Aug 13, 2015. In 1980, Mantle separated from his wife and the two lived apart for the rest of their lives and never got a divorce. His rationale was that the men in his family had all died young, so he expected to die young as well. He even got me out of the commencement exercises so I could play ball because he was thinking of signing me for the Yankees. He undoubtedly spread it to his own children. [40] His 372 to-164 home run disparity was due to Mantle having batted left-handed much more often, as the large majority of pitchers are right-handed. Withdrew 33 personal items belonging to Mantle's before a 1997 auction after his widow Merlyn Mantle filed suit. Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Okla., on Oct. 20, 1931. You can come back to Oklahoma and work the mines with me. Mays's fly was hit to shallow center, and as Mantle came over to back up DiMaggio, Mantle's spikes caught a drainage cover in the outfield grass. 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. You're the best we've got.' 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. [11] Mutt named his son in honor of Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher. Two Armed Forces physicals were ordered, including a highly publicized exam on November 4, 1952, which was brought on by his All-Star selection, that ended in a final rejection. Mantle began his professional career in baseball in Kansas with the semi-professional Baxter Springs Whiz Kids. The couple had four children together during the course of their marriage. In 1950, Mantle was promoted to the Class-C Joplin Miners of the Western Association. And I hit three home runs in that game, two right-handed and one left-handed, and one of them even landed in the river out beyond the outfield. I guess he even protected me. 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. 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. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. How much did Mickey Mantle weigh when playing? After an impressive spring training, Yankees manager Casey Stengel decided to promote Mantle to the majors as a right . And then came the era of Mantle. On December 23, 1951, Mantle married Merlyn Johnson (19322009) in Picher, Oklahoma; they had four sons. "Then Ralph Houk came along and changed my whole idea of thinking about myself. Mantle's parents drove him at midnight to Oklahoma City, where he was treated at the children's hospital with the newly available penicillin, which reduced the infection and saved his leg from amputation. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931. . Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma to parents Lovell and Elvin "Mutt" Mantle. Wearing No. Not till Houk came along and told me, 'You are going to be my leader. [34] He was selected an AL All-Star and pinch-hit at the All-Star Game on July 11. Maris did not follow suit, and many in the press viewed him as surly. Music! While Mantle was a hero on the field, he had his own struggles off of it battling alcoholism much of his life. 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. Mickey Mantle played his first game for the New York Yankees in 1951, replacing the legendary Joe DiMaggio in center field. [84] That same year, Mantle was one of 100 nominees for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and was chosen by fan balloting as one of the team's outfielders. Mantle's powerful slugging and tendency to swing for the stands set the template for superstars of subsequent generations. [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. Mantle began attending school there and was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School. Mickey Mantle Original 1969 Topps Baseball Card #500. Mickey Mantle baseball card set to break record at auction He announced his retirement at the age of 37 in 1969 and delivered a farewell speech in Yankees Stadium. 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. By the close of the 1950s, with numerous individual awards and multiple World Series titles, Mantles contract had increased to $70,000. He sought treatment for alcoholism in 1994 when he checked in to the Betty Ford Clinic. [39] In roughly 25% of his total at-bats he hit .330 right-handed to .281 left. Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire Major . When he was a sophomore, he was kicked in the left shin during football practice which resulted in him developing osteomyelitis, an infectious disease. They give a damn now.". Merlyn Mantle Net Worth is $1.3 Million Merlyn Mantle Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018. . Overall, he hit slightly more home runs away (270) than home (266). He is the only player to win a league Triple Crown as a switch hitter. 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. Interestingly, the games best player at the time never tried to renegotiate a better deal after the 1963 season. She was married to Mickey Mantle. [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. The season was bad for the Yankees, too, as they finished third. In fact, if it weren't for the injuries that nagged him, he might've been able to contend for GOAT status. "But the hope in this is that Mickey left behind a legacy. The former ballplayer attributed his poor. The team won the pennant by 25 games, and the following spring, he was in Phoenix as a rookie with the Yankees. Because of these comparatively low numbers, he took a salary cut of 10,000 dollars, down to 60,000 dollars. 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). In 1963, he batted .314 in 65 games. As per our current Database, Mickey Mantle died on Aug 13, 1995 (age 63). Mantle was the uncle of actor and musician Kelly Mantle. ", After Leaving Baseball, Day and Night Drinking, The Yankees stopped winning pennants after the 1964 season, and Mantle stopped playing after the 1968 season. [citation needed] He outlived all the men in his family by several years. Roger Maris was born on September 10, 1934 in Hibbing, MN. January 24, 2023 by Maame Akua Owusuwaa. Mantle broke many records and made many accomplishments throughout his career. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels. Although he underwent a liver transplant in June of 1995, the cancer had spread to most of his internal organs and Mantle died on August 13, 1995. The following two seasons were more frustrating for Mantle, though he still played comparatively well and made the all-star team as a reserve player in 1959. Mickey Mantle - Bio, Age, net worth, height, Wiki, Facts and Family He also hit his second All-Star Game home run that season. 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 Mantle finished with 54 home runs while leading the American league in runs scored and walks. (Another story says, he was badly injured playing touch football, at home, in the late summer of that year). [61] Before Mantle sought treatment for alcoholism, he admitted that his hard living had hurt both his playing and his family. Mantle let others run the business but made frequent appearances. Mantle two times hit balls off the third-deck facade at Yankee Stadium, nearly becoming the only player to hit a fair ball out of the stadium during a game. How much was Mickey Mantles net worth at the time of his death? 14. Mickey Mantle Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family After the 1966 season, Mantle was moved to first base, with Joe Pepitone taking his place in the outfield. Just those two pairs of pastel slacks and that blue sports coat that he wore every place. He also hit a record total of 18 home runs in 12 World Series, and 2 more in 16 All-Star Games. Mutt drove up to Kansas City that day. Against Walt Masterson of the Boston Red Sox he struck out five times in one game. Mantle was one of the best players and sluggers of all time, and is regarded by many as the greatest switch hitter in baseball history. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. After an impressive spring training, Yankees manager Casey Stengel decided to promote Mantle to the majors as a right fielder instead of sending him to the minors. Mantle, playing right field, raced for the ball together with center fielder Joe DiMaggio, who called for the ball (and made the catch). His original Yankee Stadium Monument Park plaque is displayed at the front entrance. When Mantle was four years old, his family moved to Commerce, Oklahoma, where his father worked in lead and zinc mines. Shortly before his death, Mantle videotaped a message to be played on Old-Timers' Day, which he was too ill to attend. 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. 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. He not only hit the ball, he hammered it. The second, he always will be. Mickey Mantle was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1974. 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.