Mickey Mantle Bio And Facts

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle was a professional American baseball player for the New York Yankees. He played center field for the majority of his career, as well as first base, and played all 18 of his career seasons with the Yankees (1951-1968). Throughout his time in the major leagues, Mantle won the World Series seven times and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times.

Mantle was known as an incredible batter on the diamond. At a young age, he learned to be a switch-hitter, making it much easier for him to hit from both left and right-handed pitchers. Even though he suffered several injuries to his legs, Mantle could hit the ball like no other. He maintained an impressive batting average throughout his career and retired with a total of 536 career home runs. He is remembered as one of the best Yankees and baseball players of all time.

• Birthday: October 20, 1931 (20-10-1931)
• Died: August 13, 1995 (13-08-1995)
• Education: Commerce High School
• Net Worth: $10 million
• Occupation: Professional baseball player
• Height: 5’11” (1.82 m)
• Weight: 195 lbs (88 kg)
• Position: Center Fielder/First Baseman 
• Years Active: 18
• Nicknames: The Mick
• Team(s): New York Yankees

Baseball Career

Mickey Mantle began playing baseball at a young age, and his father taught him to be a switch-hitter. At Commerce High School in Oklahoma, Mantle played baseball, basketball, and football. During this time, he was scouted by the New York Yankees and signed a contract with the team.

In 1949, Mantle began to play for the Yankees’ minor league affiliate baseball team in Independence, Kansas, the Independence Yankees. He played as a shortstop for the Independence Yankees for two years. However, following some defensive difficulties, he was moved to the outfield. In 1951, Mantle was pulled up to play in the major leagues for New York. However, his play in right field for the New York Yankees did not impress the New York coaches, and he was sent back down to the minor leagues, this time to the Kansas City Blues, another Yankees farm team.

After the 1951 season, Joe DiMaggio retired from the Yankees, and Mantle was pulled up to take his spot as a center fielder. He experienced immediate success on the team and spent the rest of his 18-year career with the Yankees.

Titles and Awards

During his career with the New York Yankees, Mickey Mantle was very successful. In 18 years with the team, Mantle hit a total of 536 home runs. He was also voted Most Valuable Player of the American League in three different seasons (1956, 1957, and 1962). In addition to winning MVP in 1956, Mantle also was awarded the American League Triple Crown in 1956 for recording 52 home runs, 130 runs batted in (RBI), and a .353 batting average.

Mantle also led the American League (AL) in home runs in four different seasons (1955, 1956, 1958, 1960) and ranked in the top ten in 13 different seasons. He received numerous awards, such as the Hutch Award in 1965 and the American League Gold Glove Award in 1962. On top of all this, Mantle was an All-Star 20 times, won seven World Series titles with the Yankees, had his number 7 retired by the Yankees, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.

Personal Life

Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, and raised by parents Elvin (“Mutt”) and Lovell Richardson Mantle. Mantle’s father Mutt was a former semi-pro baseball player and taught Mickey to play from a young age. In fact, Mantle was even named after the Detroit Tigers catcher Mickey Cochrane.

After his retirement from the Yankees, Mantle pursued a career in business, opening his own restaurant, and even served as a television commentator that broadcasted New York Yankees games. In addition, he spent some time working in the public relations department for a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 1951, Mantle married his wife Merlyn and had four sons with her before they separated in 1988. Unfortunately, his son Billy was being treated for Hodgkin’s Disease and passed away in 1994 due to heart failure. Partially as a result of his frequent drinking, Mantle was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and liver cancer and died on August 13, 1995.

Fun Facts

• Mickey Mantle led the league in walks in five different seasons (1955, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962)
• He led the American League in slugging percentage four times (1955, 1956, 1961, 1962)
• He led the American League in runs scored four times (1955, 1956, 1958, 1960)
• Mantle played a total of 2,401 career games with 2,415 career hits
• Mantle developed osteomyelitis after being kicked in the leg in high school. This injury affected his performance for the rest of his career.
• He was a St. Louis Cardinals fan growing up
• The name of the first baseball team he played on was the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids
• The Yankees retired his Number 7 jersey on June 8, 1969 at Yankee Stadium
• He inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 1974

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