When Did Mickey Mantle Start Playing Baseball?
Many people know Mickey Mantle as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. But what many don’t know is when he first started playing the sport.
Mantle’s career in baseball started when he was just a young boy. He was born in 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, and started playing baseball at a very young age. He played in the sandlots and quickly developed a reputation as a talented player.
Mantle’s professional career began in 1949
Early Life
Mickey Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, and was named after Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher for the Detroit Tigers. Mantle’s father, Mutt, named him this because he had wanted to be a professional baseball player himself, but was unable to due to an injury. When Mantle was four years old, his family moved to Commerce, Oklahoma, where he would spend the rest of his childhood. Mantle’s father worked in the lead and zinc mines, while his mother worked as a substitute teacher.
Mickey Mantle is born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma
On October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, Mickey Mantle is born to Lovell and Mutt Mantle. One of four sons, he is named after Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane. Mantle will grow up to become one of the most beloved and revered baseball players of all time. He will play his entire 18-year career with the New York Yankees, hitting .298 with 536 home runs and 1,509 RBIs. A three-time MVP and 13-time All-Star, he will help lead the Yankees to 12 American League pennants and seven World Series titles.
Mantle’s father, Elvin “Mutt” Mantle, introduces him to baseball
Mantle’s father, Elvin “Mutt” Mantle, had recently been called up to the Class-D Joplin Miners of the Western Association. Mutt named his son in honor of Detroit Tigers catcher Mickey Cochrane. At age four, Mantle began playing catch with his father. When he was old enough, Mutt would throw batting practice to him. As a collision course seemed inevitable, Mutt took Mickey out in the yard and set up a makeshift boxing ring complete with taped boundaries on the basement floor. Filled with fear and frustration that his dad would beat him for making mistakes, he began to cry and ran upstairs to his mother singing “I Wanna Be A Yankee Doodle Dandy”. When Mutt noticed Mickey crying and decided to let him be a Yankee instead.”
High School Career
Mickey Mantle started playing baseball when he was just a young boy. He played in high school and then went on to play for the New York Yankees. Mantle was a great player and helped the Yankees win many World Series titles.
Mantle attends Commerce High School
As a Freshman, Mantle struggled to find his footing on the Commerce varsity baseball team. He only played in three games, and didn’t register a hit. The experience was so discouraging that Mantle considered quitting baseball altogether. He even went so far as to try out for the school basketball team. However, after some convincing from his father, Mantle decided to give baseball another chance.
He worked hard to improve his game, and by his Sophomore year he was one of the star players on the Commerce team. That year he had a batting average of .313, and led the team in home runs with 5. He also started to draw attention from major league scouts.
Mantle’s career reached new heights during his Junior year. He batted .429 for the season, and hit 10 home runs. The New York Yankees offered him a contract worth $140,000 – a record sum for a high school player at the time. Mantle seriously considered accepting the offer, but decided instead to finish high school and play college baseball for one year before turning pro.
Mantle is scouted by the New York Yankees
In his last year of high school, Mantle was scouted by the New York Yankees. They offered him a $1,500 signing bonus ($in today’s money), but Mantle’s father said he would not sign unless he was given $2,000 ($in today’s money). The Yankees ultimately raised their offer to $1,600 ($in today’s money), and Mantle signed with them on his eighteenth birthday.
Professional Career
Mickey Mantle started his professional career in the minor leagues in 1949. He was then called up to the New York Yankees in 1951, where he played for the next 18 years. Mantle is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was a 3-time MVP, a 14-time All-Star, and a 20-time home run champion.
Mantle is signed by the Yankees in 1949
Mantle was signed by the Yankees in 1949 and immediately sent to their Class-C Joplin Miners affiliate in the Western Association. Yankees scouting director Tom Greenwade had discovered Mantle while he was at a Commerce High School game. Greenwade told Sinatra that he had never seen a switch hitter with more raw power. Mantle played for the Yankees’ Class-D Independence Yankees in the Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League in 1950, and then for their Class-C baitKerroton ballpark Reigle Field affiliate in the PONY League, the Bassett Mine Pros, in 1951.
Mantle makes his Major League debut in 1951
On April 17, 1951, the nineteen-year-old Mantle make his Major League debut in New York’s Yankee Stadium against the Boston Red Sox. Mantle started in right field and batted seventh in the lineup. He went 0–4 at the plate with three strikeouts. Despite his debut game struggles, Mantle quickly emerged as one of the best players in the game. In 1952, he was named American League Rookie of the Year after hitting .311 with 23 home runs and 87 RBIs. Mantle became a regular starter for the Yankees in 1953 and went on to became one of baseball’s most iconic players. He was a 19-time All-Star, won three MVP Awards, and helped lead the Yankees to 11 World Series titles.
Later Years
Mickey Mantle retired from baseball in 1968, after playing his entire Major League career with the New York Yankees. He finished his career with 536 home runs, which was the third-most in MLB history at the time of his retirement. He was also a three-time MVP and a 13-time All-Star.
Mantle announces his retirement in 1969
Mantle announced his retirement on March 1, 1969, saying that he had “lost my desire to play baseball.” He was 37 years old. In his last season, 1968, he had batted .237 with 18 home runs and 42 RBIs in 98 games; he did not play in the World Series.
Mantle dies in 1995
Mickey Mantle, who was considered one of the best baseball players of his generation, died of cancer in 1995. He was 63 years old.
Mantle started his professional career with the New York Yankees in 1951. He played for the Yankees for his entire career, winning seven World Series titles. He was named the American League MVP three times and was a 20-time All-Star.
Mantle retired from baseball in 1968 with a .298 batting average, 536 home runs, and 1,509 RBIs. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
