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March 25, 1951 Mickey Mantle Yankees Pre-Rookie Scorecard - Mantle Wears #6
When baseball fans think of the greatest homer hitting switch-hitter of all time, they naturally think of Mickey Mantle and his 536 home runs, and they can see him in their mind's eye swinging for the fences, a large Number 7 on his back. Yet, Mantle didn't always wear Number 7; he actually began wearing Number 6 in spring training of 1951, and he wore that number when he broke into the Major Leagues with the Yankees three weeks later, on April 17, 1951. Offered is a scorecard from a March 25, 1951, exhibition game at Seals Stadium in San Francisco between the New York Yankees and the Pacific Coast League's San Francisco Seals. The scorecard is actually composed of pages 9-12 of a longer game program. The scorecard is neatly scored, by an unknown hand, in blue ink from a ballpoint pen. The Yankees won the game 10-2. In the Yankees lineup that day were these Hall of Famers: Phil Rizzuto, leading off and at shortstop; Joe DiMaggio, in his hometown in San Francisco, was hitting clean-up and in center field; Mickey Mantle, not starting, but playing right field when he played the second half of the contest. (Mantle played mostly right field in 1951 because the Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio, held down center field in his final season). Mantle went 0-for-2 at bat, with a walk and a run. Of particular interest to memorabilia collectors is that Mantle is listed on the roster in the scorecard as wearing Number 6. The story behind Mantle's number in 1951 is as follows: Bobby Brown, the incumbent Yankee third baseman, was studying to become a doctor and missed spring training and the opening part of the 1951 season in order to complete his term's studies. Thus, Yankee clubhouse attendant Pete Sheehy issued Mantle number 6 in spring training. When Brown, who later became a doctor as well as the American League President, returned to the Yankee team in May, he was issued Number 9. Mantle played the first half of the 1951 season with the Yankees and wore Number 6. When Mickey struggled at the plate midway through the '51 campaign, he was sent down to the Yankees' farm team in Kansas City. Bobby Brown then was issued Number 6, and when Mantle was recalled to the Yankees in late August, Pete Sheehy issued him Number 7, which he wore for the rest of his career. The scorecard has holes from a three-hole punch from being previously displayed, and it has some slight toning; otherwise, the scorecard is in Near Mint condition. Because Mantle's Number 7 has become so iconic, evidence of his wearing Number 6 is a valuable exception and is treasured by baseball aficionados.
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