--- title: Mickey Mantle: Photos of the Yankee Legend, 1952-1967 description: A quick tour through Mickey Mantle's life -- and a glimpse into why one player won the hearts of so many fans across so many years. canonical: https://time.com/3868628/mickey-mantle-photos-of-the-yankee-legend-1952-1967/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2012-01-20T09:40:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:03:56.853Z og:title: Mickey Mantle: Photos of the Yankee Legend, 1952-1967 og:description: A quick tour through Mickey Mantle's life -- and a glimpse into why one player won the hearts of so many fans across so many years. og:url: https://time.com/3868628/mickey-mantle-photos-of-the-yankee-legend-1952-1967/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d0503d67f58e921/69868294810bbb37aec90239/50334897.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4668 og:image:height: 2626 og:image:alt: Mickey Mantle og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Mickey Mantle: Photos of the Yankee Legend, 1952-1967 twitter:description: A quick tour through Mickey Mantle's life -- and a glimpse into why one player won the hearts of so many fans across so many years. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d0503d67f58e921/69868294810bbb37aec90239/50334897.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # LIFE With Mickey Mantle: Glory and Pain > Sponsored content. 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Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=a83558be-cdac-41a4-98a0-a48624320987&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=a83558be-cdac-41a4-98a0-a48624320987&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Jan 20, 2012 9:40 AM UTC  One of Mantle's nicknames was the Commerce Comet -- Commerce was the name of his hometown in Oklahoma -- and he indeed had exceptional speed. (He was offered a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.) Oddly, though, he only stole 153 bases in his big league career. One of Mantle's nicknames was the Commerce Comet -- Commerce was the name of his hometown in Oklahoma -- and he indeed had exceptional speed. (He was offered a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.) Oddly, though, he only stole 153 bases in his big league career. Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Jan 20, 2012 9:40 AM UTC Many baseball scouts called the young Mickey Mantle the most talented prospect they’d ever seen, and he justified their confidence in his abilities on the field and at the plate by reaching the big leagues in 1951 when he was just 19\. The next season, at 20, he replaced Joe DiMaggio as the Yankees’ center fielder and finished third in the MVP voting. The story of Mantle’s “arc” — from gullible country boy to big city superstar to faded, injury-ravaged icon playing out his last games as a shadow of his former, formidable self — has been told countless times. Here, LIFE presents a quick tour through The Mick’s life, on the field and off, in hopes of providing a glimpse into why one player won the hearts of so many fans across so many years . . . and what the lineaments of an athlete’s life can look like when the stands empty and the fans go home. Mantle stood 5′ 11″ and weighed roughly 200 lbs. his whole career, but he packed prodigious power into that frame. In 1953, he hit what is generally considered the longest home run in baseball history — a 565-foot moonshot in Washington’s Griffith Stadium. He was especially dangerous as a hitter for two reasons: he was a switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, and he had a keen batting eye. He finished in the top three in walks 12 times and had a career on-base percentage of .421. Mantle was just as big a threat in the postseason. A seven-time champion, he played the second-most World Series games in history and holds Series records for home runs (18), RBIs (40), runs (42), walks (43) and total bases (123). His last few years as a player, however, were not the best of times, as his body, ravaged by injuries and alcohol abuse, began to betray him. His post-baseball life was also wracked with hardships, including liver failure and the death of his son, Billy. In his prime, though, Mickey Mantle was an absolute wonder on the diamond — a rare combination of speed, power, grace and, perhaps especially, grit.  Twenty-year-old Mickey Mantle celebrates in the locker room after a Yankees' World Series win, October 1952\. The Yankees beat the Dodgers in seven games that year to claim the title. Mark Kauffman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  One of Mantle's nicknames was the Commerce Comet -- Commerce was the name of his hometown in Oklahoma -- and he indeed had exceptional speed. (He was offered a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.) Oddly, though, he only stole 153 bases in his big league career. Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle makes a running catch on a fly ball to left field during the 3rd game of the World Series at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, NY on September 30, 1955. Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle slams into Luis Aparicio's feet while sliding into second, June 1956. Mark Kauffman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle in the backyard of his River Edge, NJ, home on June 7, 1956. Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle, center, hits a home run in World Series game in Pittsburgh in October 1960. Art Rickerby—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Score board reading "Mantle Now Has 14 World Series Homers," October 1960. Art Rickerby—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Surrounded by the press, Mickey Mantle, center, smiles after hitting two home runs in the World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates in October 1960. Art Rickerby—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle soaking in whirlpool bathtub after game, 1964. John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle in a convertible during a New York parade in June 1956. Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Left to right, self-described "saloon keeper" Bernard "Toots" Shor talks with Merlyn Mantle and husband Mickey at Shor's restaurant, New York, NY, June 1965. John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle bandages his leg in the locker room before a game, June 1965. John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  After a weak at-bat, Mickey Mantle flings his helmet away in disgust, June 25, 1965. John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle grimaces in pain in the batting cage, spring training, 1967. Mark Kauffman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle poses with his wife Merlyn and their young sons (right to left) Mickey Jr. (who died of cancer in 2000), Billy (who died of Hodgkin's disease in 1994), Danny, and David, in Texas in 1965. John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mickey Mantle on the cover of LIFE magazine, July 30, 1965, with the headline "Mantle's Misery." 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