Mickey Mantle

Guide Note:

Mickey Mantle was a sixteen-time All-Star outfielder for the New York Yankees during the 1950s and 1960s. Best known for his prowess in centerfield, Mantle played on seven World Championship Yankee teams, won the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times, won the Triple Crown in 1956, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Mantle died in 1995, at the age of 63.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: October 20, 1931
2. Birth Place: Spanvinaw, Oklahoma
3. Died: August 13, 1995 from liver cancer
4. Three Time American League MVP
5. 1956: Achieves the Triple Crown
6. Nick Name: The Mick
7. 16-Time All-Star
8. Career batting average: .298
9. Career home runs: 536 (13th on all-time list)
10. Career hits: 2,415

Career

A native of Oklahoma, Mantle joined the Yankees in 1951 and immediately became the Bronx Bombers regular rightfielder. The next year, upon the retirement of Joe DiMaggio, Mantle became the centerfielder, a position he played until 1967. Mantle quickly became the most feared hitter in the Yankee lineup, and established himself as the hitter of the longest home runs in the history of baseball. Mantle accomplished the very rare feat of winning the Triple Crown in 1956 by leading the American League in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. Five years later, in 1961, Mantle and teammate Roger Maris chased Babe Ruth's long-standing record of 60 home runs in a single season, but because of a late-season injury, Maris ended up with the record. During his career, Mantle clubbed 536 total home runs, 13th on the all-time list, as of the beginning of the 2008 season. Mantle battled alcoholism throughout his life, and died of liver cancer in Dallas, Texas, in 1995.