Mickey Mantle, the most powerful switch-hitter in baseball history and the successor to Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio as the symbol of the long reign of the New York Yankees, died of cancer Aug 13, 1995, in Dallas. He was 63.
Mickey Mantle made his debut for the Yankees in 1951 at age 19, playing right field alongside aging center fielder Joe DiMaggio. He dominated the American League for more than a decade.
In 1956, he won the Triple Crown, leading his league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. His output was so great that he led both leagues in 1956, hitting .353 with 52 home runs and 130 runs batted in.
He was also voted American League MVP that year, and again in 1957 and 1962. After years of brilliance, Mantle’s career began to decline by 1967, and he was forced to move to first base. The next season would be his last. Mantle was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 in his first year of eligibility. Read More about Mickey
In 2001 61* debuted and is one of my favorite movies of all time. Billy Crystal directed it and they came to Detroit to film. They repainted the old Tiger Stadium and made it look like Yankee Stadium. The story of Mantle and Maris is one for the record books.
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