The fresh-faced Oklahoman came to big-league baseball as a teenager, playing for the sport’s greatest team and chosen to be the heir to its greatest player, Joe DiMaggio. As his career unfolded, Mantle not only delivered on the field—he transcended the game like few before him or after. Mantle was a 20-time All-Star, a seven-time champion, and a three-time American League MVP. He finished his Hall of Fame career with a .298 average, 2,415 hits, and 536 home runs. But as great a player as he was, Mantle’s allure ran deeper. His presence was larger than life, like a person invented by a classic American writer. And, like many characters of modern fiction, he was a hero whose flaws drew him close to the heart of those who admired him. This is the story of Mickey Mantle, told through the details of seven seasons that represent all he brought to baseball, sports, and the mythology of America.
THE PLAYER OF HIS GENERATION • FOR SPORTS FANS IN THE 1950s AND ’60S Mickey Mantle WAS THE SYMBOL OF GREATNESS
MAKING GOOD FOR Dad • MANTLE’S FATHER PLANNED HIS FUTURE IN BASEBALL BEFORE HE WAS EVEN BORN
ELVIN “MUTT” MANTLE loved baseball. • IT WAS A LOVE THAT HAD BEEN PASSED DOWN TO HIM FROM HIS FATHER, CHARLES—AND ONE THAT HE SHARED WITH HIS OWN CHILDREN. EVENTUALLY, HIS PASSION BECAME A FAMILY OBSESSION.
WEIGHT OF THE World Mantle in 1951
MICKEY MANTLE • GOT HIS FIRST TASTE OF THE MAJORS IN SEPTEMBER 1950, WHEN THE YANKEES CALLED HIM UP at 18 years old.
EVERYTHING LEFT TO Prove Mantle in 1955
IN THE FIRST FOUR SEASONS • OF HIS MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER, MICKEY MANTLE HAD FLIRTED WITH the edge of greatness.
HIS FAVORITE Summer Mantle in 1956
CASEY STENGEL, the revered manager • OF THE NEW YORK YANKEES, ASSESSED THE SKILLS AND POTENTIAL OF A YOUNG MICKEY MANTLE AND ALLOWED HIMSELF TO IMAGINE GREATNESS.
Two-Time MVP Mantle in 1957
AFTER HIS TRIPLE CROWN SEASON OF 1956, Mickey Mantle • WAS THE KING OF NEW YORK. HE WAS UNQUESTIONABLY THE BIGGEST STAR AND, ARGUABLY, THE BEST PLAYER ON THE TOP TEAM IN BASEBALL’S CAPITAL CITY.
The M&M Boys Mantle in 1961
FOLLOWING THE 1959 SEASON, OUTFIELDER Roger Maris • WAS TRADED FROM THE KANSAS CITY ATHLETICS—HE’D PLAYED IN 122 GAMES AND HIT JUST 16 HOME RUNS THAT YEAR—TO THE NEW YORK YANKEES. AND HE MADE AN INSTANT IMPACT.
THE LAST Best YEAR Mantle in 1962
IT WAS CLEAR WHEN MICKEY MANTLE TURNED 30 YEARS OLD • IN 1961 THAT YEARS OF INJURIES AND NEGLECT HAD TAKEN A TOLL ON HIS BODY. EVERY SEASON IT SEEMED HE NEEDED MORE AND MORE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (AND LUCK) TO REACH THE END OF THE YANKEES’ ANNUAL PENNANT DRIVES. Mantle was slowing down.
THE END OF AN Era Mantle in 1968
TO MOST OF HIS TEAMMATES • AND CRITICAL OBSERVERS, THE LAST TIME MICKEY MANTLE PLAYED LIKE HIMSELF WAS PROBABLY 1964. HE BATTED A ROBUST .303 WITH 35 HOME RUNS AND 111 RBIs THAT SEASON IN WHAT WAS, IN MANY WAYS, his last hurrah.
His LEGACY • FOR MANY, MANTLE WAS A SYMBOL OF A SPECIAL ERA FOR BASEBALL—AND FOR AMERICA
WHEN BILLY CRYSTAL • THE ACTOR AND COMEDIAN, WAS GROWING UP ON LONG ISLAND HE OFTEN MADE THE TORTUOUS, 90-MINUTE TRAIN AND SUBWAY TREK TO THE BRONX TO SEE HIS BELOVED New York Yankees.
Mickey Mantle
PHOTO CREDITS
Mickey Mantle • AS GREAT A PLAYER AS HE WAS, HIS ALLURE RAN DEEPER. THE MICK WAS LARGER THAN LIFE, AND HIS FLAWS ENDEARED HIM TO FANS. THIS IS HIS STORY, TOLD IN SEVEN SEASONS THAT DEFINE ALL HE BROUGHT TO BASEBALL—AND TO THE MYTHOLOGY OF AMERICA.
