Cut Me Mick! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oklahoma

He was born in the city of Spavinaw, 35 miles southwest of a town called Commerce. Mickey went to Commerce High School. He played baseball for Baxter Springs, where he was discovered by Yankee scouts. He had already had received his nickname, 'The Commerce Comet'. After high school, the Yankees signed him as a free agent in 1949.

Answer: 13

In 96 game appearances, Mantle had 91 hits, 29 of those being for extra bases. He batted .267 in the season. After starting the season in April, manager Casey Stengel sent him back down to the Minor Leagues in July, then Mantle came back in August. When he debuted as a Yankee, he donned the number 6, but later changed it to the number 7.

Answer: 1956

In 1956, Mantle tore up the AL with his bat and glove. He smacked 52 home runs and batted .353. He won in a landslide vote over MVP runner-up, Yogi Berra. This would be his first season MVP Award, winning two more in 1957 and 1962.

Answer: 0

Unfortunately he never made it. He appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven of them. In the 1960 World Series, Pirate Bill Mazeroski won the Series with a bottom-of-the-ninth inning home run. Yankee Bobby Richardson won the Series MVP honors. Richardson hit one home run with 12 RBIs, and batted .367. Mantle on the other hand hit three home runs, 11 RBIs, and batted. 400. Go figure.

Answer: Reggie Jackson

The others listed were teammates in Mickey's early Yankee years. Reggie Jackson began his career as a Kansas City Athletic in 1967, then as an Oakland Athletic the following season. With Mantle retiring in 1968, they never shared the same uniform.

Answer: Roger Maris

In 1960, Mantle had more first place votes for the MVP than Maris, but still lost it by only four. Maris and Mantle's stats were comparible. In 1961, the year that saw baseball's famous asterisk by Maris breaking Babe Ruth's record, Maris hit 61 home runs. Ruth's record stood since 1927.

The asterisk was due to Maris playing in 10 more games that Ruth in the seasons. At any rate, Mantle was back-seated only by three MVP votes to Maris. Mantle also was on the disabled list in 1961, and still hit 54 home runs.

Answer: 536

Mantle became a member of baseball's 500 home run club in 1967. In his final season in 1968, he hit 18. Mickey was the first switch-hitter in history to hit 500 home runs.

Answer: Yankees

Mickey was a Yankee for life, and played 18 seasons in the pinstripes from 1951-1968. His managing mentors were the great Casey Stengel, Ralph Houk, Yogi Berra for one season, and Johnny Keane.

Answer: 1995

Yankee fan or not, the world mourned the death of Mickey in 1995. He was 63 years old. His memory still lives on with numerous indicators, one being a Hall of Fame induction in 1974. He was inducted with fellow Yankee, Whitey Ford.

Answer: 4

Mickey and his hometown sweetheart, Merlyn Johnson, were wed on December 23, 1951, in Mickey's first Yankee season. They gave birth to four sons; Mickey Jr., David, Billy, and Danny.