave at Confessions of a Sports Junkie.