I jumped up and tried to catch it, and got my foot caught in the wire mesh on the fence, and that time I broke my foot about halfway up.". Mantle appeared in 12 World Series including seven championships, and he holds World Series records for the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), extra-base hits (26), runs (42), walks (43), and total bases (123). The recent sale of a mint Mickey Mantle card for $2.88 made headlines. "[47][63], Mantle's wife and sons all completed treatment for alcoholism and told him that he needed to do the same. A Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for a record-smashing $12.6 million Sunday, the highest price ever paid for a piece of sports memorabilia. Mantle's overall performance in 1956 was so exceptional that he was bestowed the Hickok Belt (unanimously) as the top American professional athlete of the year. He not only hit the ball, he hammered it. His on-base percentage was .400, for the year. [24][35], Mantle announced his retirement at the age of 37 on March 1, 1969. 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. "He struck out only 1,500 times. Not till Houk came along and told me, 'You are going to be my leader. The team played the rest of the season with black mourning bands topped by a number 7 on their left sleeves. 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. He was safe 8 out of 10 times in which he attempted to steal a base. He was a 20-time All-Star and seven-time World Series champion. [47] In 1980, Mantle separated from his wife, and while the two lived apart for the rest of Mantle's life, they never filed for divorce. Danny later battled prostate cancer. ", Said Gene Woodling, who played in the outfield beside Mantle for four seasons: "What can you say about Mickey after you say he was one of the greatest?" The value of Mickey Mantle's baseball card just shot up into the sky like a homerun. Mantles first baseball contract in 1951 paid him $5,000. Joe DiMaggio was playing center field. He hit often, he hit deep and he did it from both sides of the plate better than anyone else. I guess he even protected me. Roger Maris was born on September 10, 1934 in Hibbing, MN. His on-base percentage at one point, reached .537. For the second consecutive year, he narrowly missed winning his third MVP award, finishing four points behind repeat winner Maris. He is in 10th place in number of bases-empty bunt singles for his career, with 80 in only 148 at-bats. Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13, 1995 at 63 years old.Mickey Mantle Net Worth. "He was not a phony role model, and I think people really identified with that," former teammate Tony Kubek said. While these facts are widely known, here are some not so popular ones you may not know about. 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. [27] DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, and Ted Williams, who had just retired, had been paid over $100,000 in a season, and Ruth had a peak salary of $80,000. In 1950, Mantle was promoted to the Class-C Joplin Miners of the Western Association. January 24, 2023 by Maame Akua Owusuwaa. In 1974 Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. [41], Mantle was also one of the best bunters for base hits of all time. Interestingly, the games best player at the time never tried to renegotiate a better deal after the 1963 season. In 1958, he had a salary of $65,000 and was a leading earner from the salary. In 1957, Mantle won his second consecutive MVP award. Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who had taken a similar position, had already had action taken against him. He won the MVP award three times, finished second three times, and finished within nine votes of winning five times. 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle Yankees Card #101 HOF - Certified SGC 1. He said, "When I die, I wanted on my tombstone, 'A great teammate.' This is based on data from the 2016 book The New York Times Best Seller List for Books About Money - published annually by the New York Times Magazine. During Game 5 of the 1956 World SeriesDon Larsen's perfect game against the Brooklyn DodgersMantle kept the perfect game alive by making a running catch of a deep fly ball off the bat of Gil Hodges, and provided the first of the two runs the Yankees would score with a fourth-inning home run off Brooklyn starter Sal Maglie. Fairchild's poetry celebrates gritty lives in small towns", "Catch me if you can(2002) - You know why the yankees always win? At the time, doctors said he would die within two to three weeks if he did not receive a new organ. That year, he brought home both the Triple Crown and the first of three Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards. In 1962, Mantle batted .321 in 121 games. Overall, he hit slightly more home runs away (270) than home (266). Beginning in 1997, the Topps Baseball Card company retired card #7 in its baseball flagship sets in tribute to Mantle, whose career was taking off just as Topps began producing them. Mickey Mantle played his first game for the New York Yankees in 1951, replacing the legendary Joe DiMaggio in center field. Summerall himself had been treated at the clinic in 1992.[64]. Mickey Mantle's #7 was retired by the New York Yankees and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Mickey Mantle's height Unknown & weight Not Available right. [citation needed] He outlived all the men in his family by several years. How tall was Mickey Mantle? Described by him as his "favorite summer", his major league-leading .353 batting average, 52 home runs, and 130 runs batted in brought home both the Triple Crown and first of three Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards. Due to his popularity, he often appeared in a variety of documentaries and sports videos. Alan Rosen, one of the biggest baseball card dealers in the business--in one year, he did $6 million worth of business--sponsored a reunion of the 1961 Yankees at Trump Castle in Atlantic City. Early Baseball Lessons From Both Sides of Plate. In 1973, at the Old-Timers Game at Yankee Stadium, Mantle, batting right handed, faced old friend Whitey Ford. ESPN's SportsCentury series that ran in 1999 ranked him No. He later wrote a book (My Favorite Summer 1956) about his best year in baseball. His son David was also present. He outlived the family curse of Hodgkin's disease, which had contributed to the death by heart attack of his 36-year-old son Billy, and the early deaths of his father, at 39, his grandfather and two uncles. He continued to be a solid player for the Yankees over the next few years and had his breakout season in 1956. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931. The couple's four sons were Mickey Jr. (19532000), David (born 1955), Billy (19571994), whom Mickey named for Billy Martin, his best friend among his Yankee teammates, and Danny (born 1960). Excellent. [66] In eulogizing Mantle, sportscaster Bob Costas described him as "a fragile hero to whom we had an emotional attachment so strong and lasting that it defied logic. "Casey Stengel was like a father to me," Mantle said. A Mickey Mantle baseball card from 1952 sold for a jaw-dropping $12,600,000 early Sunday morning, according to a news release from Heritage. In the 1961 season, the press appeared to view the Yankees as Mantle's team, with Maris often belittled and ostracized as an outsider and not a true Yankee. You can come back to Oklahoma and work the mines with me. [10][15] Shulthis Stadium, the baseball stadium in Independence where Mantle played, had been the site of the first night game of organized baseball in 1930. [citation needed] The 1958 season started slowly for Mantle; the first half saw him at the .274 mark, as a shoulder injury from a collision with Braves' Red Schoendienst in the 1957 World Series left him with permanent struggles in his uppercut from the left side. Roger Eugene Maris (September 10, 1934 - December 14, 1985) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). [55] In an autobiography, Mantle said that he had married Merlyn not out of love, but because he was told to by his domineering father. He is the only player in history to hit 150 home runs from both sides of the plate. God gave me a body and the ability to play baseball. He was one of those rare hitters who could hit for both average and power and was a three-time MVP. Mantle finished in second place in MVP voting for 1964, as Baltimore's Brooks Robinson won the award. Due to his parents' quick action in driving him to a hospital in Oklahoma City, his leg was saved from amputation. I see I raised a coward instead. He even got me out of the commencement exercises so I could play ball because he was thinking of signing me for the Yankees. I was 16 years old then, and my brothers and me would play ball out in the yard or out back in one of the fields. Mantle is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bats. The Powerful Symbol Of a Yankee Dynasty. They give a damn now.". Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951-1968) with the New York Yankees Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player. I had four. 7 Is Retired", "Quite A Day For Mickey at Proud Yankee Stadium", "Everyone Agrees: Steinbrenner's Plaque Is Big", "Monument of Babe Ruth removed: Artifact will make its way to new Yankee Stadium by year's end", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement", "Baseball Card Sold for $12.6 Million, Breaking Record - The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card is the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia ever to be sold at auction", "2017 Topps Baseball Brings #7 Out of Retirement", "About | Oklahoma City RedHawks Ballpark", "A Mickey Mantle Rookie Card Sells for $12.6 Million at Auction", "The man who sold the most valuable sports card of all time - Anthony Giordano got a record $12.6 million for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle", "Mickey Mantle Named Outstanding Male Athlete Of Year: Yankee Star Leads Field By Overwhelming Margin", "To Fans of 40 Years, Teresa Brewer Meant 'Music! "Joe DiMaggio was my hero," Mantle said, "but he couldn't talk to me because I wouldn't even look at him, although he was always nice and polite." He was assigned the #6 uniform, which signified that he was expected to become the next star of the team, as Babe Ruth had worn #3, Lou Gehrig had worn #4, and Joe DiMaggio had worn #5. ", But that's not how he was remembered by teammates. Mickey attended Commerce High School and was an all-around athlete. "I thought you were dead.". His transplant revived a debate over whether an alcoholic, even a recovering one, deserves a new liver, and whether his celebrity status had increased his chances of getting one. The Daily News reported it as a 502-foot homer. 7, he led the team through 14 years of the greatest success any baseball team has known before he endured four more years of decline. During his final season in 1968, he still managed to hit 18 home runs. Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire Major League Baseball career from 1951 to 1968. Recently, he had been suffering from anemia, a side effect of aggressive chemotherapy treatment, and had been receiving blood transfusions. Mickey Mantle is a member of Baseball Player Age, Biography and Wiki Net worth: $10 million Some Mickey Mantle images About Legendary New York Yankee who hit 536 career home runs, was named American League MVP three times, and led the AL in home runs four times and batting average once. His rationale was that the men in his family had all died young, so he expected to die young as well. However, Mantle stole the show after hitting three home runs. Mantle admitted that drinking had become a way of life even while he was playing. SGC 5. 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. I was the best man at Martin's wedding in 1988, and I can hardly remember being there." 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. Mickey Mantle: The Definitive Story (MLB Baseball Sports Documentary)The almost mythic career of Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle is the subject of this acclaime. His final few years in baseball involved many injuries, though he remained a solid player. In both 1953 and 1961, he hit into only two double plays, over the course of 1,186 plate appearances. The next was arguably his first great year, as he concluded with 37 home runs and a .306 batting average. Mantle disclosed later that he had not married Johnson out of love but rather because his father told him to. With Mantle established in the lineup, they won the pennant seven times and the Series five times in the next eight years. His father, Elvin, nicknamed Mutt, worked in the zinc mines. In 2020, the #7 card was issued to right fielder Aaron Judge. In 1998, The Sporting News placed Mantle at 17th on its list of baseball's 100 greatest players. They might just be worth eight figures at auction. Mickey's wallet was also getting thicker. Does Mickey Mantle Dead or Alive? He was selected an All-Star for the eleventh consecutive season and played in the first game,[3] but because of a recurrence of an old injury, he did not play in the second game. "Maybe because I was only 19 years old when I started playing for him, and a couple of years later my own dad was gone. 1959 was the first of four consecutive seasons that two All-Star games were played and Mantle played in seven of these games. Frail, and humbled by the sad events of his later life, Mantle received thousands of letters of support after his transplant operation and discovered that the public could forgive and forget. That amount combined with his restaurant business and endorsements deals after he retired, Mantle's net worth was $10 million when he died in 1995. It was a record that Mantle put into perspective when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 12, 1974. 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. He acknowledged that some of them were self-inflicted, especially drinking, a habit that had seemed harmless enough when crowds were cheering and he was playing and hitting home runs despite an occasional hangover. The doctor bluntly told Mantle that the damage to his system was so severe that "your next drink could be your last." His life in baseball and afterward was the pith and marrow of a basic . He won the Western Association batting title and was then invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. He hit one over the right center field roof at Briggs Stadium, which is said to have traveled 643 feet. During the game, Mantle hit three home runs. In 2017, Topps began including #7 cards in its main sets again, with Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez the first player other than Mickey Mantle to appear in the #7 slot since 1995. "[20] Mantle immediately broke out of his slump, and went on to hit .361 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs during his stay in Kansas City. While we work diligently to ensure that our numbers are as accurate as possible, unless otherwise indicated they are only estimates. "I was still in high school and we were living out near Commerce in 1948, and we didn't have a hell of a lot. He was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. "When I was drinking," he said, "I thought it was funny -- the life of the party. This may become Mickey's ultimate home run.". The season was bad for the Yankees, too, as they finished third. "Then Ralph Houk came along and changed my whole idea of thinking about myself. Some now call this his last home run at Yankee Stadium. His wife, Merlyn, and son David were at his bedside. When he arrived, he started packing his son's clothes and, according to Mantle's memory, said "I thought I raised a man. Mutt drove up to Kansas City that day. But I still didn't have it in my head that I was a good major league ballplayer. Long after the cheers faded, so did Mantle, although he revived his image as a kind of fallen hero who carried his afflictions with grace and humor. By the close of the 1950s, with numerous individual awards and multiple World Series titles, Mantles contract had increased to $70,000. He died on August 13, 1995, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX. As a teammate, he never complained about his injuries and always tried to lead by example. I'll swear I expect to see that boy just take off and fly any time. My mother made every baseball uniform I ever wore till I signed with the Yankees. 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. [34] He was selected an AL All-Star and pinch-hit at the All-Star Game on July 11. In 1960 Mantle started in both All-Star games, getting two walks in the first and a single in the second game. [a] He was an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and a Gold Glove winner once. [71] Richardson recited the same poem (God's Hall of Fame), which was written by a baseball fan, at Roger Maris's funeral. The couple had four children together during the course of their marriage. A decades-old, mint-condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction. Mantle was not faithful to his wife during their marriage and even brought along a mistress to his retirement ceremony in 1969. It was later estimated by some that the ball could have traveled 504 feet (154m)[38] had it not been blocked by the ornate and distinctive facade. 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. ", In the end, though, he had a more poignant message. [66], Mantle's popularity led to controversy over his liver transplant. Former Bronx Bomber Joe Pepitone, in an upstate federal court complaint, claims legendary teammate Mickey Mantle used one of his loaned bats to smack historic home run No. Mutt drove to Independence, Kansas, and convinced Mantle to keep playing. Despite the fears of those who knew him that this tragedy would send him back to drinking, Mantle remained sober. Like Mickey, Merlyn and three of their sons became alcoholics,[56] and Billy developed Hodgkin's disease, as had several previous men in Mantle's family. 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. The ball went over the center field fence, which was 460 feet from home plate. However, as the team slumped overall, he was still the team leader in several departments, for example in base stealing (23), runs scored (104), on-base average /percentage (.399) and fielding (.995). [79], In 1969, Mantle received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[80]. On June 8, Mantle underwent a transplant operation to replace a liver ravaged by cancer, hepatitis and cirrhosis. Also helping Mantle decide to enter the clinic was sportscaster Pat Summerall, who had played for the New York Giants football team at Yankee Stadium, by then a recovering alcoholic and a member of Mantle's Dallas-area country club. That was the start of my knee operations. [42], Mantle's career was plagued with injuries. That's how I signed with the Yankees.". NEW YORK A mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for $12.6 million Sunday, blasting into the record books as the most ever paid for sports memorabilia in a market that has grown. The home run was his 16th in a World Series, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 15. In the second game of the 1951 World Series, New York Giants rookie Willie Mays hit a fly ball to right-center field. 37 in its "50 Greatest Athletes" series. He was survived by his wife, Merlyn (Johnson) Mantle, and three sons: David, Danny and Mickey Jr. His fourth son, Billy, had earlier died of Hodgkins disease. As of 2022, Mickey Mantle's net worth is $10 million. In the 1940's, they won five pennants and four Series. 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). Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma to parents Lovell and Elvin "Mutt" Mantle. In 1949, he received a draft-examine notice and was about to be drafted by the US Army but failed the physical exam and was rejected as unqualified and was given a 4-F deferment for any military service.[22][23]. [66] Doctors observed that it was among the most aggressive cancers that they had ever treated, attributing the antirejection drugs administered to Mantle for his liver transplant with helping the cancer spread so quickly. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Mantle, playing right field, raced for the ball together with center fielder Joe DiMaggio, who called for the ball (and made the catch). Mickey Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 (age 63) in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, United States. . [33], Mantle hit .237 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI during his final season in 1968. Mantle was interred in the Mantle Family Mausoleum, located in the St. Matthew Section of the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas. During the 1961 season, Mantle and teammate Roger Maris, known as the M&M Boys, chased Babe Ruth's 1927 single-season home run record. On May 14, 1967, Mantle became the sixth member of the 500 home run club. Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Okla., on Oct. 20, 1931. By then, he reported, he was living in a steady haze induced by all-day and all-night drinking. After Page Six reported that the Yankee legend once slipped a female journalist a greeting card mid-interview that read "Wanna f- k?," we're told that he also once thew up while having sex with Angie Dickinson. Mickey Mantle Height, Weight & Measurements At 64 years old, Mickey Mantle height is 6' (1.83 m) . The second, he always will be. Mantles legacy as one of the greatest baseball players will live on in the hearts of fans, but it's his soul that will live on forever in eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ. Mantle had his breakout season in 1956 after showing progressive improvement each of his first five years. Aberback, Brian (September 7, 2017). He was a center fielder who was a switch hitter and threw right handed. [10] During a slump, Mantle called his father to tell him he wanted to quit baseball. The first main series #7 card not issued to Mantle or a Yankee was to shortstop Orlando Arcia of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021. [74], Mantle was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1964. Mickey Mantle married Merlyn Johnson in 1951, and they had four children together. Gone were the days of $3 autographs. Is Mickey Mantle in the Hall of Fame? He hit .313, played shortstop and made 47 errors in 89 games. 14. Who is Mickey Mantle Dating? Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. August 14, 1995. Through all the adversity, he exhibited a quiet but shrewd wit that he often unfurled in a down-home Oklahoma drawl. Mickey Gilley, who ran one of the world's largest honky tonks in Pasadena, Texas, and was credited with helping foster country music's revival in the late . In one interview, Mantle stated that the people of Greensboro had "gone out of their way to make me feel welcome, and I've found something there I haven't enjoyed since I was a kid.". [12] Mantle spoke warmly of his father and said that he was the bravest man whom he had ever known. His spouse is Merlyn Mantle (m. 1951-1995). Mantle began attending school there and was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School. [46] Over the next decade, Mantle experienced increasing difficulty hitting from his left side. Mantle served as a part-time color commentator on NBC's baseball coverage in 1969, teaming with Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek to call some Game of the Week telecasts as well as that year's All-Star Game.