Mantle hit some of the longest home runs in Major League history. "[66] Costas continued: "In the last year of his life, Mickey Mantle, always so hard on himself, finally came to accept and appreciate the distinction between a role model and a hero. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Early Baseball Lessons From Both Sides of Plate. 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). And after leaving the Betty Ford Center, he seemed to be a revived person. Signed mid-to-late 1950s Topps cards (excluding All-Star cards) sell for $1,000 to $2,000. In 1962, he became the highest-paid player in baseball with a $90,000 per year contract. Mantle finished with 54 home runs while leading the American league in runs scored and walks. Excellent. 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.". He was safe 8 out of 10 times in which he attempted to steal a base. What was Mickey Mantle's net worth when he died? Wearing No. Throughout his life, Mantle had been a heavy drinker. Mantle became the highest-paid active player of his time. During their empire years, the Yankees built on the mountains of success they had fashioned in the days since Ruth joined them in 1920. [citation needed] Another Mantle homer, hit right-handed off Chuck Stobbs at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. on April 17, 1953, was measured by Yankees traveling secretary Red Patterson (hence the term "tape-measure home run") to have traveled 565 feet (172m). [10], Mantle was called up to the Yankees after 40 games with Kansas City, this time wearing uniform #7. That's how I signed with the Yankees.". In getting out of DiMaggio's way, Mantle tripped over an exposed drain pipe and severely injured his right knee. Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma to parents Lovell and Elvin "Mutt" Mantle. ", But that's not how he was remembered by teammates. [83] In 2018, the #7 card was issued to Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier. Mantle desired to be remembered as a stellar teammate. 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. "[66] Richardson read the poem at Mantle's funeral, which he described as being extremely difficult. Baseball scholars often ponder "what if" had he not been injured, and had been able to lead a healthy career. "I'm not gonna be cheated," he would say. Mickey Mantle's #7 was retired by the New York Yankees and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. The record remained unbroken until 1998 and remained the American League (AL) record until Aaron Judge broke it in 2022. Deducting for bounces,[5] there is no doubt that both landed well over 500 feet (152m) from home plate. He played halfback and Oklahoma offered him a football scholarship. 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. Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire Major . $1,847.75. He died in 1995 of a heart attack which he suffered months after receiving a liver transplant. In 1957, Mantle won his second consecutive MVP award. All combined, Mantle earned $1.12 million during his career. The following year, he became the highest-paid player in baseball by signing a $75,000 contract, which was incredibly high at the time. The town respected Mantle's privacy, refusing either to talk about him to outsiders or to direct fans to his home. [16] Mantle hit his first professional home run on June 30, 1949, at Shulthis Stadium. Mantle disclosed later that he had not married Johnson out of love but rather because his father told him to. 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. God gave me a body and the ability to play baseball. He homered for the third Yankee run in a 32 Game 6 win and he knocked in the winning runs in the 42 Game 7 win, with a homer in the sixth inning and an RBI single in the seventh inning. 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. Mantle remained in the center field position full-time for the Yankees until 1965 when he was moved to left field. Mantle had his breakout season in 1956 after showing progressive improvement each of his first five years. This was the first of numerous injuries that plagued his 18-year career with the Yankees. In the 1930's, they won five pennants and five World Series. Of his fear of dying early, he once said: "I'll never get a pension. His rationale was that the men in his family had all died young, so he expected to die young as well. Mantle's signature is valued at $100 to $125. He sought treatment for alcoholism in 1994 when he checked in to the Betty Ford Clinic. He was also honored with the Hickok Belt as the top American professional athlete of 1956. . 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. He held the all-time World Series records for home runs, runs scored, and runs batted. His grandfather died at the age of 60 in 1944, and his father died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 40 on May 7, 1952. In 1948, Yankees scout Tom Greenwade came to Baxter Springs to observe one of Mantle's teammates. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports. He was the blond, muscled switch-hitter who joined the Yankees at 19 in 1951 as DiMaggio was winding down his Hall of Fame career. 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. Once, he put a live snake in Marshall Bridges's uniform, and another time he released a live mongoose into the visitors clubhouse at Tiger Stadium.[47]. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. . He brought a lot of Oklahoma with him to New York and never really changed. Mantle gave a similar plaque to DiMaggio, telling the huge crowd in Yankee Stadium, "Joe DiMaggio's deserves to be higher. (2001) and The Greatest Summer of My Life: Billy Crystal and the Making of '61*' (2001). He hit often, he hit deep and he did it from both sides of the plate better than anyone else. Is Mickey Mantle in the Hall of Fame? Due to his popularity, he often appeared in a variety of documentaries and sports videos. In 1995, doctors discovered that Mantle's liver had been damaged by cirrhosis, hepatitis C, and liver cancer. Mantle began attending school there and was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School. But he was also a part-time baseball player who had such a passion for the game that he named his son in honor of Mickey Cochrane, the great catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and player-manager for the Detroit Tigers. 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 in Dallas. [10] However, Mantle struggled defensively at shortstop.[10]. Anyone can read what you share. [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. She died on August 10, 2009 in Plano, Texas, USA. "Once, they operated on my shoulder and tied the tendons together. Mickey Mantle married Merlyn Johnson in 1951, and they had four children together. ", 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?" During the game, Mantle hit three home runs. 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. Mantle hit the park's first home run. Mutt drove to Independence, Kansas, and convinced Mantle to keep playing. You can come back to Oklahoma and work the mines with me. Three years later, and again in 1963, batting left-handed each time, he smashed a ball into the third deck, within a few feet of the peak of the facade in right field in Yankee Stadium, and no one has come closer to driving a fair ball out of the park. 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. In his sophomore year, he was kicked on the left shin during a practice game, and he developed osteomyelitisan infectious disease that was incurable just a few years earlierin his left ankle. Mantle finished in second place in MVP voting for 1964, as Baltimore's Brooks Robinson won the award. She was married to Mickey Mantle. In 1956, he hit 16 home runs in May. [66] He established the Mickey Mantle Foundation to raise awareness for organ donations. Mantle and former teammate Whitey Ford were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame together in 1974, Mantle's first year of eligibility, Ford's second.[81]. [66] The Yankees played the Indians that day and honored him with a tribute. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. In that season, he also hit another long home run at Yankee Stadium to left-center field that was reported to have traveled 502 feet. [73], After Mantle's death, his family pursued a federal lawsuit against Greer Johnson, his agent and live-in aide during the last decade of his life, to prohibit her from auctioning many of Mantle's personal items, including a lock of hair, a neck brace, and expired credit cards. Music! [17] In 1950, Mantle was promoted to the Class-C Joplin Miners of the Western Association. Mickey Mantle had an amazing baseball career with multiple records and fantastic stats. And, in the end, people got it. He was 63. Mickey Mantle was an American skilled baseball participant who had a His last contract paid him $100,000 per season (the same as $800,000 after adjusting for inflation). A statue of Mantle is located at Mickey Mantle Plaza at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, the home stadium of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, 2 South Mickey Mantle Drive in Oklahoma City. [citation needed], Early in 1995, doctors discovered that Mantle's liver had been severely damaged by both alcohol-induced cirrhosis and hepatitis C. They also discovered that he had an inoperable liver cancer known as undifferentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, which further necessitated a liver transplant. In 1964, he hit two home runs in his final two times at bat on July 4, and two more in his first two times up in the next game the following day. $237.50. 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). [36] When he retired, Mantle was third on the all-time home-run list with 536,[34] and he was the Yankees' all-time leader in games played with 2,401, a record that would be broken by Derek Jeter on August 29, 2011.[37]. Mantle broke many records and made many accomplishments throughout his career. Out of frustration, he called his father one day and told him, "I don't think I can play baseball anymore." Mantle won three American League MVP Awards and was a four time AL home run leader and one time AL RBI leader. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. Mantle admitted that drinking had become a way of life even while he was playing. The next was arguably his first great year, as he concluded with 37 home runs and a .306 batting average. He admitted that he had often been cruel and hurtful to family, friends, and fans because of his alcoholism, and sought to make amends. 25: That was the start of my knee operations. Mantles first baseball contract in 1951 paid him $5,000. He is a celebrity Baseball player. Mantle's powerful slugging and tendency to swing for the stands set the template for superstars of subsequent generations. He occasionally attended the local Methodist church, and sometimes ate Sunday dinner with members of the congregation. To inaugurate the Astrodome, the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees played an exhibition game on April 9, 1965. I did it 1,710 times.". [8] Despite his accolades on the field, Mantle's private life was plagued with tumult and tragedy, including a well-publicized bout with alcoholism that led to his death from liver cancer. In the 1940's, they won five pennants and four Series. I won't live long enough." You see, when you have a prairie fire, if you don't clean out a 10-yard spot around a telephone pole, it will burn the telephone pole out, and it will cost you a lot of money. A year later, Mantle received a liver transplant, but on August 13, 1995, he died of a heart attack at the age of 63. Overall, he hit slightly more home runs away (270) than home (266). And then came the era of Mantle. Mickey Mantle Net Worth At Death. The recent sale of a mint Mickey Mantle card for $2.88 made headlines. Because of these comparatively low numbers, he took a salary cut of 10,000 dollars, down to 60,000 dollars. However, he was not able to find the power he once had in the lower minors. For the second consecutive year, he narrowly missed winning his third MVP award, finishing four points behind repeat winner Maris. Mantle was so insecure that he remembered later how he had ducked DiMaggio, even though he was playing his final season in center field and Mantle, who had been converted from shortstop to the outfield, was playing alongside him in right. When you consider how successful Mantle was for such a sustained period of time and how other players made the same or more money, he was vastly underpaid for his career. Mickey Charles Mantle ( October 20, 1931 - August 13, 1995) was an American baseball player who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Mantle was not entirely discreet about them, and at his retirement ceremony in 1969, he brought his mistress along with his wife. The Collected Wisdom of David Mantle, son of Mickey Mantle. 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 December 23 1951, Mantle married Merlyn Johnson in Picher, Oklahoma. A school in Manhattan was renamed for Mantle on June 4, 2002. Mantle signed for $140 per month (equivalent to $1,600 in 2021) with a $1,500 signing bonus (equivalent to $17,100 in 2021). [10] In 1948, Yankees scout Tom Greenwade came to Baxter Springs to watch Mantle's teammate, third baseman Willard "Billy" Johnson. Mickey Mantle (1951) Mantle as a 19-year-old rookie Mantle baseball card Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. 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. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels. May 7, 2022 2:25pm. When Greenwade came back a week later, he said he'd give me a $1,500 bonus and $140 a month for the rest of the summer. Withdrew 33 personal items belonging to Mantle's before a 1997 auction after his widow Merlyn Mantle filed suit. Mantle, playing right field, raced for the ball together with center fielder Joe DiMaggio, who called for the ball (and made the catch). [10] Mickey Mantle's salary for the 1951 season was $7,500. [71] Richardson recited the same poem (God's Hall of Fame), which was written by a baseball fan, at Roger Maris's funeral. Mickey Mantle: The Definitive Story (MLB Baseball Sports Documentary)The almost mythic career of Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle is the subject of this acclaime. He had his first drink at the age of 19. 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. Greer Johnson Net Worth Greer Johnson Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography. Mickey Mantle, Great Yankee Slugger, Dies at 63, https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/14/obituaries/mickey-mantle-great-yankee-slugger-dies-at-63.html. 7/5/1957-Washington, DC: New York Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle (via Getty). In 1974 Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13, 1995 at 63 years old. Target's new Fine'ry perfumes have designer dupes you need to know about Target's new Fine'ry perfumes have designer dupes you need to know about; The 7 best home saunas of 2023, with expert tips . A decades-old, mint-condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction. In the 1960 season, he hit what is still believed to be the longest home run in history. [7] He was an All-Star for 16 seasons, playing in 16 of the 20 All-Star Games that were played during his career. 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. 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. In the 1920's, they won six American League pennants and three World Series. [6] He hit 536 career home runs, batted .300 or more ten times, and is the career leader (tied with Jim Thome) in walk-off home runs, with 13: 12 in the regular season and one in the postseason. He was one of those rare hitters who could hit for both average and power and was a three-time MVP. The team played the rest of the season with black mourning bands topped by a number 7 on their left sleeves. During his tenure in New York, the team appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven. On June 8, Mantle underwent a transplant operation to replace a liver ravaged by cancer, hepatitis and cirrhosis. 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). DETAILS BELOW. A 1952 Topps Mikey Mantle card with a 9.5 grade more than doubled the all-time record for a sports card, selling for $12.6 million. His final few years in baseball involved many injuries, though he remained a solid player. He received a liver transplant soon afterward. Witnesses say it looked "like he had been shot." How much was Mickey Mantles net worth at the time of his death? 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. Mantle's original plaque, along with DiMaggio's, are now on display at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, with the DiMaggio plaque still hung higher than Mantle's. 14. [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. Recently, he had been suffering from anemia, a side effect of aggressive chemotherapy treatment, and had been receiving blood transfusions. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Okla., on Oct. 20, 1931. See the article in its original context from. 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. . Mantle was one of the greatest offensive threats in baseball history and is considered to be one of the best baseball players of all time. Mickey Jr. later died of liver cancer on December 20, 2000 at age 47. He currently resides in Spavinaw, OK. 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.