Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 354

number of bunt singles, with 80 in only 148 at bats. Most of this was done in his early years as the crowd, who wanted to see him hit it 500 feet began booing, even at Yankee Stadium. He was also known for his remarkable speed, an ability to avoid grounding into double plays. For every 100 at bats, Mantle grounded into 1.40 double plays, one of the lowest marks in history. In both 1953 and 1961, he hit into only two double plays over the course of 1,186 plate appearances. As stated, Mickey Mantle was not just incredibly strong, but he was also incredibly fast. In 1958, The Mick hit an inside the park home run on May 9, 1958, another on May 20, 1958, and a third on June 5, 1958. Not one Yankee player since Mantle, has hit three inside the park home runs in the same season.

Though not a flashy fielder, Mantle was an overall solid center fielder, especially considering he did not play the position

until after he had reached the Major Leagues. Manager Casey Stengel, unimpressed with him at shortstop, moved him to the outfield before his rookie year. Over time, Mantle developed one of the strongest outfield arms. His outfield throws discouraged runners from taking an extra base. Possessed of good range in center field, his defensive skill was considered “the less spectacular equal of his offensive genius.” Although he considered himself a better hitter than fielder, Mantle felt his