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Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. While his drinking became public knowledge during his lifetime, the press kept quiet about his many marital infidelities. 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. The season was bad for the Yankees, too, as they finished third. By the close of the 1950s, with numerous individual awards and multiple World Series titles, Mantles contract had increased to $70,000. 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. 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. Madden, Bill. Adjusted for inflation, he earned approximately $9 million. History Colorado and the Rockies baseball club are putting on display your PSA 10 Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle and some spectacular memorabilia from your collection across the street from Coors Field from July 10 through July 18th where the All Star Game is being held. Mantle broke many records and made many accomplishments throughout his career. . Is Mickey Mantle in the Hall of Fame? Mickey Mantle weighed 195 lbs (88 kg) when playing. 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. 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. He was an alcoholic, which doctors said was at least partly responsible for causing his liver cancer. His original Yankee Stadium Monument Park plaque is displayed at the front entrance. 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. People chose instead to remember his baseball feats, unforgettably part of the heroic character he portrayed. Throughout his life, Mantle had been a heavy drinker. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball career with the New York Yankees as a center fielder, right fielder, and first baseman. There was no next drink, Mantle said. While these facts are widely known, here are some not so popular ones you may not know about. Some now call this his last home run at Yankee Stadium. Other times, he would leave fake snakes, bugs, or frogs around for Phil Rizzuto to find. [65] He said that he was telling the same old stories, and realizing how many of them involved being drunk, including at least one drunk-driving accident, he decided they were not funny any more. ", 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?" In addition to his wife and son David, he is survived by two other sons, Danny and Mickey Jr. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 P.M. Tuesday at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas. [51], Mantle worked as a customer-relations representative for the Dallas Reserve Life Insurance Company. He was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. Due to his popularity, he often appeared in a variety of documentaries and sports videos. [27] DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, and Ted Williams, who had just retired, had been paid over $100,000 in a season, and Ruth had a peak salary of $80,000. A settlement was reached allowing for the sale of some of Mantle's belongings for approximately $500,000. [89], Major leagues, New York Yankees (19511968), Song and film appearances, depictions, and references. Mantle's top salary was $100,000, which he reached for the 1963 season. It was originally purchased for $50,000 in 1991. Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma to parents Lovell and Elvin "Mutt" Mantle. 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. ", But that's not how he was remembered by teammates. On May 22, Mantle hit a line-drive home run off the third-tier facade at Yankee Stadium, the closest that any hitter had come to hitting a fair ball out of the park. "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. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. The following year, he became the highest-paid player in baseball by signing a $75,000 contract, which was incredibly high at the time. Mickey Mantle was 5-11 (180 cm) tall. 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. In the 1930's, they won five pennants and five World Series. [41], Mantle was also one of the best bunters for base hits of all time. They give a damn now.". 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. Kuhn warned Mantle before he accepted the position that he would be placed on the list if he took the job. Mantle was reinstated on March 18, 1985 by Kuhn's successor Peter Ueberroth. [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. He won the Triple Crown in 1956 and a Gold Globe Award in 1962. Mickey Charles Mantle Nickname: The Mick, The Commerce Comet Birth date: October 20, 1931 Death date: August 13, 1995 (age 63) Zodiac Sign: Libra Height: 5' 11" Relationship Status: Married Net Worth: $10 million Background Mickey Charles Mantle is widely regarded as baseball's greatest offensive threat at center field. Roger Maris Net Worth. 7/5/1957-Washington, DC: New York Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle (via Getty). 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. On December 23 1951, Mantle married Merlyn Johnson in Picher, Oklahoma. [61] Before Mantle sought treatment for alcoholism, he admitted that his hard living had hurt both his playing and his family. [42], Mantle's career was plagued with injuries. 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. Mickey Mantle's net worth at death was $10 million dollars. He was 84. Although his injury affected his upper cut from the right side, it still can be said he was not injured in 1958. "[19] Bill Dickey called Mantle "the greatest prospect I've seen in my time. He outlived the family curse of Hodgkin's disease, which had contributed to the death by heart attack of his 36-year-old son Billy, and the early deaths of his father, at 39, his grandfather and two uncles. He hit one over the right center field roof at Briggs Stadium, which is said to have traveled 643 feet. Mantle reached base more times than he made outs (319 to 312), one of two seasons in which he achieved the feat. God gave me a body and the ability to play baseball. [16] Mantle hit his first professional home run on June 30, 1949, at Shulthis Stadium. Mickey's wallet was also getting thicker. 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. He made $100,000 a year for the remainder of his contract until he retired in 1968. He occasionally attended the local Methodist church, and sometimes ate Sunday dinner with members of the congregation. [72] He was 63 years old. He sought treatment for alcoholism in 1994 when he checked in to the Betty Ford Clinic. He hit 344 doubles, 72 triples and 536 home runs (373 left-handed, 163 right-handed), and he knocked in 1,509 runs. 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. This was the first of numerous injuries that plagued his 18-year career with the Yankees. 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. Mutt drove to Independence, Kansas, and convinced Mantle to keep playing. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Mantle was the uncle of actor and musician Kelly Mantle. He signed his first contract for $7,500 and his last for $100,000, which seemed princely enough at the time. August 14, 1995. Mantle was interred in the Mantle Family Mausoleum, located in the St. Matthew Section of the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas. "Everywhere I go," he said, "guys come up and shake hands and say, 'Good job, Mick.' The 1959 season was another frustrating situation; this time the first half of his season was good and his second-half comparatively bad. He broke his foot and did not play again until August 4, when he hit a pinch-hit home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. 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. Beginning in 1997, the Topps Baseball Card company retired card #7 in its baseball flagship sets in tribute to Mantle, whose career was taking off just as Topps began producing them. He delivered a farewell speech on Mickey Mantle Day, June 8, 1969, at Yankee Stadium. "Once, they operated on my shoulder and tied the tendons together. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. Deducting for bounces,[5] there is no doubt that both landed well over 500 feet (152m) from home plate. In 1974 Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Music! Mantle was assigned to the Yankees' Class-D Independence Yankees of the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League, where he played shortstop. "Casey Stengel was like a father to me," Mantle said. ". In 1974 Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Former New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle dies of liver cancer at the age of 63. "No boy ever loved his father more," he said. [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. Then my dad got me a job cleaning out the area around telephone poles. Summerall himself had been treated at the clinic in 1992.[64]. [33], Mantle hit .237 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI during his final season in 1968. Mickey Jr. later died of liver cancer on December 20, 2000 at age 47. 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. We didn't even have chairs then; we had boxes instead of chairs, and linoleum on the floor. 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. I still didn't have a lot of confidence. Aberback, Brian (September 7, 2017). But I didn't think it would be this soon." Interestingly, the games best player at the time never tried to renegotiate a better deal after the 1963 season. 37 in its "50 Greatest Athletes" series. 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. His son David was also present. During his 18-year career with the Yankees, the switch-hitting slugger hit 536 home runs and was voted the AL Most Valuable Player three times (195657, 1962). 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). Mantle's #7 was retired by the New York Yankees and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. When he arrived, he started packing his son's clothes and, according to Mantle's memory, said "I thought I raised a man. Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who had taken a similar position, had already had action taken against him. David Mantle was recently walking in New York City when a passer-by said something odd. He later wrote a book (My Favorite Summer 1956) about his best year in baseball. 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. 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. Wearing No. Mickey Gilley, who ran one of the world's largest honky tonks in Pasadena, Texas, and was credited with helping foster country music's revival in the late . 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). He currently resides in Spavinaw, OK. 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. ", After Leaving Baseball, Day and Night Drinking, The Yankees stopped winning pennants after the 1964 season, and Mantle stopped playing after the 1968 season. 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]. 1959 was the first of four consecutive seasons that two All-Star games were played and Mantle played in seven of these games. 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!" "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. The value of Mickey Mantle's baseball card just shot up into the sky like a homerun. 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 passed away on August 13, 1995 at 63 years old.Mickey Mantle Net Worth.Net Worth:$10 . During the 1957 World Series, Milwaukee Braves second baseman Red Schoendienst fell on Mantle's left shoulder in a collision at second base. After an impressive spring training, the Yankees manager decided to promote Mantle to the major league team as a right fielder. "[20] Mantle immediately broke out of his slump, and went on to hit .361 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs during his stay in Kansas City. [10] At the time, doctors said he would die within two to three weeks if he did not receive a new organ. MLB held two All-Star Games from 1959 through 1962. 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. 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. The osteomyelitic condition of Mantle's left leg had exempted him from being drafted for military service since he was 18 in 1949,[22][23] but his emergence as a star center fielder in the major leagues during the Korean War in 1952 led baseball fans to question his 4-F deferment. Danny later battled prostate cancer. He is a celebrity Baseball player. [24][35], Mantle announced his retirement at the age of 37 on March 1, 1969. During his final season in 1968, he still managed to hit 18 home runs. 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. They might just be worth eight figures at auction. The next was arguably his first great year, as he concluded with 37 home runs and a .306 batting average. 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. He spent his final two careers in the major leagues playing first base. 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. Mantle is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bats. [10] As a teenager, Mantle rooted for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Powerful Symbol Of a Yankee Dynasty. This story originally appeared in the Aug. 21, 1995 issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. Nevertheless, Mantle accepted the position because he felt the rule was "stupid." In getting out of DiMaggio's way, Mantle tripped over an exposed drain pipe and severely injured his right knee. Mantle spoke with remorse about his drinking in a 1994 Sports Illustrated cover story. After fouling off a few pitches, he hit a towering home run over the 402-foot sign by the bullpen. "Maybe because I was only 19 years old when I started playing for him, and a couple of years later my own dad was gone. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. By then, he reported, he was living in a steady haze induced by all-day and all-night drinking. Signed mid-to-late 1950s Topps cards (excluding All-Star cards) sell for $1,000 to $2,000.