Mickey Mantle

Birth Name:

Mickey Charles Mantle

Birth Place:

Spavinaw, Oklahoma, United States

Profession

Actor

In 1974, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame alongside teammate and best friend Whitey Ford
Set the record for most World Series home runs at 18
As a child, after his father got home from working in lead and zinc mines, the two would practice baseball next to an old, tin barn with his grandfather using tennis balls
Scout Tom Greenwade signed him to a contract with the New York Yankees for $140 per month and a $1,150 signing bonus on his high school graduation day after watching him hit two home runs into a local river during a single 1948 game
Played baseball in the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids semi-pro league when he was 15 years old
Known as a center fielder for the New York Yankees
Considered the greatest MLB switch hitter of all time
At the time of his death, his 1953 565-foot home run was the longest measured home run in the history of baseball, and the term "tape measure home run" was coined because of it
His father, hoping he would grow up to play professional baseball, named him after Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane
His father once drove from Commerce, Okla․, to Independence, Mo․, to convince him not to quit baseball after a hitting slump

Fast Facts