When asked his reaction on coming so close to hitting the Yankee Stadium façade and nearly clearing the ballpark, he said, “I thought it was pronounced ‘fa-kaid'.”

Despite all his injuries, he played more games (2,401) for the Yankees than anyone, including Lou Gehrig.

Mickey lost the 1960 MVP award by three votes and the 1961 honor by four votes (both to teammate Roger Maris). The swing of one voter in either year could have given him five MVP awards instead of three, which would then be the most remembered of his achievements.

His speed from home to first from the left-hand batters was clocked at 3.1 seconds. His career high in stolen bases was 21, but when Jose Canseco became the first “40-40” man, Mickey said, “If I'd known it would be such a big deal, I would have done it myself!”

In the final time at bat, he broke his bat and popped out to Rico Petrocelli in short left field at Fenway Park, September 28, 1968.

He passed Jimmie Foxx and became No. 3 on the all-time home run list with his 535th home run, off Denny McLain. McLain admitted he had “grooved” the ball to allow Mantle to hit it out. He still hit one more, off Boston's Jim Lonborg, to wind up with 536, bettered only by Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (587) at the time of his retirement.

Right-hander Al Benton pitched to Babe Ruth in 1934 while with Philadelphia, and to Mantle in 1952 while with Boston, the only man to face them both.

His 18 homers in 1968 were one of the highest totals ever for a player in his final year, but his total for his final four seasons was only 82, and he only batted .251 in those years to lose his career .300 average. He was only 32 when he had his last big season.

Mickey was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, 1974, and went in with Whitney Ford, who made it in his second year. Because of the difficulty of crowd control, Mickey never returned for another induction ceremony, although he did visit Cooperstown on other occasions to tape television specials.

After his retirement, he joined the NBC Game of the Week team. Although he had a gift for broadcasting, he left them in August 1970 to become first base coach for the Yankees, handling the middle three innings only. The job only lasted through the end of the season, and it was the only in-season baseball job he ever held after his playing career. He later returned to the broadcast booth with Sports Channel in New York to work selected Yankees games in the ‘80s.

Mickey was his first real name. He was named after his father's favorite player, Mickey Cochrane, making him the only Hall of Famer named after another one.

Although his average went from .353 to .365 from 1956 to 1957, the Yankees tried to cut his salary in 1958 because he didn't repeat as a Triple Crown on winner.

On meeting old teammate Marshall Bridges at an old-timers game, Mickey said, “Marshall, I'll bet you throw a helluva palmball.” Bridges had lost three of his fingers on his pitching hand in an accident.

The only exception to the lefty/righty run Mantle ever made as a switch-hitter was to bat right-handed against right-handed knuckleball pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm.

Although hired as a spring training instructor by the Yankees after his retirement, most players were too shy to ask for his help, and Mantle to shy to offer it. His chief function, therefore, became posing for photos with rookies and signing autographs for fans.

Mantle's fragile legs were taped prior to each game. The “tape” was actually yards and yards of quarter-inch foam rubber, held in place by athletic tape.

On Mickey Mantle Day in 1965, Detroit pitcher Joe Sparma walked in from the mound to shake Mickey's hand in the first inning.

Mickey shifted to first base for his final two seasons and played the position well. He returned to center field for only one old-timers day appearance after he retired, otherwise choosing to continue playing first.

In 1958, he got a putout in center field on an assist from right fielder Hank Bauer, who slapped the ball to him barehanded in deep right-center.

Mantle's 565-foot homer off Chuck Stobbs in Griffith Stadium in 1953 was the first “tape-measure” home run. Yankee public relations director Arthur “Red” Patterson left the park to measure it off, and thus was born a new term in baseball. The bat was borrowed from utility player Loren Babe and went on display at the Hall of Fame.

Mickey and Roger Maris costarred in the motion picture “Safe at Home,” which was filmed in Ft. Lauderdale Stadium early in 1962, prior to the actual opening of the Yankees' new spring training facility.

Mickey hit the very first indoor home run in baseball history, a homer in the Astrodome in a preseason exhibition in 1965.

As a first baseman, Mickey participated in a triple play in his final season, 1968. The Yankees have not performed one since, covering 37 seasons.