Yankee Pride: Remembering Mickey Mantle in the 1960s

It is said that, when his career with the Yankees began in the early 1950s, Mickey Mantle possessed – among his many physical skills – tremendous speed on the base paths and in the outfield (hence one of his nicknames … the Commerce Comet).

He was the complete baseball player, rivaled only by Willie Mays in his ability to excel in so many athletic skills. He led the American League in runs scored 4 times during the 1950s, and led the league in home runs 3 times, including his Triple Crown season of 1956. By the end of the 1950s, the 27-year-old Mantle already had 280 home runs and 841 RBIs. He seemed the most logical choice to break Babe Ruth's career home run record.

By the 1960s, injuries had taken their toll on the Mick's legs. He could no longer beat you with speed, unless you were talking about bat speed … enough to make him one of the most dangerous hitters in the American League for the first half of the decade. Not to take anything away from Roger Maris' tremendous achievements in 1960 and 1961, but it's unlikely that Maris would have seen the same consistent quality of pitches had Mantle not been batting behind him.

Mantle led the American League with 40 home runs in 1960, the last year he would top the league in that category. Always an outstanding post-season hitter, Mickey Mantle shredded the Pittsburgh pitching staff during the 1960 World Series. He batted .400 in the 7-game series, collecting 10 hits (including 3 home runs) and drove in 11 runs.

While 1961 will always be remembered as the year Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's home run record, it was an outstanding season for Mantle. In addition to his 54 home runs and .317 batting average, Mantle led the league in runs (132), slugging percentage (.687), and walks (126).

Injuries limited his playing time and home run output to 30 in 1962 and 15 in 1963. However, his 30 home runs with 89 RBIs and a .321 batting average in 1962 (in only 123 games and 377 official at-bats) were good enough to earn Mantle his third Most Valuable Player award.

Mantle's power numbers rebounded in 1964 with 35 home runs (and 111 RBIs). He wouldn't hit that many home runs again in a season, retiring after the 1968 season. Yet during the 9 seasons he played during the 1960s, Mantle hit nearly half of his 536 career home runs. 

Mantle was a lethal force for producing runs in the first half of the decade, especially in tandem with Maris, and was integral to the Yankees winning 5 consecutive American League pennants in the first half of the 1960s. This 16-time All-Star, and probably the best switch hitter in baseball history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.