Mickey Mantle FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions about Mickey Mantle)

Part Four
(Excerpted from the award-winning DVD, Mickey Mantle: The American Dream Comes To Life^® - The Deluxe Lost Stories Edition - Mickey Mantle tells his own life story (autobiography) on DVD. Click Here to learn more about it. Click Here to see an outline of the contents of the DVD.)

31. How many times did Mickey Mantle switch-hit home runs in a game in his career?

Mickey switch-hit homers in a game 10 times during his career, a record when he retired.

32. How many home runs did Mickey hit right-handed, and how many did he hit left-handed?

Mickey hit 372 homers left-handed and 164 right-handed. This is due to the fact that he had many more at bats left-handed than right-handed because of the predominance of right-handed pitchers in baseball. In the World Series Mickey hit ten homers left-handed and eight right-handed, and in All-Star competition he hit one from each side.

33. In which month did Mickey hit the most career home runs?

During the month of June Mickey hit 113 career home runs, followed by July (111), May (110), August (95), September (67) and April (40).

34. How many games did Mickey play?

Mickey played in 2,401 games during his career, all for the New York Yankees, a Yankees record. Mickey played in more games as a Yankee than any other player.

35. When was Mickey Mantle inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Mickey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, his first season of eligibility. Appropriately enough, Mickey was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with his close friend and teammate pitcher Whitey Ford. (Photo on right.)

36. Was Mickey a unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame?

Surprisingly and remarkably, no player has ever been a unanimous selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

37. Who were The Mick's best friends?

Mickey's two closest friends were Yankees second baseman and later manager Billy Martin and Yankees pitching great Whitey Ford. (Photo on right.) They became known as the "Three Musketeers." He was also close friends with Yankees pitcher and fellow Oklahoman Tom Sturdivant, and outfielders Hank Bauer and Roger Maris.

38. What did Mickey call his "greatest thrill?"

Mickey used to say there were so many that it was hard to pick one, but he usually singled out Mickey Mantle Day at Yankee Stadium in 1969 after he had retired. (Photo on right.) Almost 70,000 people filled the park that day. Interestingly enough, Mantle is the only player to have had four days in his honor at Yankee Stadium: Mickey Mantle Day in 1965 (Mayor Robert Wagner proclaimed September 18, 1965 as Mickey Mantle Day in New York City), Mickey Mantle Fan Appreciation Day in 1966, Mickey Mantle Day in 1969, and Mickey Mantle Day in 1997 after his death.

39. What did Mickey call "probably the biggest game I ever played in?"

Mickey referred to Don Larsen's Perfect Game on October 8, 1956 in the 1956 World Series as "probably the biggest game I ever played in." Mickey hit a solo home run to bring home the first run for the Yankees, and made a spectacular running catch of a Gil Hodges 450-foot bid for extra bases to save the game.

40. How many times was Mickey Mantle selected to the All-Star team?

Mickey was a 20-time American League All-Star. (NOTE: The baseball All-Star Game was played twice annually from 1959 to 1962, which explains why Mickey was named to the team more times than the number of seasons - 18 - that he played.)
 

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