Facts, Trivia, Memories and More about Mickey Mantle

Notes

• Mickey was originally assigned #6 since he was seen as the next in line for Yankee greatness after Babe Ruth (#3), Lou Gehrig (#4) and Joe DiMaggio (#5).  After a slow start however, he was sent down.  By the time he returned, Bobby Brown had returned from military service and with that, was given back the #6 he had worn for the previous four years.  Mickey was given #7, previously worn that season by Cliff Mapes (traded to the Browns) and Bob Cerv (demoted), and he has owned it ever since.
• "Earlier in the '51 campaign, with [Cliff] Mapes the proud owner of number 7, Mantle was assigned number 6." - Yankees Scorebook & Souvenir Program (1990, "Retired Numbers: A Tribute to Yankee Greats", Bill Schulman.)

Trivia

Mickey hit six inside the park home runs in his career:
Date	Pitcher	Team	Career HR	Season HR	Where
8/7/1953	Connie Johnson	Chicago White Sox	52	16	Yankee Stadium
5/9/1958	Pedro Ramos	Washington Senators	209	2	Yankee Stadium
5/20/1958	Dick Donovan	Chicago White Sox	211	4	Comiskey Park
6/5/1958	Early Wynn	Chicago White Sox	215	8	Yankee Stadium
5/12/1959	Cal McLish	Cleveland Indians	254	5	Yankee Stadium
6/30/1961	Dick Donovan	Washington Senators	345	25	Yankee Stadium

Mickey hit ten Grand Slams in his career:
Date	Pitcher	Team	Career HR	Season HR	Where
7/26/1952	Ted Gray	Detroit Tigers	28	15	Tiger Stadium
7/29/1952	Chuck Stobbs	Chicago White Sox	29	16	Comiskey Park
7/6/1953	Frank Fanovich	Philadelphia A's	49	13	Connie Mack Stadium
10/4/1953 (WS)	Russ Meyer	Brooklyn Dodgers	Game 5		Ebbets Field
5/18/1955	Mike Fornieles	Chicago White Sox	95	11	Yankee Stadium
7/30/1956	Bob Lemon	Cleveland Indians	154	33	Cleveland Stadium
5/2/1961	Camilio Pascual	Minnesota Twins	328	8	Metropolitan Stadium
8/19/1962	Jerry Walker	Kansas City Athletics	298	24	Municipal Stadium
6/18/1965	Mel Nelson	Minnesota Twins	464	10	Yankee Stadium
7/26/1966	Marcelino Lopez	California Angels	492	19	Yankee Stadium

Yankees with two or more home runs in a post-season game
Player	Year	Series	Gm#	Opp	Rslt	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	HBP	GDP	SB	CS	BOP	Pos.
Gary Sanchez	2018	ALDS	2	BOS	W 6-2	5	2	2	0	0	2	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	5	C
Didi Gregorius	2017	ALDS	5	CLE	W 5-2	4	2	3	0	0	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	SS
Raul Ibanez	2012	ALDS	3	BAL	W 3-2 (12)	2	2	2	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	PH-DH
Hideki Matsui	2004	ALCS	3	BOS	W 19-8	6	5	5	2	0	2	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	LF
Jason Giambi	2003	ALCS	7	BOS	W 6-5	5	2	2	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	7	DH
Chad Curtis	1999	WS	3	ATL	W 6-5	4	2	2	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	LF
Scott Brosius	1998	WS	3	SDP	W 5-4	4	2	3	0	0	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	3B
Darryl Strawberry	1996	ALCS	4	BAL	W 8-4	4	3	3	0	0	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	6	LF
Bernie Williams	1996	ALDS	4	TEX	W 6-4	5	3	3	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	3	CF
Bernie Williams	1995	ALDS	3	SEA	L 4-7	3	2	3	0	0	2	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	CF
Reggie Jackson	1977	WS	6	LAD	W 8-4	3	4	3	0	0	3	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	RF
Graig Nettles	1976	ALCS	4	KCR	L 4-7	4	2	2	0	0	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	6	3B
Mickey Mantle	1960	WS	2	PIT	W 16-3	4	3	2	0	0	2	5	2	2	0	0	0	0	4	CF
Mickey Mantle	1958	WS	2	MLN	L 5-13	3	2	2	0	0	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	CF
Tony Kubek	1957	WS	3	MLN	W 12-3	5	3	3	0	0	2	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	LF
Yogi Berra	1956	WS	7	BRO	W 9-0	3	3	2	0	0	2	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	4	C
Joe Collins	1955	WS	1	BRO	W 6-5	3	3	2	0	0	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	5	1B
Charlie Keller	1939	WS	3	CIN	W 7-3	3	3	2	0	0	2	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	3	RF
Tony Lazzeri	1932	WS	4	CHC	W 13-6	5	2	3	0	0	2	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	5	2B
Babe Ruth	1932	WS	3	CHC	W 7-5	4	2	2	0	0	2	4	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	LF
Lou Gehrig	1932	WS	3	CHC	W 7-5	5	2	2	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	1B
Babe Ruth	1928	WS	4	STL	W 7-3	5	3	3	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	LF
Lou Gehrig	1928	WS	3	STL	W 7-3	2	2	2	0	0	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	4	1B
Babe Ruth	1926	WS	4	STL	W 10-5	3	4	3	0	0	3	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	LF
Babe Ruth	1923	WS	2	NYG	W 4-2	3	2	2	0	0	2	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	RF

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Memories

Harry G. from Tulsa, OK wrote: "Most famous athlete from Commerce, Oklahoma. But, the second most successful athlete from that tiny, coal mining town was Harry Gordon,Sr. In 1939 he ran track at Oklahoma A&M (OSU). Against the OU Sooners he ran the 1/2 mile, mile & 2 mile races. He won two firsts and a second - he coasted into 2nd place in the first race behind a teammate to save his energy for the later two races. He was also a member of the 4-Mile Relay that set a record at the infamous Drake Relays. That record held for a decade. Yep, Commerce produced some stars!

Brooks W. from Endicott wrote: "I was very fortunate. Saw Mickey homer twice in one game on Old Timer's Day in August of '68 in a losing effort against the Twins. My oldest brother, who was with me, also saw him hit his last grand slam against the Angels two years earlier in another Yankee loss, which unfortunately were too frequent in those later years.

Then, I got incredibly fortunate in 1974. One month before he was inducted into the HOF, he came to my hometown to appear at our local Pro-Am. My uncle was instrumental in getting DiMaggio and Mickey to attend. My uncle tended to Joe D and had my brothers and a dear family friend and me were Mantle's chaperones for two days. He was great with us, and so much fun. He wanted to hang with regular folks, go to your home and stay with real people, not the people that were tugging on his arm, trying to take him around to be seen with him. Nearly 48 years later, it was one of the more memorable two days of my life."

Gordon from Greer, SC wrote: "The Yankees used to stop for a game in Meadowbrook Park in Greenville, SC after Spring Training on their way up North. When I was a kid my Uncle Jeff took me on the train from Greer to Greenville one year to see the Yankees and the Yankees were on that train. I loved Mickey and got to see him up close when he got off the train. I didn't get to meet him personally but I never forgot seeing him that day up close."

Randall from Tempe wrote: "I was four or so years old, say 1954. I walked into the living room, and my dad was watching TV. "What's that?" I asked. "Baseball." "Who's that?" "Mickey Mantle." "Mickey Mouse?!" "No, that's Mickey Mantle." I became a Yankee fan that day, because I thought that guy had something to do with Mickey Mouse. When I was ten or eleven, and playing Little League, I read The Mickey Mantle Story as told to Dick Schaap. Seemed like half the book was about Mick's knee operations. Mickey must have had the worst knees in the history of the game, but played on them for years. What a guy."

Joe G. from North Bergen, NJ wrote: "Loved him as a kid.  My friends and I always wanted to "be" mantle when playing any ball game on my block in the Bronx on 169th St. and Shakespeare Ave. with my friends, Mike, Jerry, Fritz, Anthony, James, David and Steve. I was born in 1956, the year Mick won the Triple Crown & MVP. I went the to see the Yanks play and I cried when he left the game. What a class act as a player, BEST BASEBALL PLAYER EVER IN MY EYES!"

Martin F. from Port Hueneme, CA wrote: "My First Intro to the Mick: April, 1956, I'm in the LC field Bleachers at an empty Yankee Stadium on a rainy weekday with my 8 year old friend Ray (I'm 7.) Mick gets up right handed. Ray says, "there he is." "Who," I ask. "Mickey Mantle...he hits homeruns." I say, "Oh, ok." First pitch: Mick hits a towering flyball over the auxilliary scorebord and into the bleachers next to the Yankee bullpen in RF. I remember watching him run the bases with his head down in the empty stadium and I'm thinking "Yep...he did what he was supposed to do." Then I found myself on my feet, yelling and clapping wildly, and like all of you, I never did stop. "He hits homeruns"...and runs faster than EVERYBODY. Long live the Mick."

Robert H. from Portland, OR wrote: "I only know when Mickey hit a home run and Yankees won, it was a good day, but when they lost I was miserable. And, of course, the saddest day in my life was in 1960 when the baseball gods deserted my Yankees when the baseball hit a pebble and caused the ball to hit Kubek in the throat and, for the longest time the Pirate, who shall remain nameless, was my most hated person in sports."