New York Yankees Museum presented by Bank of America opens new exhibit entitled “Mickey Mantle: The Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hero”
The New York Yankees today announced that the New York Yankees Museum presented by Bank of America, which is located on the Main Level of Yankee Stadium near Gate 6, will open a new exhibit tonight entitled, “Mickey Mantle: The Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hero.”
The exhibit includes a selection of artifacts borrowed from the Mantle family and private collectors, some of which are being put on display for the first time. Featured artifacts include:
• Mantle’s first Yankees contract, signed when he joined the organization in 1949
• His 1956 American League Most Valuable Player Award and Hickok Belt Award
• Game-worn jerseys from 1959 and 1961, along with a jersey and pants set from 1968
• His outfielder’s glove from 1962
• His bat used in the 1964 World Series to hit his final postseason home run
• Baseball cards from each of his 18 seasons, including his 1951 Bowman rookie card and 1952 Topps card
Mantle remains one of the most popular players in Baseball history. A powerful switch-hitter, the “Commerce Comet” hit 536 home runs and batted .298 (2,416-for-8,101) over an 18-year career from 1951-68 played entirely with the Yankees. His clubs won seven World Series (1951-53, ’56, ’58, ’61-62) and appeared in the Fall Classic 12 times (also 1955, ’57, ’60, ’63-64). Following the conclusion of his career, his iconic No. 7 was retired by the Yankees in 1969, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974. Mantle remains the all-time Major League leader with 18 home runs in World Series play.
The Mantle exhibit is the second new installation to open this season at the New York Yankees Museum presented by Bank of America, joining “Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig: Baseball’s Hardest-Hitting Teammates.” The Ruth and Gehrig exhibit includes the bat used by Ruth to hit Yankee Stadium’s first home run on April 18, 1923, a ticket stub from the game featuring Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech on July 4, 1939, and game-worn Yankees caps and jerseys from Ruth and Gehrig. Artifacts from the Ruth and Gehrig exhibit are borrowed from the private collections of Marshall Fogel and Dr. Richard C. Angrist, with all photos coming from the Fogel collection.
Guests can enjoy the New York Yankees Museum presented by Bank of America on game days from the time the gates open until the end of the eighth inning. On non-game days, visitors can experience the museum as part of Yankee Stadium tours.
The Mantle exhibit, as well as the Ruth/Gehrig exhibit, will remain on display in the New York Yankees Museum presented by Bank of America through the end of the 2013 season.