Bet You Didn't Know This
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by user Harold Friend LouGehrig
As Casey Stengel might say, "Amazing." In his rookie season of 1951, Mickey Mantle was often the Yankees' lead off hitter. After returning from the minor leagues, Mickey and Phil Rizzuto shared the lead off duties, with the other player usually batting second. In the 1951 World Series against the Giants, Mantle was the Yankees' leadoff batter in Games 1 and 2, and when Mickey stepped into a drain cover attempting to catch a Willie Mays fly ball that Joe DiMaggio eventually caught, one of Stengel's problems was deciding who would bat lead off for the remainder of the Series.
The Giants, behind lefty Dave Koslo, won the Series opener at Yankee Stadium, 5-1, beating Allie Reynolds, who had become only the second pitcher in baseball history to hurl two no hitters in the same season. Mickey Mantle went 0-3 with two walks from the lead off spot. The Yankees won Game 2 as steady Eddie Lopat limited the Giants to 5 hits in pitching the Yankees to a much needed 3-1 victory. Mantle again batted lead off and it was his bunting ability that helped the Yankees win. In the first inning, he pushed a bunt to the right of the pitching mound. Giants' starter Larry Jansen attempted to field the perfectly placed bunt but fell down as Mickey raced across the first base bag. With Mantle on first and Rizzuto at the plate, Jansen delivered a fast ball that Rizzuto bunted to the right side of the mound. Giants' first baseman Whitey Lockman fielded the ball , whirled, and fired to second baseman Eddie Stanky, who was covering first. Lockman's toss was wide of the bag, allowing the fleet Mantle to get to third base. Gil McDougald, the 1951 American League Rookie of the Year, hit a bloop single to right field, scoring Mantle but then Joe DiMaggio hit into a double play and Yogi Berra struck out to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth inning, a fateful inning for Mickey Mantle and the Yankees, Willie Mays lifted a high fly ball to right center field. It was clearly the centerfielder's ball. John Drebinger, the great baseball journalist, wrote that "It resulted in an easy out for Joe DiMaggio but, through a rather freakish mishap, eliminated another Yankee player. Dashing over from right field, Mickey Mantle, fleet-footed outfielder, in some unaccountable manner tripped as he came near DiMaggio and fell flat. He had to be carried off the field on a stretcher and later it was revealed by Dr. Sidney Gaynor, Yankee physician, that the youngster had suffered a sprained right knee that would side line him for the remainder of the series."
There is no doubt that it was DiMaggio's play. It is a baseball "rule" that the centerfielder goes for anything he thinks he can catch. There is an excellent photograph in the October 6 New York Times that shows Mickey sprawled on the ground, clearly at least 12 feet away from DiMaggio as the Yankee Clipper makes the catch. Those who have fabricated pejorative scenarios about DiMaggio should have viewed the photo before creating invalid conclusions. Perhaps the photo was viewed and ignored.
Mickey Mantle rarely batted lead off after the 1951 season and it must be noted that Casey Stengel used to change his lineup more often than some politicians change their positions on the war in Iraq, but in Game 4 of the 1953 World Series, a game the Yankees lost to Brooklyn, 7-3, Mickey hit leadoff. In 1962, Mickey had an outside chance of overtaking Pete Runnels for the batting title. Manager Ralph Houk put Mickey in the leadoff slot, but despite going 2 for 3, Mickey could not catch the Red Sox first baseman, who hit .328 to Mickey's .321. Many times during the 1960 season, Stengel batted Mickey second, with Yogi Berra batting third and newly acquired Roger Maris batting cleanup. Few recall or know that in Maris' first three games as a Yankee, he batted in the leadoff spot.
Casey Stengel, who managed the Yankees from 1949-1960, used an extraordinary number of lineups and leadoff batters. Stengel didn't manage by "the book," and took great pleasure when his hunches worked out, which they did most of the time. He used power hitters, singles hitters, and weak hitters to lead off. The list includes Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto, Gil McDougald, Hank Bauer, Gene Woodling, Bob Cerv, Irv Noren, Elston Howard, Enos Slaughter, Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson, Norm Siebern, Harry Simpson, Jerry Lumpe, Andy Carey, Clete Boyer, Marv Throneberry, Johnny Blanchard, Roger Maris, and Hector Lopez. Only Rizzuto fit the generally accepted model of a lead off hitter.
Having Mickey Mantle bat leadoff has its advantages. Mantle got on base, as confirmed by his lifetime .421 OBA. He could steal a base when necessary, although the risk of injury limited the frequency with which he attempted to steal. Many of his home runs would have been leading off the game, which would have put the Yankees quickly ahead by a run. The negative of batting with the bases empty at least once every game is recognized, but batting leadoff would result in more plate appearances each season, which would compensate for that. Another negative is that after his first at bat, Mantle would follow the pitcher in the batting order, but knowing Stengel, he might have batted the pitcher seventh or eighth, something he did with good hitters such as Tommy Byrne and Eddie Lopat. In today's American League with the designated hitter, teams often use a good hitter with speed in the ninth slot of the batting order. If Mantle played today, that would be major reason to use him in the leadoff spot. Regardless where he hit, he usually hit.
References:
Drebinger, John. "Yanks Win, 3 to 1; Tie Series; Lopat Holds Giants to 5 Hits." The New York Times. 6 October 1951, p.1.
Dawson, James P. "Yank's Joy Over Triumph is Tempered by Loss of Mantle for Remaining Games; New Lead-Off Man Stengel Problem." The New York Times. 6 October 1951, p.24.
http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/mantlmi01.php
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mantlmi01.shtml
