[10] During a slump, Mantle called his father to tell him he wanted to quit baseball. In 1956, he hit 16 home runs in May. [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. He took such an all-out swing at the ball that he struck out regularly and broke the record set two generations earlier by Ruth. Anyone can read what you share. [89], Major leagues, New York Yankees (19511968), Song and film appearances, depictions, and references. I had a cyst cut out of my right knee another time. [53], In 1992, Mantle wrote My Favorite Summer 1956 about his 1956 season.[54]. [48] In 1972 he served as a part-time television commentator for the Montreal Expos. Submit a correction suggestion and help us fix it! [a] He was an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and a Gold Glove winner once. Roger Maris was born on September 10, 1934 in Hibbing, MN. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Mantle was just 63 years old at the time of his death. Deducting for bounces,[5] there is no doubt that both landed well over 500 feet (152m) from home plate. I still didn't have a lot of confidence. The 1952 Mantle rookie card, which was in mint. His willingness to take lesser amounts than other players proves that baseball was Mantles passion, and he was just happy to get paid to do it. He was a huge star, but he never treated you like he was better than you. He hit 13 home runs in 96 games. 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. Music! He was the storybook star with the storybook name, Mickey, or simply Mick, or Slick to Martin and Ford, who were also known as Slick to one another. Mickey Mantle is one of the greatest baseball players ever. His father, Elvin, nicknamed Mutt, worked in the zinc mines. I think I hit two more home runs that night. ", Mantle was assigned uniform #6, signifying the expectation that he would become the next Yankees star, following Babe Ruth (#3), Lou Gehrig (#4) and Joe DiMaggio (#5). 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. [66] The Yankees played the Indians that day and honored him with a tribute. He came out of the clinic a chastened figure, and his frailty was reinforced by the public decline in his health since June. Key points: Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees between 1951 and 1968, winning seven World Series titles The 1952 card, considered to be in near perfect condition, was bought for $US50,000 in 1991 In 1958, he had a salary of $65,000 and was a leading earner from the salary. Salary 2020. Ford, his ally on and off the field for years, remembered how shy and inarticulate the young Mantle seemed when he reported. ", In the end, though, he had a more poignant message. Mantle's doctors insisted that the transplant was based solely on medical criteria, but acknowledged that the very short wait created the appearance of favoritism. For the upcoming All-Star Game in Denver, a gem-mint. 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. Mantle signed for $140 per month (equivalent to $1,600 in 2021) with a $1,500 signing bonus (equivalent to $17,100 in 2021). But he pulled his car over and stopped and watched us play. [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. The town respected Mantle's privacy, refusing either to talk about him to outsiders or to direct fans to his home. [32] In 1966, his batting average increased to .288 with 23 home runs and 56 RBI in 333 at-bats, in large part because of very strong June and July, when he returned to his 1964 form until he was sidelined with another injury. 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. The recent sale of a mint Mickey Mantle card for $2.88 made headlines. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and watched the rest of the World Series on TV from a hospital bed. He announced his retirement at the age of 37 in 1969 and delivered a farewell speech in Yankees Stadium. 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). As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Mickey Mantle's Net Worth: $3.5 Million Age, Height & Body Measurements Mickey Mantle has been died on Aug 13, 1995 ( age 63). ESPN's SportsCentury series that ran in 1999 ranked him No. | Movieclip(2) |", "Tom Russell's Talents Still Shine Through", "Mantle, Yanks' Rookie, Loses Duel With Sun", "Mickey Mantle Inherits Baseball's Biggest Job", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mickey_Mantle&oldid=1142182139, September 28,1968,for theNew York Yankees, 1956 - Mantle made a (talking) cameo appearance in, 1962 - Mantle and Maris starred as themselves in the film, 1988 - Mantle appeared in the official video for, 1993 and 1996 - References are made to Mantle in the sitcom, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 23:52. Mantle was not entirely discreet about them, and at his retirement ceremony in 1969, he brought his mistress along with his wife. [citation needed], Joe DiMaggio retired from baseball following the 1951 World Series. While Mantle was a hero on the field, he had his own struggles off of it battling alcoholism much of his life. Having reached that pinnacle in his 13th season, he never asked for another raise.[28]. He was well-liked by the citizens of Greensboro, and seemed to like them in return. He also hit 26 home runs and recorded 136 runs batted in. Gone were the days of $3 autographs. [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. Although he was a feared power hitter from either side of the plate and hit more home runs batting left-handed than right, Mantle considered himself a better right-handed hitter. His batting average in mid-season had climbed as high as .392. 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]. That was the start of my knee operations. On May 22, 1963, against Kansas City's Bill Fischer, Mantle hit a ball that fellow players and fans claimed was still rising when it hit the 110-foot (34m) high facade, then caromed back onto the playing field. While we work diligently to ensure that our numbers are as accurate as possible, unless otherwise indicated they are only estimates. 14. 7/5/1957-Washington, DC: New York Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle (via Getty). Mantle was also known for his incredible ability to avoid grounding into double plays. After the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, Mantle joined with fellow Oklahoman and Yankee Bobby Murcer to raise money for the victims. 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. 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. Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. Mantle was reinstated on March 18, 1985 by Kuhn's successor Peter Ueberroth. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. I was the best man at Martin's wedding in 1988, and I can hardly remember being there." Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire Major . The Yankees and Mantle were slowed by injuries during the 1965 season, and they finished in sixth place, 25 games behind the Minnesota Twins. 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. The couple had four children together during the course of their marriage. 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). Mickey Mantle was 5-11 (180 cm) tall. Adjusted for inflation, he earned approximately $9 million. 37 in its "50 Greatest Athletes" series. Mantle was a prized guest at baseball-card shows, commanding fees far in excess of those of any other player for his appearances and autographs. The Daily News reported it as a 502-foot homer. However, Mantle stole the show after hitting three home runs. The New York press was harsh in its treatment of Mantle in his early years with the team, emphasizing that he struck out frequently, was injury-prone, was a rube from Oklahoma, and was perceived as inferior to his predecessor in center field, Joe DiMaggio. Because of these comparatively low numbers, he took a salary cut of 10,000 dollars, down to 60,000 dollars. "Everywhere I go," he said, "guys come up and shake hands and say, 'Good job, Mick.' Retrieved December 9, 2012. 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. Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13, 1995 at 63 years old.Mickey Mantle Net Worth. "Once, they operated on my shoulder and tied the tendons together. 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. (His batting average closed 61 points lower than the previous year). 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. [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. [59][60], Mantle allegedly took his first drink of alcohol at age 19, when teammate Hank Bauer gave him a beer that he "chugged as if it were soda pop", according to baseball historian Frank Russo. Is Mickey Mantle in the Hall of Fame? The first, he often was not. Mantle finished with 54 home runs while leading the American league in runs scored and walks. He not only hit the ball, he hammered it. You're the best we've got.' "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. "Then Ralph Houk came along and changed my whole idea of thinking about myself. [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. [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. Mickey Mantle's height Unknown & weight Not Available right. He won the Western Association batting title and was then invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. The low batting average caused his lifetime average to dip below .300, which caused him anguish the next year as he worked with a statistician to review all of his at-bats since 1951, hoping to find enough uncounted hits to elevate his average to .2995, but his lifetime average remained .298. 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. He is in 10th place in number of bases-empty bunt singles for his career, with 80 in only 148 at-bats. [11] Mutt named his son in honor of Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher. Mickey Mantle (born October 20, 1931) is famous for being baseball player. "When I was a kid," Mantle remembered a few years after he retired, "I used to work in the mines with my dad for $35 a week. Mantle was assigned to the Yankees' Class-D Independence Yankees of the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League, where he played shortstop. [12] Mantle spoke warmly of his father and said that he was the bravest man whom he had ever known. August 14, 1995. He was selected an AL All-Star again, but as a reserve player, and he did not make the 28-player team for the second and last time because of an injury. In 1994, while presiding over Mickey Mantle's restaurant in Manhattan as a greeter, he entered the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, Calif., to undergo treatment for alcoholism. [10], Mantle began his professional baseball career in Kansas with the semi-professional Baxter Springs Whiz Kids. And after years of drinking and carousing with Whitey Ford and Billy Martin as his chief running mates, he joked, "If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself. Maris did not follow suit, and many in the press viewed him as surly. Legendary New York Yankee who hit 536 career home runs, was named American League MVP three times, and led the AL in home runs 4 times and batting average once. . Mickey Mantle Height, Weight & Measurements At 64 years old, Mickey Mantle height is 6' (1.83 m) . His strength as a hitter became legendary. Kuhn warned Mantle before he accepted the position that he would be placed on the list if he took the job. The record remained unbroken until 1998 and remained the American League (AL) record until Aaron Judge broke it in 2022. "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." 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. On Aug. 9, the hospital said the cancer had spread to his abdomen. He was of at least partial English ancestry; his great-grandfather George Mantle left Brierley Hill, in England's Black Country, in 1848. [75], On Mickey Mantle Day at Yankee Stadium, June 8, 1969, Mantle's number 7 was retired and he was a awarded a bronze plaque to be hung on the center field wall near the monuments to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Miller Huggins. In the 1940's, they won five pennants and four Series. He was a 20-time All-Star and seven-time World Series champion. Mantle disclosed later that he had not married Johnson out of love but rather because his father told him to. His spouse is Merlyn Mantle (m. 1951-1995). In January 1959, the New York Times reported Mantle sought a contract raise to 85,000 dollars but he settled for 70,000. Mickey Mantle Jr., who struggled with the expectations accompanying the son of a baseball icon and the travails that afflicted his family far from the public eye, died Wednesday at a hospital. Other times, he would leave fake snakes, bugs, or frogs around for Phil Rizzuto to find. He also had an excellent .984 fielding percentage when playing center field. May 7, 2022 2:25pm. While "The Mick" patrolled center field and batted clean-up between 1951 and 1968, the Yankees won 12 American . Mantle's #7 was retired by the New York Yankees and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He led the American League in home runs four times (in 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1960) and led the league in almost everything in 1956, when he won the triple crown with these totals: a .353 batting average, 130 runs batted in and 52 home runs. Three years later, he reached his peak salary of $100,000 and never asked for another raise again. In 1953, batting right-handed, he hit a ball thrown by Chuck Stobbs of the Washington Senators over the 55-foot-high left-field fence in Griffith Stadium, a drive that was measured at 565 feet from home plate. [52] In 1983, he worked at the Claridge Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey as a greeter and community representative. [10] Mantle hit .313 for the Independence Yankees. The Yankees started Mantle at Independence, Kan., where they had a Class D minor league club. 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. 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. 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. He said, "When I die, I wanted on my tombstone, 'A great teammate.' 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. [10] Stengel, speaking to SPORT, stated "He's got more natural power from both sides than anybody I ever saw. Greenwade returned in 1949, after Mantle's high school graduation, to sign Mantle to a minor league contract. The internet stared in awe as the sports memorabilia sold for a whopping $5.2 million. In the 1920's, they won six American League pennants and three World Series. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. He had his first drink at the age of 19. He spent his final two careers in the major leagues playing first base. Signed mid-to-late 1950s Topps cards (excluding All-Star cards) sell for $1,000 to $2,000. [66][67][68] In July, he had recovered enough to deliver a press conference at Baylor, and addressed fans that had looked to him as a role model. After he retired in 1968, Mantle found success in business outside of baseball but he also battled alcoholism and health issues up until he died in 1995. [34] He was selected an AL All-Star and pinch-hit at the All-Star Game on July 11. Mantle was named in honor of Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher in baseball. [10] In 1948, Yankees scout Tom Greenwade came to Baxter Springs to watch Mantle's teammate, third baseman Willard "Billy" Johnson. Mantle let others run the business but made frequent appearances. $10 Million. That year, he brought home both the Triple Crown and the first of three Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards. Net Worth Net Worth 2020 $10 Million Salary 2020 Not known Mickey Mantle Salary Detail Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. In the second game of the 1951 World Series, New York Giants rookie Willie Mays hit a fly ball to right-center field. The home run was his 16th in a World Series, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 15. Mantle moved to center field following the 1951 season and the retirement of Joe DiMaggio. He commanded the biggest stage in sports as the center fielder for the most successful team in baseball, and he did it at a time when New York was blessed with three great center fielders renowned as "Willie, Mickey and the Duke," home run hitters who captivated the public in the 1950's as the leaders of memorable teams: Willie Mays of the Giants, Mantle of the Yankees and Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers. I was nothing. He remembered what his doctor told him then: "Your liver is still working, but it has healed itself so many times that before long you're just going to have one big scab for a liver. [62][47] His father died of Hodgkin's disease at age 40 in 1952, and his grandfather also died young of the same disease. Death Cause, Rea. "I was also playing semipro ball for a team they called the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids, and one night a scout from the Yankees named Tom Greenwade came through Baxter Springs. Of his fear of dying early, he once said: "I'll never get a pension. The following year, he became the highest-paid player in baseball by signing a $75,000 contract, which was incredibly high at the time. ". This may become Mickey's ultimate home run.". Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick",[1] was an American professional baseball player. The season was bad for the Yankees, too, as they finished third. Martin died in a one-vehicle accident on Christmas night 1989. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. Meanwhile, you might be wondering how card trading is still a thing nowadays. As per our current Database, Mickey Mantle died on Aug 13, 1995 (age 63). In total, Mickey earned $1,128,000 during his career. 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. He undoubtedly spread it to his own children. Excellent. [71], Mantle died at 2:10a.m. on August 13, 1995 at Baylor University Medical Center with his wife at his side, five months after his mother had died at age 91. The value of Mickey Mantle's baseball card just shot up into the sky like a homerun. Frequently, he would dump ice water on those who were showering. He continued to be a solid player for the Yankees over the next few years and had his breakout season in 1956. Beginning in high school, he suffered both acute and chronic injuries to bones and cartilage in his legs. He is the only player in history to hit 150 home runs from both sides of the plate. 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. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (19511968) with the New York Yankees as a center fielder, right fielder, and first baseman. For the second consecutive year, he narrowly missed winning his third MVP award, finishing four points behind repeat winner Maris. In 1952, Mantle played his first complete World Series and became a hitting star for the team with an on-base percentage above .400 and a slugging percentage above .600. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. But I didn't think it would be this soon." A school in Manhattan was renamed for Mantle on June 4, 2002. They give a damn now.". [58] Excerpts from the book have been published in Sports Illustrated. Mantle won three American League MVP Awards and was a four time AL home run leader and one time AL RBI leader. It was originally purchased for $50,000 in 1991. "[19] Bill Dickey called Mantle "the greatest prospect I've seen in my time. [14] In addition to his first love, baseball, Mantle was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School, playing basketball as well as football. 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. 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.