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 the only player to hit 150 home runs from each side of the plate. 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, winning a Gold Glove in that position. 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), walks (43), and total bases (123), and he has the highest World Series on-base and slugging percentages.

In Their Own Story

In the second game of the 1951 World Series, a fly ball to right-center field changed everything. Rookie Mickey Mantle, playing right field, raced for the ball alongside center fielder Joe DiMaggio. At the last moment, DiMaggio called for it. Trying to stay out of his way, Mantle's spikes caught on an exposed drain pipe. His knee twisted awkwardly, and he fell instantly, severely injuring his right knee. He was carried off the field on a stretcher. That night, his father Mutt—who had driven to the game—collapsed while helping his son into a taxi. Both ended up in hospital beds in the same room, watching the rest of the World Series together. Mutt was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and died a few months later, on May 7, 1952. Mantle, informed by manager Casey Stengel, was inconsolable.

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 named after Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane.
• He was drafted for military service but rejected three times due to osteomyelitis in his left leg.
• Mantle hit his first professional home run on June 30, 1949, at Shulthis Stadium in Independence, Kansas.
• He was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School, playing basketball and football.
• Mantle confided in friends and family about suffering sexual abuse as a child from his older half-sister and other adults.