Mickey Mantle

The Commerce Comet — seven World Series championships with the New York Yankees and the most powerful switch-hitter in baseball history. Mickey Mantle hit some of the longest home runs ever recorded, including legendary tape-measure shots that became part of the game's folklore. Three American League MVP awards, 18 All-Star selections and 536 career home runs despite playing his entire career through chronic knee pain from a 1951 injury. His partnership with Whitey Ford across the Yankees dynasty years made him the defining face of 1950s and early 1960s American sport.

Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in 1931, named after Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane. He joined the New York Yankees in 1951 alongside Joe DiMaggio in his final season. His 18-season career produced 536 home runs, a .298 batting average and seven World Series championships. He won the Triple Crown in 1956 — leading the AL in batting average (.353), home runs (52) and RBIs (130). He won three AL MVP awards (1956, 1957, 1962). He was a 20-time All-Star. His tape-measure home runs — including a 565-foot shot in Washington in 1953 — were the stuff of legend. He played his entire career on damaged knees that required multiple surgeries, and what he might have achieved fully healthy is one of baseball's great hypotheticals. He battled alcohol addiction throughout his playing career and beyond. His retirement in 1969 was followed by years of drinking before he achieved sobriety late in life. He died of cancer in 1995 aged 63, saying his lifestyle was not something to emulate. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. He is considered the greatest switch-hitter in baseball history.

Switch-hitting center fielder with exceptional power and speed

Greatest switch-hitter in baseball history

• World Series 7x
• AL MVP 3x (1956,1957,1962)
• Triple Crown 1956
• All-Star 20x