Mickey Mantle Biography

Boom! It’s going, it’s going, it’s gone! Home run for Mickey Mantle! This seemed to happen once a game in Mickey’s career. Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest players baseball has ever seen. Breaking and setting records year in and year out. In a time where players such as Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Roberto Clemente dominated baseball, Mickey stood second to none. Mickey Mantle, who had a decent childhood, and even better career, unfortunately experienced hardship after retirement. Mickey Mantle had a decent childhood. He learned at a young age how to work hard for everything he wanted. Mickey Charles Mantle was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. Mickey came from a hard working family background. His father, Elvin, worked
The following season of Mickey’s impressive rookie year, Mickey replaced Yankee great Joe DiMaggio in center field (“Mickey Mantle Great p. 1604”). Mantle soon felt the pressure from the fans, players, and media by being labeled as “the fastest player and the hardest hitter in baseball” (“Mickey Mantle ESPN”). From 1953 to 1955 Mickey averaged 28 home runs and 98 RBI’s. He batted over .300 in two out of three years. The year 1956 was a big year for Mantle. He won the first of two consecutive MVP awards while leading the Yankees to their sixth pennant in seven seasons with the team. Mantle also won the American League’s Triple Crown (“Mickey Mantle”). The Triple Crown is awarded to the player who leads the league in home runs, RBI’s, and batting average. Mickey was never 100% due to his leg injury, but he still managed to leave one of the greatest legacies in all of baseball (“Mickey Charles Mantle”). In eighteen seasons with the New York Yankees, Mickey won seven world series
Mickey Mantle retired from the game of baseball on March 1, 1969. Mickey soon felt the emptiness of life without baseball causing him to start drinking. Mickey was never afraid to drink a little bit in his early life, but he started drinking heavily when he retired. This was a problem for him and his family. While in retirement, Mickey took a job with Claridge Resort and Casino in Atlantic City. The president of the league, Bowie Kuhn, suspended Mickey from baseball because of his association with the casino (“Mickey Mantle”). Mickey and his family made their permanent home in Dallas, Texas. In 1974, Mickey was inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The New York Yankees retired his jersey #7 on June 8, 1969 (“Mickey Mantle ESPN”). Mickey continued to struggle with alcoholism during this time. Mickey's family soon checked him into the Betty Ford clinic on January 7, 1994. Soon after checking in, Mickey passed away from cancer on August 13, 1995 at the Baylor University Medical Center (“Mickey Mantle Great p.