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Because of these comparatively low numbers , he took a salary cut of 10,000 dollars, down to 60,000 dollars. In 1960 Mantle started in both All-Star games, getting two walks in the first and a single in the second game. Mantle had another "off year", - indeed, the first week of June saw his batting average drop to .228—although by mid-August, he was back in his prime, leading the team to another World Series.
Fanovich, with the bases loaded behind him, fired a thigh-high fastball right down the middle. Mickey clobbered it, sending it high over the roof of the second deck in left-center-field. The ball cleared the roof by a good 25 feet, went over Somerset Street outside, and was never seen again. It was one of the longest home runs in Philadelphia history. By 1965, the Yankees were not the dynasty Yankees of old, finishing in sixth place. Mantle, meanwhile, was slowed by injuries that year, batting .255 with 19 home runs and 46 RBIs.
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The HBO film was directed by famous actor and comedian, Billy Crystal, who had grown up a Yankee fan in New York. Crystal was 13 years-old at the time of the Mantle-Maris race, but he remembered it fondly and as an adult had become a collector of Yankee history and memorabilia. Roger Maris & Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees playing a little “hand-over-hand” game with baseball bat to see who comes out on top. The Yankees won the World Series that year, besting the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1, but neither Mantle or Maris played major roles.
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. In 1966, his batting average increased to .288 with 23 home runs and 56 RBI in 333 at-bats, in large part because of very strong June and July, when he returned to his 1964 form until he was sidelined with another injury. After the 1966 season, Mantle was moved to first base, with Joe Pepitone taking his place in the outfield.
Joe DiMaggio makes his big league debut, recording three hits in the Yankees’ win
In 1966, Mantle’s average rose to .288 with 23 home runs and 56 RBI. For the 1967 season, he was moved to first base for less wear and tear on his legs, and on May 14th that year he became the sixth member of the 500 home run club. When he retired, Mantle was third on the all-time home run list with 536, and he was the Yankees all-time leader in games played with 2,401, until eclipsed by Derek Jeter in 2011.
During the stretch, he battled flu-like symptoms, prompting broadcaster Mel Allen to make an appointment for him with Dr. Max Jacobson on the team’s off day on Sept. 25. They appeared in a pair of movies (“Safe at Home” and “That Touch of Mink”). They were a daily presence, alongside Ruth, in countless newspapers across the country, listing their respective home run totals on that date. Bothered by injuries for most of his career, Mantle retired after 18 seasons with the Yankees at the age of 36.
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Using geometric calculations, it would have ended up across Trumbull Avenue, approximately 650 feet from the plate. In 2006, Mantle was featured on a United States postage stamp, one of a series of four including fellow baseball legends Mel Ott, Roy Campanella, and Hank Greenberg. During the final years of his life, Mantle purchased a condominium on Lake Oconee near Greensboro, Georgia, near Greer Johnson's home, and frequently stayed there for months at a time. He occasionally attended the local Methodist church, and sometimes ate Sunday dinner with members of the congregation.
Mantle — the once-prized prospect who began his career wearing No. 6, following the footsteps of Ruth , Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio — was the natural heir to the throne. Former Brooklyn Dodgers fullback Stan Kostka is buried there, too. So is Ronald Norwood Davies, the judge who ordered the desegregation of schools in Little Rock, Ark.
On the plane ride back from Boston, Mantle, still feeling under the weather, spoke with Yankee announcer Mel Allen who said he knew a doctor who could fix him up — an infamous physician, it turns out, named Max Jacobson. Dr. Jacobson, popular for a time with celebrities and even President John F. Kennedy, was known by the nickname, “Dr. Feelgood” for his rejuvenating injections of amphetamines .
The 1959 season was another frustrating situation; this time the first half of his season was good and his second-half comparatively bad. The season was bad for the Yankees, too, as they finished third. 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. ‘59 was the first of four consecutive seasons that two All-Star games were played and Mantle played in seven of these games. Mantle was the starting center fielder in the second All-Star Game's lineup, getting a single and a walk in four at bats.
Mantle was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 17, 1951, with the New York Yankees. 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. Mantle's cards, especially his 1952 Topps rookie card, are extremely popular and valuable among card collectors. One of the 1952 cards (Topps; #311; SGC MT 9.5) sold for $12.6 million in August 2022. Topps unretired the #7 in 2006 to use exclusively for cards of Mantle in the current year's design. 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.
Feelgood,” a shady physician who treated several celebrities, whose mysterious miracle shots were favored by President John F. Kennedy. Mantle took one at-bat the day after his injection, then suffered an infection and was admitted into Lenox Hill Hospital with a hip abscess, ending his regular season. Mantle and Maris still hold the single-season record by teammates with 115 combined home runs. After nearly seven weeks riding shotgun, Mantle took the lead with his 36th homer on July 19. Maris evened the score in the first game of a July 25 doubleheader, Mantle went ahead in the next at-bat, then Maris finished the two-game set with another three bombs. One week later, each player — who each lost home runs in a July 17 rainout — hit his 45th home run.
With the Yankees behind 1-0 Mickey laid into a Ramos fastball and got it all. The ball took off in a high drive toward right-field that looked like it might have a chance to become the first ball to go completely out of Yankee Stadium. It soared above the stadium roof but a stiff breeze cut at it and brought it down against the right-field façade, about 18 inches from clearing the roof.
Mickey Mantle was selected to the America League All-Star team in 16 of his 18 years with the Yankees. He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, his first year of eligibility. Mantle would die of liver cancer in August 1995 at age 63. Mantle becomes sixth player to reach 500 home runs On May 14, 1967, Mickey Mantle became the sixth player in big league history to total at least 500 home runs.
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