New York Yankees History: Mickey Mantle Retires

Mickey Mantle was a legend, a once in a generation type of talent for the New York Yankees. On this day, after years of knee injuries and a rough 1968 campaign, Mantle announced his retirement.

Of all the players in baseball history, few were able to capture the imagination quite like Mickey Mantle. The star center fielder for the New York Yankees, Mantle made the game seem effortless. With his incredible power from both sides of the plate, and his incredible speed prior to his knee injuries, Mantle was a legend during his own time.

Yet, even the legends come to their end. For Mantle, his knee injuries sapped him of most of that excellent speed, and his issues with the bottle caused other issues. His inevitable downfall happened in 1968, when Mantle posted a .237/.385/.398 batting line, hitting 18 home runs and 14 doubles. At 36 years old, Mantle just did not have the magic any longer.

On this day in 1969, Mantle could no longer deny his reality. He announced his retirement from the Yankees, walking away from the game he loved. Mantle would have a couple of more moments at Yankee Stadium, giving his farewell speech on Mickey Mantle Day on June 8. He also had one more home run left, when he took Whitey Ford deep during the Yankees Old Timer’s Game in 1973.

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Mantle left behind an impressive legacy. In his 18 year career, he made 16 All Star Games and won the MVP award three times, and finished second three other times. He won the Triple Crown in 1956, a season where he had a .353/.464/.705 batting line and 52 home runs. Mantle was even able to win a Gold Glove award in 1962, even though his speed was just about gone by that point.

His career numbers are still impressive even though it has been nearly 50 years since he retired. Mantle posted a lifetime .298/.421/.557 batting line, with 536 home runs and 1509 RBI. When he retired, Mantle was third all time on the home run list, trailing just Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.

One has to wonder what his numbers would have been like if Mantle’s knee stayed healthy and if he stayed away from the bottle. Mantle could have easily hit 600 homers, and may well have challenged Ruth’s all time mark. 3000 hits would not have been out of the question either, as Mantle finished with 2415 hits in his career. What was already a great career could have been even more impressive.

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On this day in 1969, New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle walked off into the sunset. With his injury issues, it was time.