When Yankees manager Billy Martin shared a hilarious Mickey Mantle hunting story on David Letterman's show
Billy Martin enjoyed an entertaining and infamous career with the New York Yankees. The former infielder-turned-manager spent time with several teams throughout his career. However, his connection to the New York Yankees is something that has lived on long since his passing.
Although Billy Martin was known to get into his fair share of arguments, he also had a likable personality that made him a beloved figure among fans and an entertaining storyteller. This was on full display when Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner appeared on the hit television series Late Night with David Letterman.
"Billy Martin joins George Steinbrenner on a classic episode of "Late Night with David Letterman" and tells a great story about a prank Mickey Mantle played on him while they were hunting back in the day! (1987) #MLB #Yankees #Baseball #History" - @BSmile
The former New York Yankees manager told a story about a time when Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle played a prank on him when the pair went hunting in Texas.
The pair were set to go turkey hunting, and Mickey spoke to the land owner, who requested that Mantle shoot the family's mule, as they could not bring themselves to do it.
"I'm so mad, I'm going to go up to his barn and shoot his mule," Mantle told Martin, not giving him the details of the farmer's request. Martin told David Letterman that Mantle proceeded to shoot the farmer's mule, before hearing two other gunshots, which Martin said were his own.
"Mickey Mantle pulls a hilarious prank on his good friend Billy Martin. You’ll want to hear this story." - @nut_history
"I got two of his cows," Martin told Mantle, much to his surprise. The former New York Yankees manager said that it was indeed a true story and that the blunder cost him $800.
Billy Martin was fired five times by the New York Yankees
The controversial manager had five separate tenures with the New York Yankees, infamously being fired from owner George Steinbrenner several times throughout his career.
Martin was a fiery personality, who was never shy of backing down from a fight. This led him to success in the MLB but was also the reason behind his rocky career with the Yankees.
Martin's first run as the manager of the New York Yankees came from 1975-1978, winning the 1977 World Series in the process. Martin was also the team's manager in 1979, 1983, 1985, and 1988. He also served as the manager of the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, and Oakland Athletics.