MANTLE, MICKEY

born Oct. 20, 1931, Spavinaw, Okla., U.S. died Aug. 13, 1995, Dallas, Texas in full Mickey Charles Mantle professional American League baseball player for the New York Yankees (195168), who was a powerful switch-hitter (right- and left-handed) and who hit 536 home runs. Mantle began playing baseball as a Little League shortstop and at Commerce (Okla.) High School. A football injury sustained in 1946 led to osteomyelitis, a bone-tissue infection, which required five operations before the disease was controlled. Mantle played as an outfielder on Yankee farm clubs (194950) and joined the Yankees in 1951. He played with them mainly as an outfielder until he went to first base in 1967. He played much of his career heavily taped because of his earlier bone disease. He led the league in home runs for four seasons (195556, 1958, and 1960), and in 1961, when his teammate Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's season home run record, Mantle hit a season high of 54. He led the league six times in runs scored (1954, 195658, 196061) and in runs batted in (RBI) in 1956, the year he won the league triple crown for home runs, RBI, and batting average (.353). In the 1980s his career 536 home runs placed him sixth among home-run hitters. He played in 12 World Series (195153, 195558, 196064), hitting a record 18 home runs in them. He was voted the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1956, 1957, and 1962. After his retirement as a player Mantle coached for the Yankees and sold life insurance. In 1983 the baseball commissioner barred him from any connection with professional baseball because he had taken a public-relations position with an Atlantic City (N.J.) gambling casino. The ban was lifted in 1985. Mantle was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.