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No baseball player has hit more home runs in the World Series than Mickey Mantle. The legendary Yank, who won seven World Series in his 18 seasons, slugged more postseason homers than Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Reggie Jackson, and every other baseball player to grace a diamond. Mantle’s 18 World Series home runs stand head and shoulders above the rest of baseball, with the closest non-Yankee, Duke Snider, with 11 home runs.
Presented here is a collection of tickets from every World Series game in which Mantle hit a home run. Mantle hit his first World Series home run in Game 6 of the 1952 Series, when he was only 20 years old. He came to bat in the top of the eighth inning against Billy Loes of the Dodgers, and promptly cranked a solo home run to deep left center for what would ultimately be the game winning run. The Yankees went on to win 3-2, and the legend of “The Mick” was born. The ticket stub for Game 6 has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (26483886).
Thanks to Mantle’s heroics, the 1952 Series went to seven games. With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth, Mantle stepped to the plate against Dodger starter Joe Black. He took the count to three and one, and then took the next pitch over the outfield fence for his second World Series home run. In the next inning, Mantle tacked on another run with an RBI single, propelling the Yankees to a 4-2 win and their fourth consecutive World Series title and 15th overall. This ticket stub has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (22622626).
The 1953 World Series was a rematch of the 1952 Series, and the Dodgers were gunning for revenge. With the score tied 2-2 in Game 2, Mantle stepped to the plate against Preacher Roe in the bottom of the eighth inning and Hank Bauer on base. Mantle immediately launched a home run to deep left field, providing the winning runs and setting the pace for the remainder of the series. This ticket stub has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (25635218).
The Dodgers won the next two games, but Mantle had other plans for Game 5. Stepping to the plate with the bases loaded in the third inning, Mantle crushed the first Grand Slam of his World Series career. The Yankees went on to score 11 runs, setting the stage for the deciding Game 6, which the Yankees would win thanks to a sterling Whitey Ford start, handing the Bombers their fifth consecutive World Series title. The ticket stub for Game 5 has been encapsulated and graded a VG 3 by PSA/DNA (23847542).
Mantle’s next important World Series home run was number eight, which came during Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. This was arguably the greatest game in baseball history, as relatively unheralded hurler Don Larsen threw the only perfect game in postseason history. Mantle opened the scoring in this game by hitting a solo home run off of Sal Maglie in the fourth inning, the first run of this eventual 2-0 game. This ticket has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (26483890).
This was Mantle’s third home run of the Series, with number one, and his sixth career World Series home run, coming in Game 1. The ticket stub for game has been encapsulated and graded an EX 5 by PSA/DNA (20936312). Mantle hit number seven in Game 4, a 6-2 Yankee win over the Dodgers. The ticket for this game has been encapsulated and graded a VG – EX 4 by PSA/DNA (26013355).
Mantle hit World Series home run number nine in 1957, during Game 3 of the World Series against the Milwaukee Braves. This ticket has been encapsulated and graded a VG – EX 4 by PSA/DNA (25635094). The Braves would win the series in seven games, but a 1958 rematch was on the cards. This time, Mick and the Yanks would not be denied, turning the tables and winning the series in seven games. Mantle’s best game in this series coincidentally came in the Yankees’ worst, a 13-5 loss in Milwaukee in Game 2. However, this was the first World Series game in which Mantle hit multiple home runs, a solo shot in the fourth and a two run homer in the ninth. This ticket has been encapsulated and graded authentic by PSA/DNA (26483825).
Mantle’s next three World Series home runs would come in the historic 1960 World Series, which Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates ended with a walkoff home run in Game 7. In the lead up to this game, the Yankees clearly looked the better team, outscoring the Pirates 46 to 17 in the first six games of the Series. Game 2 was a dominant, 16-3 Yankee victory. Mantle drove the offense, hitting his 12th and 13th World Series home runs during a 2-5 performance with five RBI, three runs scored, and two walks. The ticket stub for this game has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (26483896). Mantle continued his hot hitting in Game 3, slugging another two home runs en route to a 10-0 Yankee win back in the Bronx. This game was even more impressive than the last, as Mantle finished 4-5, tacking a double and a single on to his two homers. The Yankee offense chased Pirates starter Vinegar Bend Mizell after 1/3 of an inning, while pinstriped ace Whitey Ford twirled a masterful complete game shutout for his sixth career World Series victory. The ticket for this game has been encapsulated and graded a VG – EX 4 by PSA/DNA (25635099).
It would take three seasons for Mantle to hit his next home run in the World Series. He slugged number 15 in the final game of the 1963 World Series, a 2-1 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers and their ace, Sandy Koufax. Mantle took Koufax deep in the seventh inning, but the rest of the Yankees could not muster up enough offense to extend the series past four games. This ticket has been encapsulated and graded a VG – EX 4 by PSA/DNA (26483899).
Mantle hit his final three World Series home runs in the 1964 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, in what proved to be his final World Series. In Game 3, “The Mick” passed Babe Ruth for most career World Series home runs in incredible fashion. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Mantle slugged a walkoff, solo home run to deep right field, pushing the Yankees series lead to two games to one. The ticket stub from this game has been encapsulated and graded a GOOD + 2.5 by PSA/DNA (26013375). “The Commerce Comet” hit his 17th World Series home run in Game 6, the last World Series game Mantle would ever win. Fittingly, his home run immediately followed Roger Maris’ solo blast in the sixth inning to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in what would become a 6-3 Yankee victory. The ticket stub from this game has been encapsulated and graded a VG – EX 4 by PSA/DNA (26013377). In Game 7, Mantle hit his 18th and final World Series home run, a three-run blast against Cardinal ace Bob Gibson. This was Mantle’s final World Series game, and even though he did not win, he provided a near-perfect ending to one of the greatest careers in baseball history. This ticket has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (26683982). This collection of tickets provides a sweeping and memorable account of one of baseball’s most electrifying, thrilling, and inspiring careers. Collecting all of these tickets individually is one of the hobby’s most difficult endeavors, so this collection represents an incredible opportunity for the keen eye.