Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 344

Mantle won his second consecutive MVP in 1957, leading the leagues in runs scored and walks and recording a career high batting average of .365, second best in the AL. That season, Mantle reached base more times than he made outs (319 to 312), one of two seasons in which he achieved the feat. In the 1957 World Series, the Yankees faced the Milwaukee Braves. During Game 5, Mantle suffered a torn tendon in his left shoulder from a collision with Braves second baseman Red Schoendienst. The Braves won the series in seven games and the injury would lead to Mantle having struggles in his uppercut swing from the left side for the remainder of his career.

Still recovering from his shoulder injury, Mantle's 1958 season started slowly. During the first half, he was hitting a modest .274. However, he eventually regained his form, hitting .330 in the second half of the season, finishing

with .304 batting average and leading the league in home runs, runs scored, and walks. He led the Yankees back to a World Series rematch against the Braves, this time coming out victorious. Despite his strong season, the Yankees declined Mantle's request for a contract raise to $85,000, citing that his batting average was almost 61 points lower than the year before. After briefly holding out, Mantle eventually settled for their lower offer of $70,000.