In 1964, he hit two home runs in his final two times at bat on July 4, and two more in his first two times up in the next game the following day. He remembered what his doctor told him then: "Your liver is still working, but it has healed itself so many times that before long you're just going to have one big scab for a liver. He not only hit the ball, he hammered it. Two months into the 1951 season, Manager Casey Stengel sent Mantle down to the Yankees' top farm team in Kansas City because he was striking out too much. He was a huge star, but he never treated you like he was better than you. [66] He established the Mickey Mantle Foundation to raise awareness for organ donations. Mickey Mantle Original 1969 Topps Baseball Card #500. Mantle let others run the business but made frequent appearances. By then, he reported, he was living in a steady haze induced by all-day and all-night drinking. Mantle appeared in 12 World Series including seven championships, and he holds World Series records for the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), extra-base hits (26), runs (42), walks (43), and total bases (123). He hit two more home runs in the series to set a new lifetime World Series record with 18. He could drag a bunt, too, with runaway speed, and he played his role with a kind of all-American sense of destiny. A 1952 Topps Mikey Mantle card with a 9.5 grade more than doubled the all-time record for a sports card, selling for $12.6 million. "He struck out only 1,500 times. His annual salary was around $7,500 during his rookie year in 1951 and during his final playing years, his annual salary was estimated to around $ 100,000. Mickey Mantle Net Worth At Death. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The hit is said to have traveled 643 feet. A year later, his salary bumped up to $100,000 per year. Mantle was able to hit for both average and power,[4] especially tape-measure home runs,[5] a term that was born when a play-by-play caller reacted to one of Mantle's 1953 home runs. He had his first drink at the age of 19. August 14, 1995. Mickey Mantle keeps his personal and love life private. Mantle became the highest-paid active player of his time. "Maybe because I was only 19 years old when I started playing for him, and a couple of years later my own dad was gone. Three years later, he reached his peak salary of $100,000 and never asked for another raise again. [55] In an autobiography, Mantle said that he had married Merlyn not out of love, but because he was told to by his domineering father. He delivered a farewell speech on Mickey Mantle Day, June 8, 1969, at Yankee Stadium. His strength as a hitter became legendary. A decades-old, mint-condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction. "[20] Mantle immediately broke out of his slump, and went on to hit .361 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs during his stay in Kansas City. He always had that country boy attitude that made you feel at ease. After an impressive spring training, Yankees manager Casey Stengel decided to promote Mantle to the majors as a right fielder instead of sending him to the minors. Eventually, you'll need a new liver. [84] That same year, Mantle was one of 100 nominees for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and was chosen by fan balloting as one of the team's outfielders. . Then my dad got me a job cleaning out the area around telephone poles. During the final years of his life, Mantle purchased a condominium on Lake Oconee near Greensboro, Georgia, near Greer Johnson's home, and frequently stayed there for months at a time. I won't live long enough." And down in Baltimore in 1963, Slick was pitching one night and Brooks Robinson hit a home run over the center-field fence. Mantle and former teammate Whitey Ford were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame together in 1974, Mantle's first year of eligibility, Ford's second.[81]. Mickey Mantle: The Definitive Story (MLB Baseball Sports Documentary)The almost mythic career of Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle is the subject of this acclaime. I was the best man at Martin's wedding in 1988, and I can hardly remember being there." People chose instead to remember his baseball feats, unforgettably part of the heroic character he portrayed. He was an alcoholic, which doctors said was at least partly responsible for causing his liver cancer. During his final season in 1968, he still managed to hit 18 home runs. "I was still in high school and we were living out near Commerce in 1948, and we didn't have a hell of a lot. [62][47] His father died of Hodgkin's disease at age 40 in 1952, and his grandfather also died young of the same disease. He is the only player in history to hit 150 home runs from both sides of the plate. The season was bad for the Yankees, too, as they finished third. [51], Mantle worked as a customer-relations representative for the Dallas Reserve Life Insurance Company. Mickey attended Commerce High School and was an all-around athlete. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. He remained the Yankees' all-time leader in games played until Derek Jeter broke his record in 2011. Mantle's parents drove him at midnight to Oklahoma City, where he was treated at the children's hospital with the newly available penicillin, which reduced the infection and saved his leg from amputation. [82][87][88] This card is sometimes erroneously referred to as Mantle's rookie card, though Mantle had in fact appeared in the 1951 Bowman Baseball set. What was Mickey Mantle's net worth when he died? During this time, Mantle lived with his agent Greer Johnson. Mantles legacy as one of the greatest baseball players will live on in the hearts of fans, but it's his soul that will live on forever in eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. He came out of the clinic a chastened figure, and his frailty was reinforced by the public decline in his health since June. Mickey Mantle Jr., who struggled with the expectations accompanying the son of a baseball icon and the travails that afflicted his family far from the public eye, died Wednesday at a hospital. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (19511968) with the New York Yankees as a center fielder, right fielder, and first baseman. On August 12, 1964, he hit one whose distance was undoubted: a center field drive that cleared the 22-foot (6.7m) batter's eye screen, some 75' beyond the 461-foot (141m) marker at the Stadium. Mantle died at 2:10 A.M. Eastern time at Baylor University Medical Center, succumbing to the disease that had spread from his liver to most of his other vital organs. Adjusted for inflation, he earned approximately $9 million. Mickey Mantle is one of the greatest baseball players ever. In the 1960 season, he hit what is still believed to be the longest home run in history. He commanded the biggest stage in sports as the center fielder for the most successful team in baseball, and he did it at a time when New York was blessed with three great center fielders renowned as "Willie, Mickey and the Duke," home run hitters who captivated the public in the 1950's as the leaders of memorable teams: Willie Mays of the Giants, Mantle of the Yankees and Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1949, he received a draft-examine notice and was about to be drafted by the US Army but failed the physical exam and was rejected as unqualified and was given a 4-F deferment for any military service.[22][23]. Mantle desired to be remembered as a stellar teammate. [43][44], As a 19-year-old rookie playing right field in his first World Series, Mantle tore the cartilage in his right knee on a fly ball hit by Willie Mays. The Powerful Symbol Of a Yankee Dynasty. [citation needed] Another Mantle homer, hit right-handed off Chuck Stobbs at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. on April 17, 1953, was measured by Yankees traveling secretary Red Patterson (hence the term "tape-measure home run") to have traveled 565 feet (172m). Mantle, who said he was "bred to play baseball," traveled from the dirt-poor fields of Oklahoma to reach Yankee Stadium in the 1950's and, after his retirement in March 1969, the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of the superstars of the second half of the 20th century. On August 13, 1995, two months after the liver transplant, Mickey Mantle was dead. On May 14, 1967, Mantle became the sixth member of the 500 home run club. While his drinking became public knowledge during his lifetime, the press kept quiet about his many marital infidelities. Mickey Mantle played 18 seasons. Not known Mickey Mantle Salary Detail. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Mantle was the starting center fielder in the second All-Star Game's lineup, getting a single and a walk in four at bats. He hit often, he hit deep and he did it from both sides of the plate better than anyone else. [citation needed], Joe DiMaggio retired from baseball following the 1951 World Series. What was Mickey Mantle worth when he died? Mickey Gilley, who ran one of the world's largest honky tonks in Pasadena, Texas, and was credited with helping foster country music's revival in the late . He currently resides in Spavinaw, OK. [78] When Yankee Stadium was reopened in 1976 following its renovation, the plaques and monuments were moved to a newly created Monument Park behind the left-center field fence,[78] which has since been replaced by a new Monument Park at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. [71], Mantle died at 2:10a.m. on August 13, 1995 at Baylor University Medical Center with his wife at his side, five months after his mother had died at age 91. We didn't even have chairs then; we had boxes instead of chairs, and linoleum on the floor. He became one of the damaged demigods of sport, but he played with such natural power that he remained the key figure on a team achieving towering success for the fifth straight decade. His transplant revived a debate over whether an alcoholic, even a recovering one, deserves a new liver, and whether his celebrity status had increased his chances of getting one. The 1952 Mantle rookie card, which was in mint. Mantle was named in honor of Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher in baseball. That was the start of my knee operations. [15] Mantle won the Western Association batting title, with a .383 average. His last contract paid him $100,000 per season (the same as $800,000 after adjusting for inflation). It was originally purchased for $50,000 in 1991. He is the only player to win a league Triple Crown as a switch hitter. After the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, Mantle joined with fellow Oklahoman and Yankee Bobby Murcer to raise money for the victims. Because of these comparatively low numbers, he took a salary cut of 10,000 dollars, down to 60,000 dollars. 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. He was safe 8 out of 10 times in which he attempted to steal a base. He was selected an All-Star for the eleventh consecutive season and played in the first game,[3] but because of a recurrence of an old injury, he did not play in the second game. When he arrived, he started packing his son's clothes and, according to Mantle's memory, said "I thought I raised a man. He occasionally attended the local Methodist church, and sometimes ate Sunday dinner with members of the congregation. In 1994, he checked into the Betty Ford Clinic, where doctors diagnosed him with cirrhosis, hepatitis, and cancer of the liver. He held the all-time World Series records for home runs, runs scored, and runs batted. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. The couple's four sons were Mickey Jr. (19532000), David (born 1955), Billy (19571994), whom Mickey named for Billy Martin, his best friend among his Yankee teammates, and Danny (born 1960). [10] Later in his life, Mantle expressed relief that his father had not known Cochrane's true first name because he would have hated to be named Gordon. [10] Stengel, speaking to SPORT, stated "He's got more natural power from both sides than anybody I ever saw. He received a liver transplant soon afterward. He played the rest of his career with a torn ACL. He hit 13 home runs in 96 games. His willingness to take lesser amounts than other players proves that baseball was Mantles passion, and he was just happy to get paid to do it. ", After Leaving Baseball, Day and Night Drinking, The Yankees stopped winning pennants after the 1964 season, and Mantle stopped playing after the 1968 season. Mantle admitted that drinking had become a way of life even while he was playing. The ball went over the center field fence, which was 460 feet from home plate. That year, he brought home both the Triple Crown and the first of three Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards. During the 1961 season, Mantle and teammate Roger Maris, known as the M&M Boys, chased Babe Ruth's 1927 single-season home run record. Those words were carved on the plaque marking his resting place at the family mausoleum in Dallas. On May 22, 1963, against Kansas City's Bill Fischer, Mantle hit a ball that fellow players and fans claimed was still rising when it hit the 110-foot (34m) high facade, then caromed back onto the playing field. The record remained unbroken until 1998 and remained the American League (AL) record until Aaron Judge broke it in 2022. He admitted that he had often been cruel and hurtful to family, friends, and fans because of his alcoholism, and sought to make amends. Mantle was selected an All-Star every season during his 18-year career except 1951 and 1966, and did not play in the 1952, 1963, and 1965 seasons. Music! [74], Mantle was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1964. Due to his parents' quick action in driving him to a hospital in Oklahoma City, his leg was saved from amputation. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. God gave me a body and the ability to play baseball. Mantle disclosed later that he had not married Johnson out of love but rather because his father told him to. Mantle began his professional career in baseball in Kansas with the semi-professional Baxter Springs Whiz Kids. 37 in its "50 Greatest Athletes" series. [2] Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974[3] and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. When Mantle called it quits in March 1969, he became a restaurateur, television commentator, and appeared in numerous commercials for various products. In 1974 Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. However, during the second game of the 1951 World Series, he tripped over a drain pipe and severely injured his right night. "[18], After a brief slump, Mantle was sent down to the Yankees' top farm team, the Kansas City Blues. Mantle batted left-handed against his father when his father pitched to him right-handed, and he batted right-handed against his grandfather, Charles Mantle, when he pitched to him left-handed. He sought treatment for alcoholism in 1994 when he checked in to the Betty Ford Clinic. All Truth Of Leland Chapman's Wife - Jamie . [33], Mantle hit .237 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI during his final season in 1968. Mantle began attending school there and was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School. Five years earlier, in 1956, Mantle had challenged Ruth's record for most of the season, and the New York press had been protective of Ruth on that occasion also. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. The following two seasons were more frustrating for Mantle, though he still played comparatively well and made the all-star team as a reserve player in 1959. His on-base percentage at one point, reached .537. [32] In 1966, his batting average increased to .288 with 23 home runs and 56 RBI in 333 at-bats, in large part because of very strong June and July, when he returned to his 1964 form until he was sidelined with another injury. In getting out of DiMaggio's way, Mantle tripped over an exposed drain pipe and severely injured his right knee. Early Baseball Lessons From Both Sides of Plate. [10] Death Date: Aug 13, 1995 (age 63) Age: . Mantle remained in the center field position full-time for the Yankees until 1965 when he was moved to left field. His grandfather died at the age of 60 in 1944, and his father died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 40 on May 7, 1952. He also hit a record total of 18 home runs in 12 World Series, and 2 more in 16 All-Star Games. On August 25, 1996, about a year after his death, Mantle's Monument Park plaque was replaced with a monument bearing the words "A great teammate" and keeping a phrase that had been included on the original plaque: "A magnificent Yankee who left a legacy of unequaled courage." Mickey Mantle, with his death Sunday at 63, passes from these pages forever and becomes the property . "Then Ralph Houk came along and changed my whole idea of thinking about myself. Alex Rodriguez Has Finally Gotten His Last Paycheck From The MLB How Much Did He Make. He continued to be a solid player for the Yankees over the next few years and had his breakout season in 1956. He later wrote a book (My Favorite Summer 1956) about his best year in baseball. Mickey's wallet was also getting thicker. Of his fear of dying early, he once said: "I'll never get a pension. As per our current Database, Mickey Mantle died on Aug 13, 1995 (age 63). During their empire years, the Yankees built on the mountains of success they had fashioned in the days since Ruth joined them in 1920. Meanwhile, you might be wondering how card trading is still a thing nowadays. And from 1960-64, with the addition of Roger Maris, they won five pennants and two World Series. And, in the end, people got it. My mother made every baseball uniform I ever wore till I signed with the Yankees. I had a cyst cut out of my right knee another time. The first, he often was not. Mantle was assigned to the Yankees' Class-D Independence Yankees of the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League, where he played shortstop. He homered for the third Yankee run in a 32 Game 6 win and he knocked in the winning runs in the 42 Game 7 win, with a homer in the sixth inning and an RBI single in the seventh inning. Mantle broke many records and made many accomplishments throughout his career. In 1960, he Mantle hit was is still believed to be the longest home run in history. They give a damn now.". On September 10, 1960, he hit a ball left-handed that cleared the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium in Detroit and, based on where it was found, was estimated years later by historian Mark Gallagher to have traveled 643 feet (196m). Mantle was not faithful to his wife during their marriage and even brought along a mistress to his retirement ceremony in 1969. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. Mantle's monument now stands at the current Monument Park. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Applying thick wraps to both of his knees became a pre-game ritual, and by the end of his career simply swinging a bat caused him to fall to one knee in pain. Mantle was interred in the Mantle Family Mausoleum, located in the St. Matthew Section of the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas. A statue of Mantle is located at Mickey Mantle Plaza at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, the home stadium of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, 2 South Mickey Mantle Drive in Oklahoma City. [10], Mantle began his professional baseball career in Kansas with the semi-professional Baxter Springs Whiz Kids. Withdrew 33 personal items belonging to Mantle's before a 1997 auction after his widow Merlyn Mantle filed suit. How much did Mickey Mantle weigh when playing? During the 1957 World Series, Milwaukee Braves second baseman Red Schoendienst fell on Mantle's left shoulder in a collision at second base. The next was arguably his first great year, as he concluded with 37 home runs and a .306 batting average. [47] In 1980, Mantle separated from his wife, and while the two lived apart for the rest of Mantle's life, they never filed for divorce. Fairchild's poetry celebrates gritty lives in small towns", "Catch me if you can(2002) - You know why the yankees always win? Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. Mantle two times hit balls off the third-deck facade at Yankee Stadium, nearly becoming the only player to hit a fair ball out of the stadium during a game. And when it got cold, the draft would raise the linoleum up at the ends.' Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest players in MLB history for nearly two decades with the New York Yankees. In one interview, Mantle stated that the people of Greensboro had "gone out of their way to make me feel welcome, and I've found something there I haven't enjoyed since I was a kid.". His knee twisted awkwardly and he instantly fell.