#350 Mickey Mantle - New York Yankees

Mickey Charles Mantle
New York Yankees
Outfield

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  195
Born:  October 20, 1931, Spavinaw, OK
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1951-1968
Hall of Fame Induction:  1974
Died:  August 13, 1995, Dallas, TX (age 63)

Writing about the extremely well-known Hall of Famers in this set is way more difficult and daunting than writing about the fringe players who enjoyed a cup of coffee in the majors.  What can I write here about Mickey Mantle that isn't already well known and better written?

With that caveat out of the way . . . Mickey Mantle, the popular center fielder for the Yankees during their 1950s and early 1960s dynasty, was a three-time A.L. MVP winner, a 20-time All-Star, a triple crown winner in 1956 and a member of 7 World Champion Yankees teams.  He's regarded as one of the best switch hitters in baseball history and was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1974.  Mantle led the league in home runs four times and in runs scored five times.  He finished his career with a .298 batting average, 2,415 hits, 536 home runs (currently 18th all-time) and 1,509 RBIs.  His #7 was retired by the Yankees upon his retirement in 1969, he ranked 17th on the 1998 Sporting News list of Baseball's 100 Greatest Players, and he was voted as one of the three outfielders on Major League Baseball's All-Century Team.

Not surprisingly, Mantle was my Dad's favorite non-Phillies baseball player.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.

Building the Set
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Card Plus - Cooper City, FL) - Card #598
This was the fourth of four final cards acquired for our set at The Philly Show, the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  We arrived at the show in a steady rain right after doors opened at 9am, secured our autograph tickets and started walking the floor prior to the arrival of most of the crowd.  My goal for the show was simple:  Find the last four cards needed to complete our 1965 Topps set.  I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.

The first two cards needed to complete our set took a while to find, but I eventually added the Orlando Cepeda (#360) and the Gordy Coleman (#269) cards within the first hour of walking around.  With Cepeda and Coleman out of the way, I turned my attention to the Tony Perez rookie card (#581) and the BIG final card needed for our set - this Mantle card.  Perez came quickly, as I found a gorgeous version of the card for sale from dealer America's Pastime.  Having spent a few hours at this point walking the show floor, I had added notes in my phone for the location of five ungraded Mantles I had come across so far, none of which had checked off the two qualities I was looking for - relative affordability and excellent or better condition.

When I came across this Mantle card from Sports Card Plus, I knew we had completed our set.  There was some negotiation, and a little hesitation, but I eventually agreed to the price the dealer finally offered.  And then . . . I went a step further.  In the case next to the stack of 1965 Topps superstar cards was a stack of 1969 Topps superstar cards with the 1969 Topps Mantle card, one of the key cards of that set, on top of the stack.  I asked to see that card as well, studied it for a minute or two, and offered the dealer a bundled price for the two Mantle cards.  My offer was accepted after a few beats, Venmo information was exchanged, and the cards were ours.  Our 1965 Topps set, begun almost three years prior, was complete.

I found Doug and casually announced, "We completed the set."  Smiling, he asked to see the Mantle card and then I proceeded to show him not one but two new Mantle cards.  I then regaled him with my negotiation story, which will be embellished and lengthened for dramatic effect as the years go on.  My Dad would be proud.  Four down, none to go.

I honestly held off a few weeks to write this post as we were busy with Christmas preparations and because I didn't want this particular journey to end.  This was fun.  Slogging through some of the commons and multi-player Rookie Star cards got a little tedious at times, but I enjoyed myself.  As I've stated before on this blog, writing about these baseball cards helped me escape briefly each day and got me through some long, stressful days during the 2020 pandemic.  I'll start up my 1969 Topps blog in earnest now, with regular posting starting in the new year.

The Card / Yankees Team Set
Each of Mantle's cards in Topps flagship sets between 1952 and 1969 are iconic, and this card is no exception.  The back of the card highlights his heroics in the 1964 World Series, and his walk-off home run in Game 3 is highlighted earlier in the set (#134).  Mantle also appears on two League Leaders cards for home runs (#3) and RBIs (#5), so this base card is his fourth appearance overall in the 1965 Topps set.  Also highlighted on the back are his three MVP wins and his four home run titles.  He would not add to either of those tallies.

This card has been reprinted quite a bit, and I tried to review Mantle's entire cardboard output in the Trading Card Database to determine how many different reprints are available.  I counted six different reprint versions for the card, starting with the reprints available as inserts with the 1996 Topps flagship set and up to the 2021 Topps x Mickey Mantle exclusive online set.

1965 Season
Mantle's SABR biography notes "years of injuries, late nights and excessive alcohol consumption" caught up to him in 1965.  While he was still an All-Star, he endured possibly the worst season of his career, batting .255 in 122 games with 19 home runs and 46 RBIs.  The Yankees finished below .500 at 77-85 and in sixth place, with Mantle making 107 starts in left field.

1951 Bowman #253

1952 Topps #311

1959 Topps #10

1962 Topps #200

1969 Topps #500

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #253
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (25):  1952-1953, 1956-1969, 1975, 1996, 2006-2012
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Update Salute to the Mick #STM-9

5,873 - Mantle non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/21/22.

Sources:  
1956 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

And with that, this blog is done! The video above flips through the entire glorious and bindered set.

Previous Card:  #349 Larry Miller - New York Mets

Next Card:  #351 Jim Perry - Minnesota Twins

#134 World Series Game 3 - Mantle's Clutch HR

The 1964 World Series opened in St. Louis on October 7th and it ended 8 days later back in St. Louis with the Cardinals winning the decisive Game 7.

It was the fifth time these two teams had faced each other in the World Series, with the Yankees winning in 1928 and 1943 and the Cardinals prevailing in 1926 and 1942.  This also marked the end of an era for the Yankees, as the club had appeared in 14 of 16 fall classics since 1949 and they wouldn't appear again until 1976.  Former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra (#470) was in his first year as the team's manager, and he'd be unceremoniously fired following the series loss and replaced with (ironically enough) the Cardinals' manager, Johnny Keane (#131).  Keane would only last with the Yankees until 20 games into the 1966 season.

World Series cards were a key subset in Topps offerings throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with a card highlighting each game along with a series capping "Celebration" card.

Building the Set
May 6, 2021 from Port Washington, NY - Card #260
This was an unexpected buy consummated while watching the Phillies blow a game against the Mets on Saturday night, May 1st.  Specifically browsing for one of the last three "big" cards* needed from the 1965 Topps set's second series, I found this World Series card reasonably priced from seller Clean Sweep Auctions and impulsively clicked Buy It Now.  The card arrived a few days later.  Apparently the card I had purchased was already gone, so Clean Sweep upgraded me to a NM version of the card, which had a price tag almost three times higher than what I had actually paid.  Having now purchased a string of star cards for our set, I'd like to turn my attention back to the remaining commons needed to complete the second series.  

*The other two "big" second series cards remaining from our checklist are Frank Robinson (#120) and Roberto Clemente (#160).

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Yankees Team Set

The Cardinals and Yankees split the first two series games in St. Louis, and Game 3 was played in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium.  Former Phillie Curt Simmons (#373), 18-9 during the regular season was starting for the Cardinals with Jim Bouton (#30), 18-13, on the mound for the Yankees.  A pitcher's duel resulted with the Yankees touching Simmons first when Clete Boyer (#475) doubled home Elston Howard (#450) in the second inning for the game's first run.  Simmons helped his own cause in the fifth, singling home Tim McCarver (#294) to tie the score.  McCarver's run was unearned as he had singled to start the inning, but moved to second base on a fielding error by Mickey Mantle (#350) in right field.

In the top of the ninth, the Cardinals stranded the potential go-ahead run at third when Curt Flood (#415) lined out to Mantle to end the inning.  In the bottom of the ninth, Simmons yielded to the Cardinals' closer, veteran Barney Schultz (#28).  Mantle didn't waste any time, connecting for a game-winning, walk-off home run that sailed over right fielder Mike Shannon's (#43) head to give the Yankees a 2-1 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

The interesting thing about this card is the photo used is clearly not from Mantle's game-winning at-bat, and it's not even from Yankee Stadium.  Mantle is wearing the Yankees' away jersey here, with "New York" shown across the jersey's front.  And that sure looks like Bob Gibson's (#320) follow-through as it's clearly not Schultz shown on the mound.  Gibson started Game 2 and Game 7 of the 1964 World Series in St. Louis, facing off against Mantle eight times as follows:

Game 2, first inning - strike out swinging

Game 2, fourth inning - strike out looking

Game 2, sixth inning - walk

Game 2, seventh inning - RBI groundout to second

Game 7, second inning - strike out swinging

Game 7, fourth inning - groundout back to Gibson

Game 7, sixth inning - three-run home run

Game 7, eight inning - flied out to center

In the photo used for this Topps cards, the catcher, McCarver for all those Mantle plate appearances, has just caught the ball here so this could simply be a swing and a miss by Mantle or one of the two times above he struck out swinging.  Shown above are two photos from those Gibson/Mantle match-ups, and shown below is the actual video of Mantle's Game 3 home run.  The black and white photo above is from Game 2 with a different umpire and different spectators in the stands behind home plate when compared to this Topps card.  That leads me to believe the photo shown on 1965 Topps card #134, celebrating Mantle's Game 3 walk-off home run, is actually him striking out swinging against Gibson in Game 7.  (Given the multitude of baseball card bloggers out there I have to imagine someone has discovered and written about this before.)

Sources:
Baseball Reference

Prior Card:  #133 World Series Game 2

Next Card:  #135 World Series Game 4

#5 1964 A.L. RBI Leaders - Robinson, Stuart, Mantle & Killebrew

Beginning in 1961, Topps started including league leader cards in its sets and there are 12 league leaders cards kicking off the 1965 Topps set.

Building the Set
December 25, 2020 from Las Vegas, NV - Card #197

This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  Hunting specifically for first series cards, this was the biggest card added and the final "star" card needed in order to complete the first series set.  I purchased this card at what I thought was a reasonable price from eBay seller mmartin9, the same seller who sold me the Whitey Ford (#330) card in October.  This was the last of the League Leaders cards needed, and the 12 cards look fantastic all together in 9-pocket binder pages.

The Card
Four of the seven American League sluggers to cross the 100-RBI threshold in 1964 are featured on this card with Rocky Colavito (#380), Joe Pepitone (#245) and Leon Wagner (#367) just missing the cut.  Brooks Robinson's (#150) 118 RBIs marked a career high and the only time he finished with a league-leading total.  The 1964 A.L. MVP would finish in the league's top ten eight different times, never finishing in the top three again after 1964.

Dick Stuart (#280) had led the league with 118 RBIs in 1963, and his 114 RBIs in 1964 marked the third and final time during his career that he'd drive in at least 100 runs.  Stuart was traded to the Phillies after the 1964 season for pitcher Dennis Bennett (#147).  I'll keep track of this as I collect more cards in the set, but I think he's the only person to appear on two cards on two different teams within the 1965 Topps set.  The pricey-ness of this card is caused by Mickey Mantle's (#350) presence.  1964 was to be Mantle's final year with a high RBI tally, and the fourth and final time he had at least 100 RBIs.  Mantle had led the league previously in 1956 with 130 RBIs in one of his three MVP years.

Harmon Killebrew (#400) was just getting started.  He'd finish his career with a staggering nine seasons of driving in at least 100 runs or more, leading the league in 1962, 1969 and 1971.  

Orioles Team Set / Red Sox Team Set / Yankees Team Set / Twins Team Set  

Previous Card:  #4 1964 N.L. Home Run Leaders

Next Card:  #6 1964 N.L. RBI Leaders

#3 1964 A.L. Home Run Leaders - Killebrew, Powell & Mantle

Beginning in 1961, Topps started including league leader cards in its sets and there are 12 league leaders cards kicking off the 1965 Topps set.

Building the Set
April 29, 2020 from Olney, MD - Card #92

In the middle of the sixth week of the coronavirus lockdown, I decided I needed some cardboard therapy.  The last card I had added for our set was back in the beginning of April when I went searching for the Al Kaline (#130) card upon his passing.  With no clear direction in mind, I went out to eBay and decided I'd pool my budget together for a few of the bigger cards in the set.  I browsed aimlessly until deciding on a reasonable strategy for my search - I'd look for cards in the order we needed them.  We already have cards #1 and #2, so I started looking for cards #3 and #4.  If I use this strategy again, I might start going backwards too, looking for cards #598, #597, etc.  I realize I'm lucky I can still buy baseball cards at this time and I don't take it for granted that I'm able to do so.  I'd like to think that buying these few cards is also helping the sellers in some small way.

This card is the priciest of the league leaders cards as it features Mickey Mantle (#350).  I bought this from a seller in Olney, MD on a Sunday and the card arrived at our house on Wednesday.  The price I paid for it was fair and the happiness it brought me upon its arrival was immediate and much needed.

At the end of April, the end of the lockdown was still no where in sight, although some states had started to (most likely prematurely) ease restrictions.  My family was safe and healthy and we had settled into our new routine, only leaving the house for walks, to play outside or to venture to the grocery store.  What a strange, stressful and scary time.

The Card
The A.L. Batting Leaders card (#1) features the same three teams as this card, in the same order, but with three different players - Tony Oliva (#340), Brooks Robinson (#150) and Elston Howard (#450).  Rather than displaying each player's team name next to their names, I would have preferred Topps gave us their leading totals on the fronts of these cards.  Harmon Killebrew (#400) had 49 home runs, and it was the fourth time he had led the league in this category.  He'd top the league twice more in 1967 and 1969, with the 49 home runs he hit in 1964 and 1969 representing career highs.

Boog Powell (#560) had 39 home runs, a career high for him, and this was the closest he'd ever come to leading the league.  He had seven top 10 finishes in the home run category between 1964 and 1975.  Mantle's 35 home runs would be the last time the slugger surpassed the 30-home run plateau in his career.  He had previously led the league in 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1960.  He hit home run #35 on September 30th, breaking the tie he had with Rocky Colavito (#380).  Colavito had hit his 34th home run of the season on September 29th and had Mantle not connected on the 30th, he would have been squeezed into the bottom row of this card with Powell and Mantle.

Flipping to the back, it's cool that Topps decided to include every A.L. batter who had hit a grand slam in 1964.

Twins Team Set / Orioles Team Set / Yankees Team Set

Previous Card:  #2 1964 N.L. Batting Leaders

Next Card:  #4 1964 N.L. Home Run Leaders