He has the third highest career OPS+ among MLB players who played the majority of their career after 1950, behind only Barry Bonds and Mike Trout. DETAILS BELOW. 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. He was one of those rare hitters who could hit for both average and power and was a three-time MVP. Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who had taken a similar position, had already had action taken against him. On August 25, 1996, about a year after his death, Mantle's Monument Park plaque was replaced with a monument bearing the words "A great teammate" and keeping a phrase that had been included on the original plaque: "A magnificent Yankee who left a legacy of unequaled courage." Summerall himself had been treated at the clinic in 1992.[64]. Two months into the 1951 season, Manager Casey Stengel sent Mantle down to the Yankees' top farm team in Kansas City because he was striking out too much. On August 12, 1964, he hit one whose distance was undoubted: a center field drive that cleared the 22-foot (6.7m) batter's eye screen, some 75' beyond the 461-foot (141m) marker at the Stadium. Not till Houk came along and told me, 'You are going to be my leader. In 1960, he Mantle hit was is still believed to be the longest home run in history. Although his injury affected his upper cut from the right side, it still can be said he was not injured in 1958. Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. I'll swear I expect to see that boy just take off and fly any time. The cause was complications of cancer, his family said. [34] He was selected an AL All-Star and pinch-hit at the All-Star Game on July 11. In 1964, he hit two home runs in his final two times at bat on July 4, and two more in his first two times up in the next game the following day. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. He spent his final two careers in the major leagues playing first base. What did Mickey Mantle suffer from? [44] Dr. Stephen Haas, medical director for the National Football League Players Association, has speculated that Mantle tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the incident and played the rest of his career without having it properly treated since ACLs could not be repaired with the surgical techniques available in that era. He became one of the damaged demigods of sport, but he played with such natural power that he remained the key figure on a team achieving towering success for the fifth straight decade. $234.00. In 2006, Mantle was featured on a United States postage stamp,[85] one of a series of four including fellow baseball legends Mel Ott, Roy Campanella, and Hank Greenberg. Mantle's #7 was retired by the New York Yankees and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. "I thought you were dead.". [10] Later in his life, Mantle expressed relief that his father had not known Cochrane's true first name because he would have hated to be named Gordon. [10] Mickey Mantle's salary for the 1951 season was $7,500. [50], After the failure of Mickey Mantle's Country Cookin' restaurants in the early 1970s, the popular Mickey Mantle's Restaurant & Sports Bar opened in New York at 42 Central Park South (59th Street) in 1988. [26] Mantle made the AL All-Star team as a reserve player in 1959, as his numbers had tailed off from previous seasons, he was used as a pinch runner for Baltimore Orioles catcher Gus Triandos and replacement right fielder for Cleveland Indians Rocky Colavito in the first game with Detroit Tigers Al Kaline playing the center field position. During the final years of his life, Mantle lived in a condo on Lake Oconee near Greensboro, Georgia. Mantle remained in the center field position full-time for the Yankees until 1965 when he was moved to left field. Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. And from 1960-64, with the addition of Roger Maris, they won five pennants and two World Series. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. He hit 344 doubles, 72 triples and 536 home runs (373 left-handed, 163 right-handed), and he knocked in 1,509 runs. [70], During Mantle's final days he made peace with his estranged wife Merlyn and repeated a request that he expressed decades earlier for Richardson to read a poem at his funeral. During his tenure in New York, the team appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. Mantle, who said he was "bred to play baseball," traveled from the dirt-poor fields of Oklahoma to reach Yankee Stadium in the 1950's and, after his retirement in March 1969, the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of the superstars of the second half of the 20th century. They might just be worth eight figures at auction. In the 1940's, they won five pennants and four Series. Nobody gave a damn about Mickey Mantle for about five years.". (2001) and The Greatest Summer of My Life: Billy Crystal and the Making of '61*' (2001). During his 18-year career with the Yankees, the switch-hitting slugger hit 536 home runs and was voted the AL Most Valuable Player three times (195657, 1962). For the second consecutive year, he narrowly missed winning his third MVP award, finishing four points behind repeat winner Maris. [48] In 1972 he served as a part-time television commentator for the Montreal Expos. There was no next drink, Mantle said. Yankees slugger who was named American League MVP in 1960 and 1961 and beat out Mickey Mantle for Babe Ruth's home run record in 1961. All Truth Of Leland Chapman's Wife - Jamie . [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. He received a liver transplant soon afterward. The Daily News reported it as a 502-foot homer. My mother made every baseball uniform I ever wore till I signed with the Yankees. One of the 1952 cards (Topps; #311; SGC MT 9.5) sold for $12.6 million in August 2022. Mickey Mantle's #7 was retired by the New York Yankees and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He was selected an All-Star as the starting center fielder, but for the first time he could not make the 25-man roster because of the foot injury. In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1964 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Mantle hit Barney Schultz's first pitch into the right field stands at Yankee Stadium, which won the game for the Yankees 21. [45] Still, Mantle was known as the "fastest man to first base" and won the American League triple crown in 1956. But he became wildly famous for his strength, his dash, his laconic manner and, somewhat like Joe Namath in football, for his heroic performances on damaged knees. 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. And, in the end, people got it. $237.50. In 1950, Mantle was promoted to the Class-C Joplin Miners of the Western Association. May 7, 2022 2:25pm. Mantle's parents drove him at midnight to Oklahoma City, where he was treated at the children's hospital with the newly available penicillin, which reduced the infection and saved his leg from amputation. Mickey Jr. later died of liver cancer on December 20, 2000 at age 47. Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick",[1] was an American professional baseball player. Adjusted for inflation, he earned approximately $9 million. He signed his first contract for $7,500 and his last for $100,000, which seemed princely enough at the time. [7] He was an All-Star for 16 seasons, playing in 16 of the 20 All-Star Games that were played during his career. "[77] In response, DiMaggio's plaque was hung one inch higher than Mantle's. Mickey Mantle's height Unknown & weight Not Available right. Interestingly, the games best player at the time never tried to renegotiate a better deal after the 1963 season. [citation needed], Joe DiMaggio retired from baseball following the 1951 World Series. Mantle is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bats. Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest players in MLB history for nearly two decades with the New York Yankees. Mantle had his first 100 plus RBI year, in 1954, in a full season and regained .300 status. The internet stared in awe as the sports memorabilia sold for a whopping $5.2 million. Mantle's off-field behavior is the subject of the book The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood, written in 2010 by sports journalist Jane Leavy. Excellent. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (19511968) with the New York Yankees as a center fielder, right fielder, and first baseman. He was separated from Merlyn, his wife of 43 years, although they remained friendly. Mickey Mantle, Great Yankee Slugger, Dies at 63, https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/14/obituaries/mickey-mantle-great-yankee-slugger-dies-at-63.html. Over the course of time, however, Mantle (with a little help from his teammate Whitey Ford, a native of Queens) had learned to deal with the New York media and had gained the favor of the press. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. He is in 10th place in number of bases-empty bunt singles for his career, with 80 in only 148 at-bats. [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. Salary 2020. The next summer, at 18, he played Class C ball in Joplin, Mo., where he hit .383 but made 55 errors in 137 games at shortstop, mostly on wild throws to first base. "When I was drinking," he said, "I thought it was funny -- the life of the party. The team won the pennant by 25 games, and the following spring, he was in Phoenix as a rookie with the Yankees. Madden, Bill. Mantle was one of the greatest offensive threats in baseball history and is considered to be one of the best baseball players of all time. Mantle received the transplant at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas on June 8, 1995. [13], When Mantle was four years old, his family moved to the nearby town of Commerce, Oklahoma, where his father worked in lead and zinc mines. He was the anchor of the team for 18 seasons, first in center field and later, when his knees couldn't take the stress anymore, at first base. The following year, he became the highest-paid player in baseball by signing a $75,000 contract, which was incredibly high at the time. 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 yesterday in Dallas. Having reached that pinnacle in his 13th season, he never asked for another raise.[28]. 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. Mickey Mantle weighed 195 lbs (88 kg) when playing. Deducting for bounces,[5] there is no doubt that both landed well over 500 feet (152m) from home plate. His children also suffered from alcoholism and substance abuse problems. "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. Greenwade returned in 1949, after Mantle's high school graduation, to sign Mantle to a minor league contract. And when it got cold, the draft would raise the linoleum up at the ends.' "[47] Also displaying a sense of humor, he enjoyed playing practical jokes on his teammates. "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. During the final years of his life, Mantle purchased a condominium on Lake Oconee near Greensboro, Georgia, near Greer Johnson's home, and frequently stayed there for months at a time. "This is a role model: Don't be like me," a frail Mantle said. He died on August 13, 1995, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX. Of his fear of dying early, he once said: "I'll never get a pension. SGC 5. He not only hit the ball, he hammered it. But the bigger, untold story is that there are three gem mint PSA 10 '52 Topps Mantles which are twice as rare--three . Mantle's wife, mother, and mother-in-law were in attendance and received recognition at the ceremony held in honor of him. He held the all-time World Series records for home runs, runs scored, and runs batted. In 1950, the year before he arrived, the Yankees won the Series again. In 1960 Mantle started in both All-Star games, getting two walks in the first and a single in the second game. Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire Major League Baseball career from 1951 to 1968. For the upcoming All-Star Game in Denver, a gem-mint. On May 14, 1967, Mantle became the sixth member of the 500 home run club. His wife, Merlyn, and son David were at his bedside. "He struck out only 1,500 times. The home run was his 16th in a World Series, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 15. In 1956, Mantle achieved one of baseballs most elusive feats winning the American League batting triple crown with 52 home runs, 130 RBIs, and a .353 batting average. Mantle won three American League MVP Awards and was a four time AL home run leader and one time AL RBI leader. Five years earlier, in 1956, Mantle had challenged Ruth's record for most of the season, and the New York press had been protective of Ruth on that occasion also. Overall, he hit slightly more home runs away (270) than home (266). On December 23 1951, Mantle married Merlyn Johnson in Picher, Oklahoma. 500 and now he. In total, Mickey earned $1,128,000 during his career. He died in 1995 of a heart attack which he suffered months after receiving a liver transplant. [10] In 1948, Yankees scout Tom Greenwade came to Baxter Springs to watch Mantle's teammate, third baseman Willard "Billy" Johnson. 1959 is said to be his only "off season" in his prime, and historians point to 75 runs batted in as particularly low for him. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and watched the rest of the World Series on TV from a hospital bed. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. Mantle was the uncle of actor and musician Kelly Mantle. 1959 was the first of four consecutive seasons that two All-Star games were played and Mantle played in seven of these games. Who Is Mickey Mantle's Wife? He occasionally attended the local Methodist church, and sometimes ate Sunday dinner with members of the congregation. [10], Mantle was called up to the Yankees after 40 games with Kansas City, this time wearing uniform #7. "No, I'm still alive," Mantle responded. What was Mickey Mantle's net worth when he died? Submit a correction suggestion and help us fix it! "[66] Costas continued: "In the last year of his life, Mickey Mantle, always so hard on himself, finally came to accept and appreciate the distinction between a role model and a hero. But it finally became a nightmare that undermined his life. It was that year, also, he was timed running from home plate to first base in 3.1 seconds, considered outstanding for a heavy hitter. [83] In 2018, the #7 card was issued to Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier. His strength as a hitter became legendary. During the 1957 World Series, Milwaukee Braves second baseman Red Schoendienst fell on Mantle's left shoulder in a collision at second base. Gone were the days of $3 autographs. [10] During a slump, Mantle called his father to tell him he wanted to quit baseball. Applying thick wraps to both of his knees became a pre-game ritual, and by the end of his career simply swinging a bat caused him to fall to one knee in pain. Mantle was named in honor of Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher in baseball. Some now call this his last home run at Yankee Stadium. I guess he even protected me. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In both 1953 and 1961, he hit into only two double plays, over the course of 1,186 plate appearances. He is best known for setting a new MLB single-season home run record with 61 home runs in 1961. [2] Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974[3] and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. His football playing nearly ended his athletic career. On June 8, Mantle underwent a transplant operation to replace a liver ravaged by cancer, hepatitis and cirrhosis. 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. "[66] Richardson read the poem at Mantle's funeral, which he described as being extremely difficult. The Yankees and Mantle were slowed by injuries during the 1965 season, and they finished in sixth place, 25 games behind the Minnesota Twins. Against Walt Masterson of the Boston Red Sox he struck out five times in one game. He played his entire 18-year major-league professional career for the New York Yankees, winning 3 American League MVP titles and playing for 16 All-Star teams. It also was perhaps his only "called shot", as he told on-deck hitter Elston Howard, "he might as well return to the dugout this game is over!" "[18], After a brief slump, Mantle was sent down to the Yankees' top farm team, the Kansas City Blues. In 1963, he batted .314 in 65 games. 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. Fairchild's poetry celebrates gritty lives in small towns", "Catch me if you can(2002) - You know why the yankees always win? [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). ', "Damn Yankees: A Washington Fan's Fantasy", "Fanfares for the Common Man: B.H. [62][47] His father died of Hodgkin's disease at age 40 in 1952, and his grandfather also died young of the same disease. That year, he brought home both the Triple Crown and the first of three Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards. The Yankees started Mantle at Independence, Kan., where they had a Class D minor league club. [57] He batted left-handed hitting while Simon pitched left-handed. [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 became a Christian when his former teammate Bobby Richardson, a Baptist, shared his faith with him. 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card gets police escort (NCD) (NCD) DENVER It's known as the Holy Grail of post-World War II baseball cards. And after leaving the Betty Ford Center, he seemed to be a revived person. That amount combined with his restaurant business and endorsements deals after he retired, Mantles net worth was $10 million when he died in 1995. [52] In 1983, he worked at the Claridge Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey as a greeter and community representative. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. His lifestyle was restored to its former luxury by his leadership in the sports-memorabilia craze that swept the U.S. beginning in the 1980s. The recent sale of a mint Mickey Mantle card for $2.88 made headlines. Three years later, and again in 1963, batting left-handed each time, he smashed a ball into the third deck, within a few feet of the peak of the facade in right field in Yankee Stadium, and no one has come closer to driving a fair ball out of the park.

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