New York Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle made his MLB debut April 17, 1951; remembering the impact he left on baseball
Fans of the New York Yankees in a bygone era will surely tell you all about legendary first baseman Mickey Mantle. Mantle played baseball professionally for 17 years from 1951 to1969 and certainly had his fair share of memorable contributions to the game that we all love.
The Oklahoma native made his debit 72 years ago today for the New York Yankees against their timeless foe, the Boston Red Sox. Amid all the contrubutions to baseball that Mickey Mantle had, it's hard to focus on just one event. Today, we remember him and his countless contributions to the game.
Remembering the career of New York Yankees icon Mickey Mantle
Mantle was born in Spavinaw in the state of Oklahoma in 1931. In 1951, he made his MLB debut for the New York Yankees at the tender age of 19. In that game, he hit his first home run in a victory for the Yankees against the Boston Red Sox.
Mantle earned an All-Star honor every single season from 1952 until he retired at the age of 36 in 1968. He also won three MVP desginations, in 1956, 1957, and 1962.
“Old Days”Mickey Mantle waits on deck,as Roger Maris bats before a packed house,during a 1961 game at Yankee Stadium. #Yankees #NYC #MLB https://t.co/86T1ZmEFzF
"'Old Days'Mickey Mantle waits on deck,as Roger Maris bats before a packed house,during a 1961 game at Yankee Stadium." - @ Tom's Old Days
He led the league in runs five times and led in home runs four times. Making it to the World Series championships a record-setting 12 times, Mantle holds the record for most runs, hits, homeruns, and walks in the World Series.
Open Bar Nightmares: Mickey Mantle, Joe Namath and Billy Martin
#Yankees #RepBX https://t.co/EFF7EHeL9h
"Open Bar Nightmares: Mickey Mantle, Joe Namath and Billy Martin" - @ The Bronx Zoo
He retired from baseball in 1968. Unfortunately for Mantle, his later life was plagued by alcohol abuse and tragedy. Mantle's wife and three of his four children developed serious alcohol issues. Mantle himself passed away from complications from alcoholism in 1995 at the age of 63.
Anyone who watched the New York Yankees in the 1950s or 1960s will remember Mantle as a supreme offensive threat wherever he went. He was one of the best ever to play the game.
Yankees fans will always remember Mantle for what he did to the game. The #7 was retired on June 8, 1969. Yankees will forever immortalize the number of the man who might have been the most important player in the team's storied history.