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Mickey Mantle biography

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Mickey Mantle was a professional baseball player with the New York Yankees (1951-1968). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

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Mickey Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. Scouted whie in high school, Mantle joined the majors at age 19. He played his first game for the Yankees in 1951 and stayed with the team for his entire 18-year career. The switch-hitting slugger hit 536 home runs and was voted the American League Most Valuable Player three times. He died in 1994.

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Baseball player. Born Mickey Charles Mantle on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. Named by his baseball-loving father after Detroit Tigers catcher Mickey Cochrane, Mickey Mantle was trained from a young age to be a switch-hitter. A New York Yankees scout saw him play while in high school, and Mantle signed on for two years in the minors before joining the major league team at age 19.

Mickey Mantle played his first game for the Yankees in 1951, eventually replacing Joe DiMaggio in center field. During his 18-year career with the Yankees, the switch-hitting slugger hit 536 home runs and was voted the American League Most Valuable Player three times (1956–7, 1962). In 1956 he won the American League triple crown with 52 home runs, 130 runs batted in, and a •353 batting average.

Throughout his career, Mantle was plagued by injuries and leg pain caused by osteomyelitis, yet he persevered to leave one of the greatest baseball legacies of all time. After retiring from baseball on March 1, 1969, Mantle became a restaurateur and television commentator. He was also featured in numerous documentaries and sports videos. A fan favorite, he was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1974.

After years of hard drinking, Mantle entered the Betty Ford Clinic in 1994 and was diagnosed with cirrhosis, hepatitis and cancer of the liver. Although he received a liver transplant in 1995, he died on August 13, 1995. He was survived by his ex-wife, Merlyn, and three sons, David, Danny and Mickey, Jr. A fourth son, Billy, died in 1994 of Hodgkin's disease.

© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

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