Mantle's Early Injuries
Mickey Suffered Two Serious Injuries Before He Was Twenty Years Old
Sep 30, 2007
The date was January 6, 1951. Yankees’ scout Tom Greenwade told reporters that the Yankees had a shortstop on the Binghamton roster named Mickey Mantle who “might be a great center fielder.” Four days later, on January 10, 1951, Mickey Mantle arrived in New York for a routine check up to have some sort of bone disease in his left ankle checked. Following the examination, the Yankees announced that “Mickey’s locomotion is hampered only slightly, but we can’t tell now what effect this condition will have on his baseball future."
Mickey Develops Osteomyelitis
In his second year of high school, Mickey was kicked on his left shin during football practice. The injury made the leg susceptible to infection and unfortunately, the leg became swollen. Mickey Mantle developed osteomyelitis, which is a bone disease caused by bacteria or fungi. Usually the victim has an infection someplace else in the body, but because the injured leg is weakened, bacteria or fungi carried by blood allow them to attack the injured area.
Penicillin Saves Mickey's Leg
Mickey’s leg swelled up and osteomyelitis developed. His left leg became badly swollen and at one-point doctors wanted to amputate it, but Mickey’s mother refused. She took him to the Crippled Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City, where Mickey was treated with penicillin, a new miracle drug. It saved his leg, but didn’t alter the fact that the condition would increase the likelihood of future leg injuries.
A Profound Statement
When the Yankees announced in January 1951, that no one could tell what effect the osteomyelitis condition would have on Mickey’s career, they were making a profoundly consequential statement. Mickey suffered many leg injuries and despite a Hall of Fame career, Mickey Mantle is the prime example of “what might have been.”
A Sprained Right Knee in the World Series
The Yankees won the 1951 pennant and faced the Giants in the World Series with Mickey Mantle as their lead off hitter. In Game 2, Mickey suffered a leg injury that would haunt him more than the osteomyelitis. In the fifth inning, Willie Mays lifted a high fly ball to right center. Mickey moved to his right as DiMaggio moved to left and made an easy catch, but inexplicably, Mickey “in some unaccountable manner tripped as he came near DiMaggio and fell flat. He had to be carried off the field in a stretcher and later it was revealed by Dr. Sidney Gaynor, Yankee physician, that the youngster had suffered a sprained right knee that would sideline him for the rest of the series.”
By Age Nineteen, Mickey Had Suffered Injuries to Both Legs
By the age of nineteen, Mickey had suffered major injuries to each leg. For most of his career, he taped his legs from above his ankles to his thighs before games for support. Mickey had the greatest combination of speed and power of any player in the game’s history, but he never utilized his speed as much as he might have due to the fear of injury and the fact that the Yankees were a power team during most of his career, which decreased his need to bunt and steal bases.
Dean, Griffey Jr., Mattingly, Kiner, and Fidrych
Mickey isn’t the only great player whose accomplishments were affected by injury. Dizzy Dean, Ken Griffey Jr., Don Mattingly, Ralph Kiner, and Mark Fidrych represent a small sample. With the passage of time, Mantle’s ranking has increased. Today, he is considered to have been better than he was considered when he played. Only those who saw him when he played for an extended period of time, UNINJURED, appreciate his greatness.
References:
McGowen, Roscoe. “No Cut in Salary for Bomber Star; Yankees See Possible Future Replacement for Center Fielder in Mickey Mantle of Binghamton.” New York Times. 6 January 1951, p. 24.
McGowen, Roscoe. “Announced Yankee Rookie in Town.” New York Times. 10 January 1951, p. 47.
Drebinger, John. "Yanks Win, 3 to 1, Tie Series; Lopat Holds Giants to 5 Hits." New York Times. 6 October 1951, p. 1.
Castro, Tony. Mickey Mantle, America's Prodigal Son. Herndon, Virginia: July 11, 2002.
