Mickey Mantle: The American Dream Comes To Life®
 The Award-Winning Videography™ Program & Its Companion Volume
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The Career Home Runs of Mickey Mantle
(Excerpted from the award-winning DVD, Mickey Mantle: The American Dream Comes To Life®- The Lost Stories Special Edition. Click Here to learn more about it. Click Here to see an outline of the contents of the DVD.)
 

Season 1: 1951

 

Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Hit Right-handed or
  Left-handed:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
001

05/01/1951

 Comiskey Park Chicago White Sox Randy Gumpert Left-handed 1st RF 450 feet

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
6 1 4

1
1 3  

Yankees 8,
White Sox 3

Description: A scorching line drive hit into the centerfield seats, approximately 450 feet.

Quotes & Comments:
"It was hit so hard that it got there in one second and rattled around in the seats for what seemed like five minutes." - White Sox Pitcher Hal Brown
"It was a screwball that evidently didn't screw too much." - White Sox Pitcher Randy Gumpert

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Hit Right-handed or
  Left-handed:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
002

05/04/1951

 Sportsman's Park St. Louis Browns Duane Pillette Left-handed 1st RF 450-500 feet

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
6 1 6

2
1 2  

Yankees 8,
Browns 1

Description: A hard-hit 450- 500-foot homer to right-field. It left the ballpark, cleared Grand Avenue outside the park and landed in a car dealer's lot across the street. It was the first big league homer Mickey's girlfriend, Merlyn Johnson (later to become Mrs. Mickey Mantle) saw in attendance.

Quotes & Comments:
"A sinker that I threw too high." - Browns' Pitcher Duane Pillette
"A fiercesome homer that nearly went into the Mississippi River." - Joe Trimble, NY Daily News
"I expected it - he told me he'd do it." - Merlyn Johnson (later to become Mrs. Mickey Mantle) to a reporter after the game

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
003 05/13/1951 Shibe Park Philadelphia A's Alex Kellner Right-handed 2nd RF  

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
6 1 4

2

 2 2 2

A's 5,
Yankees 4

Description: Mickey hit his first right-handed home run but the Yankees lost a doubleheader to the Philadelphia A's. Mickey made two rookie mistakes that hurt the Yankees: he popped out trying to bunt with a runner on third to end the first game, and he missed touching second base in the second game.

Quotes & Comments:

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
004 05/16/1951 Yankee Stadium Cleveland Indians Dick Rozek Right-handed 2nd RF 420 feet

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
  1 4

2

 1 3 4 1

Yankees 11,
Indians 3

Description: Mickey's first home run at Yankee Stadium. A line drive into the left-field seats, 420 feet.

Quotes & Comments:

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
005 06/19/1951 Yankee Stadium Chicago White Sox Lou Kretlow Left-handed 1st RF

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
  2 4

3

 1 2 4 1

Yankees 11,
White Sox 9

Description: Mickey's first two-homer day came in this doubleheader. His first-game homer went into the right-centerfield bleacher seats and broke a 6-6 tie to help the Yankees win, but he misplayed two balls in centerfield, turning outs into extra-base hits.

Quotes & Comments: "I wanted to throw a curve ball in the dirt but it hung nicely around the letters. I knew when he hit it that it was gone." - Indians' Pitcher Dick Rozek

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
006 06/19/1951 Yankee Stadium Chicago White Sox Joe Dobson Left-handed 1st RF

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
  0 4

1

 1 1 1 1

White Sox 5,
Yankees 4

Description: Mickey's first two-homer day came in this doubleheader. His home run in the second-game was hit to right-field. This was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal time for Mickey. He was in the midst of a deep slump, overcome by the pressure to perform, causing him to strike out frequently. In a Memorial Day doubleheader in Boston Mickey hit his low point by striking out five consecutive times.

Quotes & Comments: 

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
007 07/07/1951 Fenway Park Boston Red Sox Ellis Kinder Left-handed Defensive
Sub.		 RF (Sub.)  

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
9 0 1

1

   1 1  

Red Sox 10,
Yankees 4

Description: Mickey was brought in as a defensive replacement and homered into the right-field seats in the ninth inning. His slump continued, and Mickey's futility and frustration built until July 13 when Casey Stengel sent Mickey down to the Yankees Triple A team, the Kansas City Blues. Mickey's dad came to his hotel where Mickey told him he thought he was through. Mickey's dad told him to pack his bags, shocking Mickey. He pleaded with his dad for another chance. Then he went on a tear. In 40 games with the Blues Mickey hit .361 with 11 homers and 50 rbi. He was brought back up to the Yankees on August 22, 1951.

Quotes & Comments: "You wish you were through like that kid's through." - Yankees' Manager Casey Stengel, to reporters asking if Mickey was through with baseball.
"You're nothing but a quitter. I thought I raised a ballplayer and a man." - Mickey's father Mutt Mantle after Mickey told him he didn't think he could make it - Mickey said it took him 15 minutes to talk his dad into giving him another chance.

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
008 08/25/1951 Municipal Stadium Cleveland Indians Mike Garcia Left-handed 2nd RF  

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
3 1 5

2

   2 2  

Yankees 7,
Indians 3

Description: Before a crowd of 52,155 Mickey smoked a homer over the left-centerfield fence, leading the Yankees to win the rubber match of their three-game series with Cleveland.

Quotes & Comments: 

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
009 08/29/1951 Sportsman's Park St. Louis Browns Satchel Paige Left-handed 1st RF 450 feet

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
9 2 6

2

   1 4  

Yankees 15,
Browns 2

Description: Mickey hit a three-run shot over the right-field barrier in the ninth-inning that went about 450 feet. Pitcher Satchel Paige handled Mickey well when they faced off earlier in the season, throwing rising fastballs that the young rookie chased "up the ladder." But Mickey showed more discipline in this at-bat and hammered his first home run off the legendary Paige.

Quotes & Comments: 

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
010 09/08/1951 Yankee Stadium Washington Senators Bob Porterfield Left-handed 1st RF 450-465 feet

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
7 2 4

1

   1 3  

Yankees 4,
Senators 0

Description: On "Old-Timers' Day" Mickey broke open a scoreless game in the seventh with a drive deep into the last rows of the right-field bleachers near the railing alongside the Yankee bullpen, 450-465 feet.

Quotes & Comments: 

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
011 09/09/1951 Yankee Stadium Washington Senators Dick Starr Left-handed 1st RF

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
7 0 4

2

   1 1  

Yankees 7,
Senators 5

Description: 

Quotes & Comments: 

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
012 09/12/1951 Yankee Stadium Detroit Tigers Virgil Trucks Left-handed 1st RF 600 feet?

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
1 0 5

1

   1 1  

Tigers 9,
Yankees 2

Description: Mickey crushed the first pitch of the game, sending a tape-measure blast deep into the right-field upper deck. Several eyewitnesses estimated that the ball might have gone 600 feet if not obstructed by the upper deck.

Quotes & Comments: 

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Home Run Number:

 Date:

Place:

Opponent:

 Pitcher: Righty
or
  Lefty:		 Place in Batting Order: Position: Distance:
013 09/19/1951 Yankee Stadium Chicago White Sox Lou Kretlow Left-handed 1st RF  

Inning:

 Men
on
Base:		 At-Bats:

Hits:

 Walks: Runs: RBI: Stolen
Bases:		 Final
Score:
4 2 4

1

   2 3  

Yankees 5,
White Sox 3

Description: Mickey scorched a line drive into the lower right-field stands to break a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning. The win kept the Yankees 3 percentage points ahead of second-place Cleveland. This game was the turning point for the Yankees. After this big win they broke away and ended up winning the pennant by five games. Mickey finished his rookie season with 13 homers.

Quotes & Comments: 

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