[33], Mantle hit .237 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI during his final season in 1968. Mutt drove up to Kansas City that day. This may become Mickey's ultimate home run.". 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. Pride of October: What It Was to Be Young and a Yankee. He currently resides in Spavinaw, OK. It's unbelievable. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Mantle disclosed later that he had not married Johnson out of love but rather because his father told him to. His original Yankee Stadium Monument Park plaque is displayed at the front entrance. 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. 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. 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. "[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. Mantle had an estimated net worth of $10 million. Three years later, he reached his peak salary of $100,000 and never asked for another raise again. 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. 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. [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. In total, Mickey earned $1,128,000 during his career. On July 28, he re-entered Baylor Medical Center for treatment of cancerous spots in his right lung. 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. The record remained unbroken until 1998 and remained the American League (AL) record until Aaron Judge broke it in 2022. 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. Mantle broke many records and made many accomplishments throughout his career. As the years passed, Mantle frequently used a line popularized by football legend Bobby Layne, a Dallas neighbor and friend who also died in part from alcohol abuse: "If I'd known I was gonna live this long, I'd have taken a lot better care of myself. [61] Before Mantle sought treatment for alcoholism, he admitted that his hard living had hurt both his playing and his family. He died on August 13, 1995, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX. She died on August 10, 2009 in Plano, Texas, USA. He was 63. He stayed in the minors for 40 games, returned to New York and closed his rookie season hitting .267 with 13 home runs in 96 games. Excellent. Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. He was safe 8 out of 10 times in which he attempted to steal a base. That was the start of my knee operations. He was also honored with the Hickok Belt as the top American professional athlete of 1956. [76] The plaque was officially presented to Mantle by Joe DiMaggio. Greer Johnson Net Worth Greer Johnson Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography. We didn't even have chairs then; we had boxes instead of chairs, and linoleum on the floor. While his drinking became public knowledge during his lifetime, the press kept quiet about his many marital infidelities. Mantles success individually helped contribute to a very successful run for the Yankees. He remained the Yankees' all-time leader in games played until Derek Jeter broke his record in 2011. Mantle reached base more times than he made outs (319 to 312), one of two seasons in which he achieved the feat. As a teammate, he never complained about his injuries and always tried to lead by example. Mantle finished in second place in MVP voting for 1964, as Baltimore's Brooks Robinson won the award. All Truth Of Leland Chapman's Wife - Jamie . During his tenure in New York, the team appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven. 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. 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. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports. Mantle died at 2:10 A.M. Eastern time at Baylor University Medical Center, succumbing to the disease that had spread from his liver to most of his other vital organs. 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). 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. [14] In addition to his first love, baseball, Mantle was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School, playing basketball as well as football. Mickey Mantle, with his death Sunday at 63, passes from these pages forever and becomes the property . He checked into the Betty Ford Clinic on January 7, 1994 after being told by a doctor that his liver was so badly damaged from almost 40 years of drinking that it "looked like a doorstop". Death Cause, Rea. [10] Later in his life, Mantle expressed relief that his father had not known Cochrane's true first name because he would have hated to be named Gordon. Submit a correction suggestion and help us fix it! "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. In 2019, the #7 card was issued to Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres. [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. Well, collectors find a value that goes beyond the edges of those baseball cards. "Jack Antonoff's Shadow of the City Festival Showcases N.J. [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). 1969 Topps #500 Mickey Mantle UER VGEX X2696604. "No money, none of those $400 suits he got around to buying a couple of years later. He was a huge star, but he never treated you like he was better than you. Gone were the days of $3 autographs. The ball park was right beside the road, and he was on his way to watch some guy play in another town. 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.". . "[47][63], Mantle's wife and sons all completed treatment for alcoholism and told him that he needed to do the same. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. On December 23 1951, Mantle married Merlyn Johnson in Picher, Oklahoma. After an impressive spring training, the Yankees manager decided to promote Mantle to the major league team as a right fielder. Retrieved December 9, 2012. He hit 13 home runs in 96 games. Mickey attended Commerce High School and was an all-around athlete. 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], Joe DiMaggio retired from baseball following the 1951 World Series. 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 . During this time, Mantle lived with his agent Greer Johnson. Mickey Mantle played 18 seasons. Mantle is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bats. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. Mickey Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 (age 63) in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, United States. The 1952 Mantle rookie card, which was in mint. SGC 5. His wife, Merlyn, and son David were at his bedside. In 1958, he had a salary of $65,000 and was a leading earner from the salary. The Cardinals won the World Series in seven games. Deducting for bounces,[5] there is no doubt that both landed well over 500 feet (152m) from home plate. He hit .313, played shortstop and made 47 errors in 89 games. He signed his first contract for $7,500 and his last for $100,000, which seemed princely enough at the time. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick",[1] was an American professional baseball player. 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. Just those two pairs of pastel slacks and that blue sports coat that he wore every place. [10] He was selected an "All-Star" for the first time and made the AL team, but did not play in the five-inning All-Star game that had Boston Red Sox Dom DiMaggio at center field. $237.50. And at the request of his son Danny and Pat Summerall, the former football player and current television broadcaster, he checked into the Betty Ford Center in 1994. ESPN's SportsCentury series that ran in 1999 ranked him No. [83] In 2018, the #7 card was issued to Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier. [79], In 1969, Mantle received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[80]. Mantle was hospitalized with an abscessed hip resulting from a flu shot that he had received late in the season, leaving Maris to break the record (he finished with 61). Mantle had another "off year"indeed, the first week of June saw his batting average drop to .228but by mid-August, he was back in his prime, leading the team to another World Series. $10 Million. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. Ford, his ally on and off the field for years, remembered how shy and inarticulate the young Mantle seemed when he reported. Not known Mickey Mantle Salary Detail. The internet stared in awe as the sports memorabilia sold for a whopping $5.2 million. In the 1960 season, he hit what is still believed to be the longest home run in history. He also hit his second All-Star Game home run that season. 1 His Alcoholism Ruined His Family Mickey Mantle Interview by Bob Costas Mantle believed that alcoholism ran on his mother's side of the family. Roger Maris was born on September 10, 1934 in Hibbing, MN. Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire Major . He always talked about his love for the game. For the second consecutive year, he narrowly missed winning his third MVP award, finishing four points behind repeat winner Maris. He is the only player to win a league Triple Crown as a switch hitter. His children also suffered from alcoholism and substance abuse problems. "[18], After a brief slump, Mantle was sent down to the Yankees' top farm team, the Kansas City Blues. "TELEVISION: Summerall's Struggle with Alcohol" (, "THE DEATH OF A HERO; Mantle's Cancer 'Most Aggressive' His Doctors Had Seen", "Sports of The Times; Mickey Mantle's Cancer", "Questions Are Raised On Mantle Transplant", "Mickey Mantle, Great Yankee Slugger, Dies at 63", "Merlyn Mantle, widow of Mickey, dies at 77", "Cheers, Tears Ring For Mantle As Uniform No. [43][44], As a 19-year-old rookie playing right field in his first World Series, Mantle tore the cartilage in his right knee on a fly ball hit by Willie Mays. Overall, he hit slightly more home runs away (270) than home (266). As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. Recently, he had been suffering from anemia, a side effect of aggressive chemotherapy treatment, and had been receiving blood transfusions. Mantle was not entirely discreet about them, and at his retirement ceremony in 1969, he brought his mistress along with his wife. The cause was complications of cancer, his family said. Mickey Mantle, 63, the superstar slugging center fielder of the New York Yankees of the 1950s and 1960s whose baseball feats and golden good looks made him an American legend, died of liver cancer yesterday at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Is Mickey Mantle in the Hall of Fame? 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. After fouling off a few pitches, he hit a towering home run over the 402-foot sign by the bullpen. 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. 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. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. The next was arguably his first great year, as he concluded with 37 home runs and a .306 batting average. He not only hit the ball, he hammered it. 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. Mantle was able to hit for both average and power,[4] especially tape-measure home runs,[5] a term that was born when a play-by-play caller reacted to one of Mantle's 1953 home runs. ", In the end, though, he had a more poignant message. Mantle's wife, mother, and mother-in-law were in attendance and received recognition at the ceremony held in honor of him. ". [10], Mantle was called up to the Yankees after 40 games with Kansas City, this time wearing uniform #7. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. "[19] Bill Dickey called Mantle "the greatest prospect I've seen in my time. "Casey Stengel was like a father to me," Mantle said. The doctor bluntly told Mantle that the damage to his system was so severe that "your next drink could be your last." 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. I think I hit two more home runs that night. 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. 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. [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. [45] Still, Mantle was known as the "fastest man to first base" and won the American League triple crown in 1956. Although his batting average was his lowest since his rookie year, his league-leading 40 home runs and 94 runs batted in, saw him come in a close second to Roger Maris's MVP award. Mickey Mantle's Net Worth: $3.5 Million Age, Height & Body Measurements Mickey Mantle has been died on Aug 13, 1995 ( age 63). Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. . It also was perhaps his only "called shot", as he told on-deck hitter Elston Howard, "he might as well return to the dugout this game is over!" His spouse is Merlyn Mantle (m. 1951-1995). I'm not going to lie to you: The next drink you take may be your last.". 2023 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved. 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. He had the highest stolen-base percentage in history at the time of his retirement. I had everything and I just . He is a celebrity Baseball player. ", 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?" All combined, Mantle earned $1.12 million during his career. [17] In 1950, Mantle was promoted to the Class-C Joplin Miners of the Western Association. I see I raised a coward instead. Mantle was not faithful to his wife during their marriage and even brought along a mistress to his retirement ceremony in 1969. He could drag a bunt, too, with runaway speed, and he played his role with a kind of all-American sense of destiny. However, he was not able to find the power he once had in the lower minors. The team played the rest of the season with black mourning bands topped by a number 7 on their left sleeves. He is in 10th place in number of bases-empty bunt singles for his career, with 80 in only 148 at-bats. The following year, Mantle moved to center field. In 1948, Yankees scout Tom Greenwade came to Baxter Springs to observe one of Mantle's teammates. His annual salary was around $7,500 during his rookie year in 1951 and during his final playing years, his annual salary was estimated to around $ 100,000. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Mickey Mantle net worth: Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million. 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. [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. While "The Mick" patrolled center field and batted clean-up between 1951 and 1968, the Yankees won 12 American . 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. Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13, 1995 at 63 years old. 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. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931. I'll swear I expect to see that boy just take off and fly any time. When Mantle was 4 years old, his father would come home from work and teach him how to swing the bat from both sides of the plate while his mother held dinner for them until there was no more daylight. On Aug. 9, the hospital said the cancer had spread to his abdomen. Mantle moved to center field following the 1951 season and the retirement of Joe DiMaggio. Mantle hit some of the longest home runs in Major League history. Mickey admitted that he was more "The Mick" to his kids than "Dad." Despite the fears of those who knew him that this tragedy would send him back to drinking, Mantle remained sober. Mantle was reinstated on March 18, 1985 by Kuhn's successor Peter Ueberroth. Mickey Mantle Height, Weight & Measurements At 64 years old, Mickey Mantle height is 6' (1.83 m) . Some now call this his last home run at Yankee Stadium. I had a cyst cut out of my right knee another time. Mantle was selected an All-Star every season during his 18-year career except 1951 and 1966, and did not play in the 1952, 1963, and 1965 seasons. 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. In 1974 Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. He was selected an All-Star as the starting center fielder, but for the first time he could not make the 25-man roster because of the foot injury. A school in Manhattan was renamed for Mantle on June 4, 2002. Mantle had his first 100 plus RBI year, in 1954, in a full season and regained .300 status. "This is the most aggressive cancer that anyone on the medical team has ever seen," said Dr. Goran Klintmalm, medical director of transplant services at Baylor. Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Okla., on Oct. 20, 1931. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. It makes you feel good. Nevertheless, Mantle accepted the position because he felt the rule was "stupid." ', "Damn Yankees: A Washington Fan's Fantasy", "Fanfares for the Common Man: B.H. While these facts are widely known, here are some not so popular ones you may not know about. . At the time, Mantle did not know that most of the men in his family had inhaled lead and zinc dust in the mines, which can cause Hodgkin's disease and other cancers. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels. 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. At Mantle's funeral, Eddie Layton played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on the Hammond organ because Mickey had once told him that it was his favorite song.