I was in college when Mickey retired. I cried that day. On Aug 13, 1995, I was taking my son and my nephews to the Jersey shore for my son's 14th birthday. I heard about his death on the radio. I told the boys I had to stop for a minute. I pulled over and I cried again.
He was like a Greek God to a kid. Muscles, speed, could hit a ball into space it seemed. Kids wanted to walk like him, talk like him, and be him. Our youth died right in front of us when he died!
I saw Mickey play when I was a kid. He is in my mind the greatest player of my lifetime and my favorite player ever. God Bless you Mickey I hope and pray you are at peace
Sat in the bleachers at the Stadium in the '60's and bet my buddy a hot dog that Mantle would hit a pinch hit homer. We were so far from the plate you needed binoculars to distinguish the white guys from the black guys. Mantle comes up to PH, hits one into the bleachers section next to us, over 450 feet. And a packet of mustard, please.
Bill Moyer Mantle was the better offensive player by a wide margin both in terms of career value and peak value. Mantle’s defense was pedestrian while Mays was 18 wins above replacement for his career, or less than a win a year. Mays’ durability gave him an edge over Mantle for his career overall, but Mantle was the more effective player. www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_career.shtml
Fenway Park.. The only place left where Mickey Mantle, Joe Dimagio, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, AL Kaline, Carl Yastrzemski, Ty Cobb, Roger Maris all played!
He said if he would have known he was going to live this long he would have taken better care of himself. His grandfather and father died very young and he thought it was genetics but it was from working in the mines. He was the fastest runner and had the greatest bat speed of his generation and never lifted a weight or trained at all.
What a shame he partied so much. He could have set a lot of records if he wasn't chasing women and drinking into the late hours of the night. None-the-less, I loved the guy.
I was born and raised in New York City (Brooklyn) and I loved 'The Mick' at the age of 6 years. He was an icon to me then and is still an icon to me now.
He was a tremendous talent. His knee, womanizing and drinking kept him from being placed higher on the greatest of all time. Just imagine what he could have attained. RIP MICK#7
Perhaps the greatest natural player ever. No one ever combined blinding speed and tape measure power the way The Mick did. Injuries and a hard life style were not kind to him. Rest in peace Mickey. You were definitely one of the elite. Thanks for the memories.
@@pacificnorthwester - I am a die hard Giants fan and have been since 1958. Yes, Willie Mays deserves to be called The GOAT. But if Mantle had been healthy his whole career we might not be having this conversation.
Mantle was coaxed to come to spring training in `69. Ralph Houk told him he could play twice a week & pinch hit . Mantle took a run around the field & knew it was over...legs were real bad.
@M, and Soccer still is a cure for insomnia. The almost always keep-away, little attack sleeping pill. However, it serves its purpose as the ultimate message to the masses in third world countries: No matter how hard you work, you are not getting anywhere- THE LATE FRANK DeFORD.. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED..
I started following baseball in 1968, Mickey's last year at the age of 7. All I can kind of remember as I watched Yankee games on my 12 inch black and white tv was Mickey limping whether he played center field or 1st base. I can imagine how awesome he was in earlier years and at least I have films to see how he once dominated.
In his prime , he was the best I ever saw...my Dad took my brother and me to see him play against the Senators..only thing I remember from the game was watching the Mick take batting practice.. well worth the 800 mile round trip and the night in a crummy hotel.
Hell, when I was a kid in the early 60's my Uncle took me to a lot of home games at Memorial stadium in Baltimore. Mickey Mantle used to get a standing ovation there.
I was in 3rd grade about 70 miles away on Cape Cod when Mickey played his last game, I am reading Jane leavys book about Mantle now. A complex guy. RIP Mick
I was at that game, sitting just past third where the seats are looking towards first. I remember the following winter reading that he had retired and seeing the kid I was with at the game in phys. ed. and telling him Mantle just retired - so we saw his last "game".......but he never took the field and hurt his leg in the top of the 1st.
His father died young from silicosis, chronic inflammation of the lungs from the silica in the lead and zinc mines, as did my grandfather. Mickey did not really understand the reasons for so many early deaths and assumed it was heredity or fate and that he was meant to die young. That is one way of looking at it. The other way is that he just liked to drink and smoke and chase women because he was easily bored and said that about taking care of himself as an excuse for his lack of self discipline.
@@oklahomahank2378 He was my favorite player growing up even though I am from the Pittsburgh area. I didn't know any of the bad stuff going on in Mantle's life. Back in the 1950s and 1960s knee surgery and therapy was nowhere near what it is today. Too bad that Mantle had such major leg issues in his career because when he was a rookie he was one of the fastest players in the league.
George Sealy Yes, my family is from the area and I knew him. I live nearby. My uncle played with him on the Baxter Whiz Kids. We are capable of separating the player from the man.
George Sealy I made this video of some of the sites associated with Mickey Mantle. I am not a professional film maker. th-cam.com/video/KHpfbg9y0S8/w-d-xo.html
Mantle had his last season in the ultimate year of the pitcher. His 0.237, 18 HR, and 54 RBI translate much better than they appear. He still got walks, and his OPS was surprisingly high in the AL, where only Yaz hit over 0.300 (0.301)
@@kevinmiller1985 Very ironic, probably the 2 greatest center fielder's ever, would be involved in that play. Mantle playing right field and Say Hey hit a fly in the gap in right. DiMaggio playing center, called off the Mick. As he pulled up, caught his spikes in drainage pipe and that was it. Mays hitting that fly that ruined Mantle..
Mickey was always so graceful with every move. He had the best year of any player ever winning the triple crown in 1956 with 52 home runs, 130 RBI's, & 352 batting average. But he also led the league in 4 other catagories. Slugging percentage, runs scored, most total bases, and I forget the other one. He won the Hitchcock Athlete of the Year award. He also still holds the record for running down the 1st base line, 3.1 seconds. He was so fast! Too bad he didn't take better care of himself.
Geez, his swing there looked as powerful as that of a utility infielder. But no one knew then it would be his last at bat. He showed up to spring training the following year. And before the season started, he announced his retirement, stating humbly, "I can't hit anymore."
@e james lol, settle down. Obviously, the Mick was no utility hitter. But clearly, he looked like a shell of his old self here. I'll go one further than you. If they had salaries like they did today, some time probably would have signed him for another 2 years at $5 mill per to be their DH. But as it was, it didn't make sense for him to try to hang on for another season.
e james I agree with you. Mantle was still the best player on the Yankees....by far. That’s not saying too much because they were bad, but Mick certainly wasn’t as terrible the last 2 seasons as people think. He just wasn’t anywhere near the caliber of his prime years. But he was definitely still a feared hitter. Besides, in today’s game no one even cares about batting avg or strikeouts.
Missing that first pitch over the heart of the plate, he looked like DeNiro swinging the bat in Bang the Drum Slowly. He was obviously a shell of the player he used to be. Wish he had retired at the end of '67. He'd still have 518 HRs, and a lifetime .300 average to go with it.
True Story. My 18-yr-old Red Sox fan brother takes me to Fenway Park to see Mickey Mantle and the Yankees on September 10, 1967. I idolized Mantle as kid, so this was a big deal to me; I finally get to see him play ~ YES! Mickey was not in the lineup that day...grrr. Red Sox are killing the Yanks, 9-1, so my brother decides to beat the traffic by leaving after Boston batted in the 8th inning. I am not yet 12-yrs-old, and have no choice but to go along with it. We get to the parking lot and the car is boxed in. Can't move until the game's over. I'm not happy. My brother tries to make amends by putting the game on the car radio for the Yankee 9th inning, where they announce Mickey Mantle will be PH for so-and-so. Now, I'm very unhappy. We're sitting there in the car, within sight of the ballpark, listening to Mickey Mantle bat. I never did get to see Mantle play in person.
Man that is one the saddest stories I've ever read concerning baseball from a fans point of view. And I've been a Yankees fan since 1976. Thanks for sharing.
You could tell that he was shot. He played first base his final two years and hit only .245 and .237. He was still named to the All Star team both years, purely on account of his celebrity.
His OPS+ was 150 and 143 during those last two years, so he was still an outstanding offensive player. You will say what is OPS+?-it’s stupid and meaningless, the best offensive players have the highest batting averages, analytics are useless blah blah blah. Nobody cares about batting average anymore except people who don’t understand what puts runs on the board.
@@IAm-qf2xb, consistently putting runs on the board is connected to batting average..Putting runs on the board where you do it in spurts 2 out of every seven games, may look like it produces the same WAR, or OPS+, whatever, but in reality, it does not produce the same amount of wins..CONSISTENCY= BATTING AVERAGE AND SLUGGING PCT. does that. The emphasis on modern stats, has turned baseball into a boredom-fest, three ourcomes-only game= strikeout, homer, or flyout/pop up/ pulled slider to shortstop.. Zzzzzzzz.. The double outside of ten guys, is on life support.. The triple outside of four guys is.. R.I.P. The two-run single is a ghost. The suicide squeeze or safety squeeze bunt, is mesazoic. And, the fan is very sleepy. So, tell me, how did STANTON do with that sizzling batting average of his..in the postseason or Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker? Give me a Hunter Pence anyday of the week. I'll win.
Mantle will always be the what could have been. Bad luck with injuries, too much fooling around. He was one of the best but could have been THE best. I loved watching him play.
Mantle was something I was born in great neck Long Island my dad loved the Yankees and mantle we moved to Oklahoma that’s where my dad was from I still have my most prized possession signed ball and Mickey mantle day bat
We might have been at the same game. I was at a double header in '61 in which Maris and Mantle hit homers in the first game, and Maris hit one in the second game. But, the second game was rained out before the fifth inning, discounting his homer. If they had played 5 1/2 innings or more, Maris' homer counts and he tie's Ruth's record in 154 games. . . I was also at the game in June '63 when Mantle broke his foot and tore up his knee chasing a Brooks Robinson homerun. He leaped at the fence, the ball passed over his outstretched glove by inches, as he came down he got tangled in the chain link fence. Eight weeks later, Yanks were back in Baltimore, Mantle pinch hit a game tying homerun. The entire stadium of Oriole fans gave him a standing ovation. That game and circumstances surrounding it have been chronicled in numerous books and by the Mick himself. One of my greatest thrills growing up. .
Check out his last at bat in tiger stadium Denny asked him where he wanted it and boom a home run,next guy up shows Denny where he wants it and Denny beans him into the dirt
Sports hasn't been the same since free agency. I remember a time when we never heard what the players were making, the only statistics we heard about was what was done on the field during games.Players made a decent living and tickets were very reasonable for fans. The players did play for the love of the game. Today's athletes are a bunch of spoiled brats.
Well, the owners DID exploit the players, much like the studio system exploited actors. Can you really blame the athletes for wanting a cut of all the riches? Very few make it to the top, and they're one injury away from ruin. I remember talking to the wife of a retired NFL lineman. She told me everyone of his fingers had been broken at least once. Never mind what happened to his head. It may seem all fun and glamorous, but it's ultimately a business, and they wanted their fair share.
This was the second to last game of the 1968 season. This at bat was in the top of the first, he was replaced in the field in the bottom half of the inning, never to play again. The next day, the season finale, Mantle had left Boston. He showed up for spring training next season, but announced his retirement.
That’s awesome. What a great memory, even if it wasn’t his finest moment. Bill James analytics showed Mantle was THE BEST. All player for 6-7 years. I thought Mays was better but Mantle was, until he slowed down. It’s ok, he STILL was one of the best ballplayers EVER. PS. Those people should have stood also. Respect.
He finished before I was old enough to watch him but I grew up reading about him. When my son started playing I'd always tell him... when you pick a number try to get 7(Mantle), 5(Bench), or 9(Williams). He usually didn't disappoint me lol.
I like how one pitch went into the dirt and the catcher just went and got it and threw it back to the pitcher. Nowadays, they just stick their hand up and the umpire sticks a new ball in it.
I saw Mickey hit two HR's at Tigers stadium, one lefty and one righty, I hated the Yankees, but I loved Mickey, he was the reason I was even there, because I was an Indians fan ! LOL !
he dealt with that for 18 years due to both legs being virtually crippled. tim mccarver a catcher said that he groaned every time he swung....a true amrican hero...todays wimps would have never played a game with his leg problems
@@frederickrapp5396 No one thought he would fall that hard after 1964 so it was hindsight. Plus argument can be made that he should have left after 1967, there he could still have 500 homers and .300 BA. Even he himself admits he had regretted playing in 1968.
The Mick was the best player in baseball history...he did it all on one leg...when Casey first saw him he said, hits like Babe Ruth,runs like Ty Cobb...according to legend
Have some fun with the end of the video................who came up (batting cleanup) after Mick popped out? The number 3 batter in the Yankee lineup DID homer off of Lonborg in that game, it just wasn't Mantle. Andy Kosco replaced Mantle, and tied the game in the 8th inning with a solo shot off of Lonborg. Pepitone HR in the 9th (also off of Lonborg) gave the Yanks the 4-3 win
Growing up in the tri state area every kid in my neighborhood who played little league baseball wanted to wear number 7 . Even the young black kids wanted number 7 because they liked the mick and willie mays was playing out on the west coast then so we were all Yankees fans
Leg injuries cut into a lot of potential production plus, as he told everyone in his last month, he threw away a lot by not taking care of himself. Aaron, Mays, just squeezed more out of what they had than Mantle. My opinion anyway.
I saw that last at bat. It was painful to watch him limp away, and his avg fell under .300. The Yanks got terrible, which seems to be happening again. Supposedly the pitcher grooved one for the Mick.
@@MsSmitty9 Thought so, one of my all times favorites, even when he was with Philly. He should have never gone skiing that winter of 67. Yes, I used to sit in the center/right field bleaches about 30 to 40 games a year between 74 and 84.
Brian Deline I sat in the bleachers as well in late 60s with Medford Mass little League in wool uniforms in July sweating my ass off. You had to wear your uniform or you didn’t go. A great Fenway Park memory. I was like 10 years old. Got there by Hudson School bus. I loved it.
I'm guessing that mick was highly intoxicated during this at bat or seriously hung over from the previous night but he earned the right to slam the scotch for his swan song . The man had heart and soul and played at a high level through many injuries during his career
Mick tried to play again in 69, but his bad legs were just too much to handle and as spring training was to start he announced his retirement from the game.
Ironic he popped up to the place he started out! Shortstop. Saw him play in his final year in 1968 & had the DH come out 4 years earlier he may have continued playing.
M Detlef Gee, let’s see, it’s a carcinogen, damages liver and heart and brain, linked to violence and impotence and automobile accidents and infidelity and divorce and sloth. Spirits, all right.
No way, he accomplished SO SO much, even considering the knees and the drinking. I'm sure there are others but Bo Jackson has a stronger argument for "if only" than the great Mantle.
IF ONLY?... Good Lord, what more could he have done? I understand that his knees and ankles were problematic dating all the way back to his days on the Oklahoma sandlot and his subsequent alcoholism in an effort to address chronic physical and emotional pain did not always make for lucid at bats, but what great athlete didnt have issues outside of, perhaps, Tom Brady? The "if only" game can be played with everyone....what if Babe Ruth had spent more time perfecting his game as opposed to residing in bars, what if Lawrence Taylor was not a cocaine addict during his playing days, etc.....
I should have been more specific in my lamentation. That drain he stepped in as a rookie during the '51 series, stopping short of catching the fly ball hit by Willie Mays, because Joe DiMaggio called him off. If Only .....
That 1968 Yankee team had I believe the lowest TEAM batting average (.214) of ANY team ever to finish with a winning record. The A's in their first year in Oakland lead the AL in team batting at .240 and only one hitter (Yaz) even hit .300 (he hit .301). The pitching mound was lowered after that season.
Walt Gekko I remember that year like it was yesterday, the Yanks finished 5th with an 83-79 record. That was the year of the pitcher. Denny McLain won 31 games, Bob Gibson had a 1.12 era Mantle I think hit .236 that year with 18 homeruns.
Actually, he played in 5 more games after his 3 homer game against the Pirates. His last game was May 30th. He played the first game of a double hitter against the Phillies and went 0-1 as a pinch hitter.
@@salmilanojr.1157 This myth came from the movie "The Babe Ruth Story", starring William Bendix, which had Ruth retiring after hitting that third HR. Hollywood couldn't then, and still can't help F-ing up a true story by adding an unhealthy amount of fiction.
Heartened to see the Red Sox fans respecting Mickey and, later, Derek Jeter. Disheartened to see all the cringeworthy Yankees suck calls from the cringeworthy drunken mobs in between.
Too bad he missed out on the DH which came into the AL a handful of years later. Probably could have extended his career a little, maybe he could have reached 600 hrs.
What was ironic about Mantle's HR off of McLain (#535)? It was coincidence that he faced the two Cy Young winners on consecutive days, not irony, and McLain served Mantle an easy pitch to hit out. I was just glad that he did hit #536 because the previous one put him above Jimmie Foxx on the all time list (#3 at the time) and it was a bit tainted. With all of Mantle's greatness, he wouldn't have deserved to have his place on the list tainted.
Frankly, Mantle should have retired after the 1964 season. That was his last decent year. He hung around for 4 more years because he wanted the $100k a year the Yankees were paying him, and also because he had nothing better to do. It was sad to watch Mantle the last 4 years of his career. Apart from 1 hot streak in early summer of 66, when he played like the Mantle of old for about 2 weeks, he was basically through after 1964. From 65-68, his lifetime average fell from .309 to .298, which Mickey called the greatest regret of his entire career.
He still averaged about 20 HR, and 44 to 63 runs scored, and 46 to 56 RBI. He hit .288 in 1966. He was selected to the All Star game in 3 of those 4 years. Much lower than his best years but still a decent player by MLB standards, and someone that the team apparently wanted to play.
That could be said of almost all MLB players. The most current that didn't hang around too long and went out on, or near the top are Adrian Beltre and Torii Hunter. Now THAT"S the way to retire!
Mickey had a family of 6 mouths to feed. He hung around in 1967-68 because he wanted and needed the $100K+ the Yankees were paying him. He also wanted to get 500 lifetime home runs, and he did in May 1967.
The HR off McLain in Detroit was not ironic; it was a gift. Denny threw nothing but fastballs so Mickey would have his best chance to break his tie with Jimmy Foxx. He did, and everyone, including the Tiger dugout, got up and applauded.
As kids in the '50s/'60s, we all wanted to wear #7 on our uniform and be "The Mick" ! Best tribute I can think of !!
We wanted to be switch hitters.
Mickey Mantle is still my favorite all time baseball player. I will go further and say that he is my all time favorite sports figure.
Peggy Fleming for me...but I get your point.
I was in college when Mickey retired. I cried that day. On Aug 13, 1995, I was taking my son and my nephews to the Jersey shore for my son's 14th birthday. I heard about his death on the radio. I told the boys I had to stop for a minute. I pulled over and I cried again.
So did I, Michael !!!! Very sad..........
He was like a Greek God to a kid. Muscles, speed, could hit a ball into space it seemed. Kids wanted to walk like him, talk like him, and be him.
Our youth died right in front of us when he died!
What was Mickey Mantle's favorite inning?
@@hisroyalhighness8566 Not sure. Possibly the 9th. He hit many 9th inning homers
@@michaelcollins8328 bottom of the fifth 🍾😂😂😂
I saw Mickey play when I was a kid. He is in my mind the greatest player of my lifetime and my favorite player ever.
God Bless you Mickey
I hope and pray you are at peace
Mays by a mile
Michael Wheeler i’ll drink to that!
not by a "mile"
Sat in the bleachers at the Stadium in the '60's and bet my buddy a hot dog that Mantle would hit a pinch hit homer. We were so far from the plate you needed binoculars to distinguish the white guys from the black guys. Mantle comes up to PH, hits one into the bleachers section next to us, over 450 feet. And a packet of mustard, please.
Bill Moyer Mantle was the better offensive player by a wide margin both in terms of career value and peak value. Mantle’s defense was pedestrian while Mays was 18 wins above replacement for his career, or less than a win a year.
Mays’ durability gave him an edge over Mantle for his career overall, but Mantle was the more effective player.
www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_career.shtml
Fenway Park..
The only place left where Mickey Mantle, Joe Dimagio, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, AL Kaline, Carl Yastrzemski, Ty Cobb, Roger Maris all played!
Jim McCormack don’t forget Dan Driessen and Ed Armbrister
@@tylerdurden-sv6cf The Big Red Machine!!! Broke my heart in 1975! Best World Series ever played!!
Jim McCormack way to go. The article where Ted and Ty meet at a motel room and talked baseball as the reporter listens in is great.
And Derek Jeter. The guy's got 3,465 hits and you want to exclude him?
And The Great Celerino Sanchez!
Growing up as a Yankee fan the Mick was my childhood hero. In one of his last interviews he said he wished he had taken better care of himself
He said if he would have known he was going to live this long he would have taken better care of himself. His grandfather and father died very young and he thought it was genetics but it was from working in the mines. He was the fastest runner and had the greatest bat speed of his generation and never lifted a weight or trained at all.
@@johnparker8588 There's something to the genetics. His son also died young of cancer.
What a shame he partied so much. He could have set a lot of records if he wasn't chasing women and drinking into the late hours of the night. None-the-less, I loved the guy.
I was born and raised in New York City (Brooklyn) and I loved 'The Mick' at the age of 6 years. He was an icon to me then and is still an icon to me now.
He was a tremendous talent. His knee, womanizing and drinking kept him from being placed higher on the greatest of all time. Just imagine what he could have attained. RIP MICK#7
One of the Greatest Ever
Perhaps the greatest natural player ever. No one ever combined blinding speed and tape measure power the way The Mick did. Injuries and a hard life style were not kind to him. Rest in peace Mickey. You were definitely one of the elite. Thanks for the memories.
Regarding the sky's the limit for a kid with pure potential to alter the record book...there's Mickey, Bo, and...nope, that's about it.
@@jerrybrownell3633 Nah, that would be Mays.
@@pacificnorthwester - I am a die hard Giants fan and have been since 1958. Yes, Willie Mays deserves to be called The GOAT. But if Mantle had been healthy his whole career we might not be having this conversation.
@@jerrybrownell3633 I never consider what-ifs. Complete waste of time.
Mantle was coaxed to come to spring training in `69. Ralph Houk told him he could play twice a week & pinch hit . Mantle took a run around the field & knew it was over...legs were real bad.
jeez he looks like his legs hurt so bad on every swing what could he have done if he was healthy wow
With 2 good legs he might have hit 800 home runs !
Most people don’t realize how important the legs are to a hitter
He looks shot in that at bat good thing he retired
One colorful ball player.
I too grew up watching his every move.
@M, and Soccer still is a cure for insomnia. The almost always keep-away, little attack sleeping pill.
However, it serves its purpose as the ultimate message to the masses in third world countries: No matter how hard you work, you are not getting anywhere- THE LATE FRANK DeFORD.. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED..
I started following baseball in 1968, Mickey's last year at the age of 7. All I can kind of remember as I watched Yankee games on my 12 inch black and white tv was Mickey limping whether he played center field or 1st base. I can imagine how awesome he was in earlier years and at least I have films to see how he once dominated.
In his prime , he was the best I ever saw...my Dad took my brother and me to see him play against the Senators..only thing I remember from the game was watching the Mick take batting practice.. well worth the 800 mile round trip and the night in a crummy hotel.
Hell, when I was a kid in the early 60's my Uncle took me to a lot of home games at Memorial stadium in Baltimore. Mickey Mantle used to get a standing ovation there.
I was in 3rd grade about 70 miles away on Cape Cod when Mickey played his last game, I am reading Jane leavys book about Mantle now. A complex guy. RIP Mick
I was at that game, sitting just past third where the seats are looking towards first. I remember the following winter reading that he had retired and seeing the kid I was with at the game in phys. ed. and telling him Mantle just retired - so we saw his last "game".......but he never took the field and hurt his leg in the top of the 1st.
After Mantle retired he was being interviewed. He said, "If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."
George Sealy Unconsci0
His father died young from silicosis, chronic inflammation of the lungs from the silica in the lead and zinc mines, as did my grandfather. Mickey did not really understand the reasons for so many early deaths and assumed it was heredity or fate and that he was meant to die young. That is one way of looking at it. The other way is that he just liked to drink and smoke and chase women because he was easily bored and said that about taking care of himself as an excuse for his lack of self discipline.
@@oklahomahank2378 He was my favorite player growing up even though I am from the Pittsburgh area. I didn't know any of the bad stuff going on in Mantle's life. Back in the 1950s and 1960s knee surgery and therapy was nowhere near what it is today. Too bad that Mantle had such major leg issues in his career because when he was a rookie he was one of the fastest players in the league.
George Sealy Yes, my family is from the area and I knew him. I live nearby. My uncle played with him on the Baxter Whiz Kids. We are capable of separating the player from the man.
George Sealy I made this video of some of the sites associated with Mickey Mantle. I am not a professional film maker.
th-cam.com/video/KHpfbg9y0S8/w-d-xo.html
Mantle had his last season in the ultimate year of the pitcher. His 0.237, 18 HR, and 54 RBI translate much better than they appear. He still got walks, and his OPS was surprisingly high in the AL, where only Yaz hit over 0.300 (0.301)
I was exactly 1 month old when he retired, LONG LIVE THE MICK!!
Damn he looks shot, but Mickey still was one of the greatest players ever. I miss him, and I miss baseball!!😕✌
It was obvious that the legs were completely gone. That made it hard to even swing the bat properly, much less run.
@@patrickmorgan4006 And all because he tore the ACL in his right leg during the 1951 World Series.
@@kevinmiller1985 Yup. That's what started it all.
@@kevinmiller1985
Very ironic, probably the 2 greatest center fielder's ever, would be involved in that play. Mantle playing right field and Say Hey hit a fly in the gap in right. DiMaggio playing center, called off the Mick. As he pulled up, caught his spikes in drainage pipe and that was it. Mays hitting that fly that ruined Mantle..
@@boostboost8567 THREE if you include DiMaggio.
I was there. My first baseball game. 10 years old. Red Sox fan but I wanted to see Mantle before he was gone.
In another video I’ve seen, Ken Harrelson said he and Carl Yastrzemski were standing in the Boston outfield, crying, as Mantle took his last at bat.
The documentary they made about him is maybe the best documentary I’ve ever seen I recommend it
Whats it called
@@jsloan_tv3124 th-cam.com/video/whCvNBa90vs/w-d-xo.html
Mickey was always so graceful with every move. He had the best year of any player ever winning the triple crown in 1956 with 52 home runs, 130 RBI's, & 352 batting average. But he also led the league in 4 other catagories. Slugging percentage, runs scored, most total bases, and I forget the other one. He won the Hitchcock Athlete of the Year award. He also still holds the record for running down the 1st base line, 3.1 seconds. He was so fast! Too bad he didn't take better care of himself.
Bo Jackson was close to that home to first timing.
Geez, his swing there looked as powerful as that of a utility infielder. But no one knew then it would be his last at bat. He showed up to spring training the following year. And before the season started, he announced his retirement, stating humbly, "I can't hit anymore."
@e james lol, settle down. Obviously, the Mick was no utility hitter. But clearly, he looked like a shell of his old self here. I'll go one further than you. If they had salaries like they did today, some time probably would have signed him for another 2 years at $5 mill per to be their DH. But as it was, it didn't make sense for him to try to hang on for another season.
e james Dude. What does that have to do with the Mick looking bad in his last at bat?
@e james Gee. You must be right then.
e james I agree with you. Mantle was still the best player on the Yankees....by far. That’s not saying too much because they were bad, but Mick certainly wasn’t as terrible the last 2 seasons as people think. He just wasn’t anywhere near the caliber of his prime years. But he was definitely still a feared hitter. Besides, in today’s game no one even cares about batting avg or strikeouts.
@@jstarks123...or fan boredom..
Watched him hit a HR in Anaheim that final year...watched him play first base that game... I was 12.....
Missing that first pitch over the heart of the plate, he looked like DeNiro swinging the bat in Bang the Drum Slowly. He was obviously a shell of the player he used to be. Wish he had retired at the end of '67. He'd still have 518 HRs, and a lifetime .300 average to go with it.
IMHO The most talented player of all time... imagine Mick without the injuries and booze
True Story. My 18-yr-old Red Sox fan brother takes me to Fenway Park to see Mickey Mantle and the Yankees on September 10, 1967. I idolized Mantle as kid, so this was a big deal to me; I finally get to see him play ~ YES! Mickey was not in the lineup that day...grrr. Red Sox are killing the Yanks, 9-1, so my brother decides to beat the traffic by leaving after Boston batted in the 8th inning. I am not yet 12-yrs-old, and have no choice but to go along with it. We get to the parking lot and the car is boxed in. Can't move until the game's over. I'm not happy. My brother tries to make amends by putting the game on the car radio for the Yankee 9th inning, where they announce Mickey Mantle will be PH for so-and-so. Now, I'm very unhappy. We're sitting there in the car, within sight of the ballpark, listening to Mickey Mantle bat. I never did get to see Mantle play in person.
Man that is one the saddest stories I've ever read concerning baseball from a fans point of view. And I've been a Yankees fan since 1976. Thanks for sharing.
You could tell that he was shot. He played first base his final two years and hit only .245 and .237. He was still named to the All Star team both years, purely on account of his celebrity.
His OPS+ was 150 and 143 during those last two years, so he was still an outstanding offensive player.
You will say what is OPS+?-it’s stupid and meaningless, the best offensive players have the highest batting averages, analytics are useless blah blah blah.
Nobody cares about batting average anymore except people who don’t understand what puts runs on the board.
@@IAm-qf2xb, consistently putting runs on the board is connected to batting average..Putting runs on the board where you do it in spurts 2 out of every seven games, may look like it produces the same WAR, or OPS+, whatever, but in reality, it does not produce the same amount of wins..CONSISTENCY= BATTING AVERAGE AND SLUGGING PCT. does that.
The emphasis on modern stats, has turned baseball into a boredom-fest, three ourcomes-only game= strikeout, homer, or flyout/pop up/ pulled slider to shortstop..
Zzzzzzzz..
The double outside of ten guys, is on life support..
The triple outside of four guys is.. R.I.P.
The two-run single is a ghost.
The suicide squeeze or safety squeeze bunt, is mesazoic.
And, the fan is very sleepy.
So, tell me, how did STANTON do with that sizzling batting average of his..in the postseason or Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker?
Give me a Hunter Pence anyday of the week.
I'll win.
@@robertsprouse9282 Autodidact, nobody needs to to clarify that slugging percentage correlates with runs scored haha
The Mick.....legend.
Mantle will always be the what could have been. Bad luck with injuries, too much fooling around. He was one of the best but could have been THE best. I loved watching him play.
Mantle was something I was born in great neck Long Island my dad loved the Yankees and mantle we moved to Oklahoma that’s where my dad was from I still have my most prized possession signed ball and Mickey mantle day bat
As a kid I remember seeing The Mick and Roger Maris go back to back at the old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
We might have been at the same game. I was at a double header in '61 in which Maris and Mantle hit homers in the first game, and Maris hit one in the second game. But, the second game was rained out before the fifth inning, discounting his homer. If they had played 5 1/2 innings or more, Maris' homer counts and he tie's Ruth's record in 154 games. . . I was also at the game in June '63 when Mantle broke his foot and tore up his knee chasing a Brooks Robinson homerun. He leaped at the fence, the ball passed over his outstretched glove by inches, as he came down he got tangled in the chain link fence. Eight weeks later, Yanks were back in Baltimore, Mantle pinch hit a game tying homerun. The entire stadium of Oriole fans gave him a standing ovation. That game and circumstances surrounding it have been chronicled in numerous books and by the Mick himself. One of my greatest thrills growing up. .
Check out his last at bat in tiger stadium Denny asked him where he wanted it and boom a home run,next guy up shows Denny where he wants it and Denny beans him into the dirt
That was Joe Pepitone and it was actually pretty funny of him to request McLain groove one for him, too.
Jeter’s last game was also at Fenway on September 28th
Tom Berenger looks like he emulated Mantles ‘hurt’ swing in the end of Major League.
A time when the players played 'for the love of the game'. Sports have never been the same since.
Sports hasn't been the same since free agency. I remember a time when we never heard what the players were making, the only statistics we heard about was what was done on the field during games.Players made a decent living and tickets were very reasonable for fans. The players did play for the love of the game. Today's athletes are a bunch of spoiled brats.
Its ALL about the money and fame now.players don't care where they play,the joke is on the fans!!!!
@@greglapointe1311 Bullshit
Well, the owners DID exploit the players, much like the studio system exploited actors. Can you really blame the athletes for wanting a cut of all the riches? Very few make it to the top, and they're one injury away from ruin. I remember talking to the wife of a retired NFL lineman. She told me everyone of his fingers had been broken at least once. Never mind what happened to his head. It may seem all fun and glamorous, but it's ultimately a business, and they wanted their fair share.
my
This was the second to last game of the 1968 season. This at bat was in the top of the first, he was replaced in the field in the bottom half of the inning, never to play again. The next day, the season finale, Mantle had left Boston. He showed up for spring training next season, but announced his retirement.
I was in right field bleachers. My dad and I stood for his entire at bat. Most of the people in the bleachers didnt stand
That’s awesome. What a great memory, even if it wasn’t his finest moment. Bill James analytics showed Mantle was THE BEST. All player for 6-7 years. I thought Mays was better but Mantle was, until he slowed down. It’s ok, he STILL was one of the best ballplayers EVER. PS. Those people should have stood also. Respect.
HE has been gone for 26 years and books are still being written about this Magnificent Yankee an American Icon!
love that pip.
My young niece and her husband just had their first child, a boy who they named Mickey after Mr Mantle.
He finished before I was old enough to watch him but I grew up reading about him. When my son started playing I'd always tell him... when you pick a number try to get 7(Mantle), 5(Bench), or 9(Williams). He usually didn't disappoint me lol.
5= G.BRETT OR DIMAGGIO..
Even at this point he was still one of the top ten hitters in the AL. But the injuries were just too much.
I like how one pitch went into the dirt and the catcher just went and got it and threw it back to the pitcher. Nowadays, they just stick their hand up and the umpire sticks a new ball in it.
This might be the only time I ever watched what he looked like swinging from the CF camera that's crazy
The only Triple Crown winner to hit 50 home runs (52, 1956). Lou Gehrig hit 49 in 1934, as did Frank Robinson in 1966 ⚾
I saw Mickey hit two HR's at Tigers stadium, one lefty and one righty, I hated the Yankees, but I loved Mickey, he was the reason I was even there, because I was an Indians fan ! LOL !
He obviously struggled to get the bat around. He retired at the right time.
he dealt with that for 18 years due to both legs being virtually crippled. tim mccarver a catcher said that he groaned every time he swung....a true amrican hero...todays wimps would have never played a game with his leg problems
Actually, Mantle should have retired after the 1964 season. He hung around for 4 years too long.
@@frederickrapp5396 No one thought he would fall that hard after 1964 so it was hindsight. Plus argument can be made that he should have left after 1967, there he could still have 500 homers and .300 BA. Even he himself admits he had regretted playing in 1968.
The Mick was the best player in baseball history...he did it all on one leg...when Casey first saw him he said, hits like Babe Ruth,runs like Ty Cobb...according to legend
Except for maybe Mays and Aaron, if you're talking everyday players with speed and power.
Two words for you, Ed - Willie and Mays.
@@bluestar9463 I loved Mays... but you take the brute power of Mantle from both sides,I gotta go with the Mick
Andy Kosco will forever be the answer to the trivia question "Who replaced Mickey Mantle after his last at-bat?"
Have some fun with the end of the video................who came up (batting cleanup) after Mick popped out? The number 3 batter in the Yankee lineup DID homer off of Lonborg in that game, it just wasn't Mantle. Andy Kosco replaced Mantle, and tied the game in the 8th inning with a solo shot off of Lonborg. Pepitone HR in the 9th (also off of Lonborg) gave the Yanks the 4-3 win
didn't realize lonny was back pitching so soon for sox after skying incident injury
He retired during spring training in 1969
Bob Gibson's last pitch in 1975 was a game-losing grand slam. When it's over it's over.
Nolan Ryan also gave up a slam on his last pitch
Whoa! Sadly, it was time for that last at bat.
Growing up in the tri state area every kid in my neighborhood who played little league baseball wanted to wear number 7 . Even the young black kids wanted number 7 because they liked the mick and willie mays was playing out on the west coast then so we were all Yankees fans
Looking at Mantle's 1968 season stats under SB is listed 6. Did Mickey actually steal 6 bases in 1968?
The greatest ball player in history. Nobody ever had his combination of speed, power, smarts, intuition, throwing and running ability.
Leg injuries cut into a lot of potential production plus, as he told everyone in his last month, he threw away a lot by not taking care of himself. Aaron, Mays, just squeezed more out of what they had than Mantle. My opinion anyway.
I saw that last at bat. It was painful to watch him limp away, and his avg fell under .300. The Yanks got terrible, which seems to be happening again. Supposedly the pitcher grooved one for the Mick.
A fitting departure.. just a little pop.
There's a great story about the McClain HR. Its on The Tube.
Yeah, Denny supposedly gave The Mick "a nod and a wink" before serving up a fat meatball.
And here's Joe Pepitone, on deck and watching. Comes to bat, shows Denny where he wants it pitched, and gets knocked on his ass.
Rest in peace to a yankee legend
Fenway Park. Rico Petrocelli at short. Who was that on the mound, Waslewski?
Jim Lonborg!
Isn't that Jim Lonborg pitching?
Brian Deline Definitely Jim lonborg and no doubt Fenway Park. Drank plenty of stale beer there. 😂
@@MsSmitty9 Thought so, one of my all times favorites, even when he was with Philly. He should have never gone skiing that winter of 67. Yes, I used to sit in the center/right field bleaches about 30 to 40 games a year between 74 and 84.
Brian Deline I sat in the bleachers as well in late 60s with Medford Mass little League in wool uniforms in July sweating my ass off. You had to wear your uniform or you didn’t go. A great Fenway Park memory. I was like 10 years old. Got there by Hudson School bus. I loved it.
@M Detlef I know that, never said he did. Just that he was one of my favs going up, AND that I used to go to games during that span
@@MsSmitty9 YES, I remember wearing our hot unis to games too! Small town called Winchendon. Little League '69 and '70.
I'm guessing that mick was highly intoxicated during this at bat or seriously hung over from the previous night but he earned the right to slam the scotch for his swan song . The man had heart and soul and played at a high level through many injuries during his career
Mick tried to play again in 69, but his bad legs were just too much to handle and as spring training was to start he announced his retirement from the game.
Ironic he popped up to the place he started out! Shortstop. Saw him play in his final year in 1968 & had the DH come out 4 years earlier he may have continued playing.
What year did he retire?
Mickey Mantle announced his retirement prior to the 1969 season.
If I had caught the ball, it'd be in my trophy case...( or Mickey's... )
How Alcohol Improved My Life
by Nobody
M Detlef Gee, let’s see, it’s a carcinogen, damages liver and heart and brain, linked to violence and impotence and automobile accidents and infidelity and divorce and sloth. Spirits, all right.
Don't forget he was given a liver transplant prior to his death.
La Chancla Images Wow he was given a liver transplant. Somebody must’ve been a Yuuuuuuge fan.
Well, except for the manufacturers and shareholders that is.
M Allen Au contraire , reckoning is real.
The Greatest "If Only" in sports history.
No way, he accomplished SO SO much, even considering the knees and the drinking. I'm sure there are others but Bo Jackson has a stronger argument for "if only" than the great Mantle.
IF ONLY?... Good Lord, what more could he have done? I understand that his knees and ankles were problematic dating all the way back to his days on the Oklahoma sandlot and his subsequent alcoholism in an effort to address chronic physical and emotional pain did not always make for lucid at bats, but what great athlete didnt have issues outside of, perhaps, Tom Brady? The "if only" game can be played with everyone....what if Babe Ruth had spent more time perfecting his game as opposed to residing in bars, what if Lawrence Taylor was not a cocaine addict during his playing days, etc.....
I should have been more specific in my lamentation. That drain he stepped in as a rookie during the '51 series, stopping short of catching the fly ball hit by Willie Mays, because Joe DiMaggio called him off. If Only .....
@@GT25UmpPoint taken. The first two on If Only's Mount Rushmore.
Ted Williams is another one. He missed five years due to military service.
That 1968 Yankee team had I believe the lowest TEAM batting average (.214) of ANY team ever to finish with a winning record. The A's in their first year in Oakland lead the AL in team batting at .240 and only one hitter (Yaz) even hit .300 (he hit .301). The pitching mound was lowered after that season.
Walt Gekko I remember that year like it was yesterday, the Yanks finished 5th with an 83-79 record. That was the year of the pitcher. Denny McLain won 31 games, Bob Gibson had a 1.12 era Mantle I think hit .236 that year with 18 homeruns.
Not Ted Williams like, Mantle that year pinch hit in the allstar game and Tom Seaver blew him away with three fastballs!
Jack smith give me a mantle in his prime and show me Seaver blow him away , and not a man nearing his retirement
yes because his name is mickey mantle, not ted williams?
Jamal Khalil When did Seaver face Mantle?
Easy to strikeout someone who was nearing retirement and arguably should have done so a year prior.
Fenway looked better when the walls were all green - no advertising except for the Jimmy Fund sign attached to the facade of the right field roof.
Gosh that was painful too watch. Poor Mickey. His knees must be on fire
Something tells me Mick had dulled that pain on the way to Fenway Park...
To me it looks like Lonborg was intentionally throwing pitches for Mantle to get a hit.
I would have grooved him one.
Correct me if I am wrong but didn't the legendary Babe Ruth smoke 3 homers in his last game ever ? It's cool having footage of these all time greats !
Yes, he did. It took everything he had to do what used to be easy. One HR was a monstrous shot that cleared the right field roof at Forbes Field.
Actually, he played in 5 more games after his 3 homer game against the Pirates. His last game was May 30th. He played the first game of a double hitter against the Phillies and went 0-1 as a pinch hitter.
@@salmilanojr.1157 This myth came from the movie "The Babe Ruth Story", starring William Bendix, which had Ruth retiring after hitting that third HR. Hollywood couldn't then, and still can't help F-ing up a true story by adding an unhealthy amount of fiction.
The short answer is no. He had a 3 homerun game his last season, that much is true.
No. Ruth hit 3 on may 25 1935. His last game was on may 30. In his last at bat, in Philadelphia, Ruth grounded out to first.
He went out fighting.
He looked bad..and still a very young man here.
Heartened to see the Red Sox fans respecting Mickey and, later, Derek Jeter. Disheartened to see all the cringeworthy Yankees suck calls from the cringeworthy drunken mobs in between.
Too bad he missed out on the DH which came into the AL a handful of years later. Probably could have extended his career a little, maybe he could have reached 600 hrs.
Pop out to SS. I guess life really isn't like a Hollywood movie; it needs better writers I'm afraid.
Well,that was epic! Why would anyone bother??
Boyd Otero because he was one of the greatest of all time. Man you are depressing.
What was ironic about Mantle's HR off of McLain (#535)? It was coincidence that he faced the two Cy Young winners on consecutive days, not irony, and McLain served Mantle an easy pitch to hit out. I was just glad that he did hit #536 because the previous one put him above Jimmie Foxx on the all time list (#3 at the time) and it was a bit tainted. With all of Mantle's greatness, he wouldn't have deserved to have his place on the list tainted.
Patrick Morgan This used to happen to my Grandpa. You’ll be ok. Try Milk of Magnesia.
@@IAm-qf2xb I'm already OK. Hope your grandpa smacked you in the back of your head when you were a wise ass to him.
I had back stock in switches, stitches, and dental insurance.
the mick still had a good swing even limping, struggling,..at the plate,..
Frankly, Mantle should have retired after the 1964 season. That was his last decent year. He hung around for 4 more years because he wanted the $100k a year the Yankees were paying him, and also because he had nothing better to do. It was sad to watch Mantle the last 4 years of his career. Apart from 1 hot streak in early summer of 66, when he played like the Mantle of old for about 2 weeks, he was basically through after 1964. From 65-68, his lifetime average fell from .309 to .298, which Mickey called the greatest regret of his entire career.
He still averaged about 20 HR, and 44 to 63 runs scored, and 46 to 56 RBI. He hit .288 in 1966. He was selected to the All Star game in 3 of those 4 years. Much lower than his best years but still a decent player by MLB standards, and someone that the team apparently wanted to play.
the yanks needed him though ,..they were terrible ,..
That could be said of almost all MLB players. The most current that didn't hang around too long and went out on, or near the top are Adrian Beltre and Torii Hunter. Now THAT"S the way to retire!
If he could have DH'd it wouldn't have been as bad. But it was also the era of the pitcher those last years of his career too.
I always found it sad to see The Mick playing 1st base the last few years. Seemed like such an admission of his lost outfielding ability.
He and Billy Martin drank their careers short
The Yanks traded Martin because he was a bad influence on Mantle.
Wheels gone.
Why only the first inning? Why not the rest of the game? Wimpy way to go out!
All arms swing
It was an uppercut. I doubt it was all arms.
His low average the last 2 years were mainly due to his bad legs, toss those 2 yrs out and he's close to a .320 lifetime hitter.
No. Toss those 2 years out and he’s maybe a .305 lifetime hitter.
Mickey had a family of 6 mouths to feed. He hung around in 1967-68 because he wanted and needed the $100K+ the Yankees were paying him. He also wanted to get 500 lifetime home runs, and he did in May 1967.
Kinda tough to watch.
The HR off McLain in Detroit was not ironic; it was a gift. Denny threw nothing but fastballs so Mickey would have his best chance to break his tie with Jimmy Foxx. He did, and everyone, including the Tiger dugout, got up and applauded.
Tend to agree (well iconic, not ironic). McLain was a "Hot Stove" speaker a few years ago at a function I attended, and he shared that story.
McLain probably bet some sucker that, he would give it up and then said:.. "like hell I will.."
The pitcher should have grooved one for Mick to launch out of the park. A fitting finale to a fabulous career/
Denny McLain?
That team was bad! Actually, look at the stats. It is remarkable that they won as many games as they did.
1968 Yankees finished at 83-79, and had a .214 team batting average.
Their pitching staff benefitted from "Year of the Pitchers" as well.
Not one of but the greatest ever.
Could not stand up when hitting lefty. Right leg would not support him.