Mantle reached the New York Yankees as a highly-touted 19-year-old rookie in 1951, a fleet-footed, power-hitting, presumed successor to the immortal but fading Joe DiMaggio. To accentuate the anticipation, he was given uniform number 6, immediately following DiMaggio's 5, Lou Gehrig's 4, and Babe Ruth's 3. The spotlight and the pressure were on.
A Shaky Legend Begins
The Yankees had won two consecutive world championships under Manager Casey Stengel in 1949 and 1950. They had a brilliant pitching staff headed by Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, and Ed Lopat, fine fielding anchored by shortstop Phil Rizzuto, and adequate hitting led by DiMaggio, who had come on in the latter half of 1950 to compile his last .300 average.
Stengel had never established rapport with his long idolized center fielder and he welcomed the arrival of a future star young enough for him to mold. The manage posted him in right field and carefully observed him through spring training and the early months of the season. Whether it was the unrealistic expectations or just the steep big jump required to make it in the major leagues, Mantle was a flop by midsummer.Stengel sent him to the Kansas City farm team for several weeks and then recalled him when his hitting picked up. His uniform number was changed to 7 to relieve some of the pressure. Although Mickey hit only .267 in 96 games for the Yankees, he showed some power with 13 home runs and was eligible for the World Series. To cap a disappointing season, however, he injured an ankle on a covered drain in the outfield and missed most of the Series.
With DiMaggio retired, Mantle was installed in center field in 1952 and hit well, but his fielding was uncertain enough for him to be moved to right or left field briefly. By the end of the season, he was back in center and had hit over .300 for the first of ten times in his career. He was also a World Series hero this time with three homers and a .345 batting average. While he dipped to .295 in 1953, he made headlines with a 565-foot home run in Washington and was a leader in the Yankees' record fifth straight world championship. Mickey managed .300 seasons in 1954 and 1955, and in the latter won his first home run title with 37.
The Breakthrough
But even Stengel and a growing crowd of admirers had to be elated over the 1956 achievements. Mantle won the triple crown with a .353 batting average, 52 home runs, and 130 runs batted in. He was the American League's Most Valuable Player, an award he would win twice more, and he saved Don Larsen's perfect game with a spectacular running catch of a long fly ball.
