Mickey Mantle Triple Crown

Lore & Background

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 held World Series records for the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), extra-base hits (26), runs (42), walks (43), and total bases (123), and he has the highest World Series on-base and slugging percentages—though some of those records have since been broken.

Reader's Guide

Mantle is the only player to hit 150 home runs from each side of the plate. He 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.

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's father trained him to be a switch hitter from a very early age.
• He was rejected during a military physical due to osteomyelitis in his left leg.
• Mantle died in Dallas, Texas, aged 63, from liver cancer brought on by years of alcohol abuse.