Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 340

instead of sending him to the minors. His salary for the 1951 season was $7,500. Mantle was assigned uniform number 6, signifying the expectation from the Yankees front office that he would become the next Yankees star, following Babe Ruth (No. 3), Lou Gehrig (No. 4), and Joe DiMaggio (No. 5).

After a brief slump, Mantle was sent down to the Yankees' top farm team, the Kansas City Blues. However, after a quick pro start, his struggles at the plate continued. Out of frustration, he called his father and told him; "I don't think I can play baseball anymore." Mutt Mantle drove up to Kansas City that day.

When he arrived, he started packing his son's clothes and, according to Mantle, said; "I thought I raised a man. I see I raised a coward instead. You can come back to Oklahoma and work the mines with me." After his father's rebuke, Mantle gradually broke out of his slump and went on to hit .361 with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs during his stay in Kansas City.

Mantle was called up to the Yankees after 40 games with Kansas City, this time wearing uniform number 7. He hit .267 with 13 home runs and 65 RBI in 96 games as the Yankees reached the World Series against the New York Giants. In the second game of the 1951 World Series, Giants rookie Willie Mays hit a fly ball

to right center field. Mantle, playing right field, raced for the ball together with center fielder DiMaggio. At the last