Mickey Mantle

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, Mantle was raised by his father to become a baseball player and was trained early on to become a switch hitter. Despite a career plagued with injuries, beginning with his knee injury in the 1951 World Series, he became one of the greatest offensive threats in baseball history, and was able to hit for both average and power. He is one of only a few players to hit 150 home runs from each side of the plate, joining other switch-hitters like Eddie Murray and Chipper Jones. Mantle hit 536 career home runs while batting .300 or more ten times; he is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bat and 17th in on-base percentage. Mantle won the Triple Crown in 1956, when he led the major leagues in batting average (.353), home runs (52), and runs batted in (RBI) (130). He was an All-Star for 16 seasons, playing in 16 of the 20 All-Star Games that he was selected for. He also had a solid .984 fielding percentage when playing center field, though he never won a Gold Glove award. He appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven championships, and holds World Series records for the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), extra-base hits (26), runs (42), and total bases (123); he is tied for the record for most walks (43) with Bernie Williams, though that mark has since been surpassed in longer series. His World Series on-base and slugging percentages are among the highest, but not the all-time records.

In Their Own Story

In the second game of the 1951 World Series, Giants rookie Willie Mays hit a fly ball to right-center field. Mantle, playing right field, raced for the ball together with center fielder Joe DiMaggio. At the last moment, DiMaggio called for the ball. In attempting to stay out of DiMaggio's way, Mantle's spikes got caught over an exposed drain pipe. His knee twisted awkwardly and he fell instantly, his right knee injured severely. Mantle had to be carried off the field on a stretcher. This was the first of numerous injuries that were to plague his eighteen-year career with the Yankees. He was to play the rest of his career with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Reader's Guide

After retirement, Mantle worked as sports commentator for NBC for a few years and had a brief stint as first base and hitting coach for the Yankees in the 1970 season. Despite being one of the best-paid athletes of his era, he was a poor businessman and suffered financial setbacks from business failures. His private life was plagued by tumult and tragedy. His marriage fell apart due to his alcoholism and infidelity, and three of his sons became alcoholics, one of them dying from it. Towards the end of his life, Mantle came to regret his hard lifestyle and the damage he had inflicted on his family. Before his final year, he was treated for alcoholism and became sober, afterwards warning others of the dangers of hard drinking. He died in Dallas, Texas, aged 63, from liver cancer brought on by years of alcohol abuse.

Did You Know?

• Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, and moved to Commerce, Oklahoma, at age four.
• He was named after Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane.
• Mantle was a switch hitter trained by his father and grandfather.
• He won the Triple Crown in 1956, leading MLB in batting average (.353), home runs (52), and RBIs (130).
• Mantle holds World Series records for most home runs (18), RBIs (40), and runs (42); he is tied for most walks (43) with Bernie Williams.