But the old warhorse has five hits for the series. He had three day before yesterday in game one. Mickey Mantle flying to center, walked, struck out, and singled to right. High, ball one. 11 hits for New York. The fifth off Bessent. Has a high drive to center. Snyder going back toward the wall, and the ball is caught by the new Man, we’re looking at some pitches.
Here’s Mickey Mantle flying to left in the first inning. No score last of the fourth. Gets it over there for a strike. Again, the Dodgers employing the shift. Robinson the only man between third and second. And then you find Reese. Gilliam and Hodges between second and first. Ball one. The Dodgers feel if Mantle wanted to take advantage of the shift and try to bunt down the third base line and go to left field if Furillo had with him.
Strike two, ball one and two. You may have noted that many players on both sides today have been taking a lot of pitches for strikes. A high foul out of play back of third. Battery of cameramen, including our own TV man in that area. No score last of the fourth. Two outs. Low, ball two. Two two. Sal Maglie wasting a low fastball on
Mantle. This fellow really operates. He sets a hitter up. Another high foul down the left field line going out of play. Two balls, two strikes, two outs, last of the fourth, no score. There’s one in the air. It is going going gone! The team’s
in 10 times at bat. Yankees have a runner on, first hit off Conley. Hit number six for the Yankees off Milwaukee pitching, and Mickey Mantle is up there, had a single in the third inning, walked in the first. Mickey batting from the left side, a switch batter, took over, got his base hit batting right-handed.
There’s a fastball over for a strike to Mantle. Outfield playing straight away and deep in all fields. Mathews shaded away from third about two steps off the edge of the infield grass. Kubek leads away. Here’s the pitch to Mickey, and it’s inside. Throw down to first. Diving back to first is Kubek. One ball, one strike.
One out in the top of the fourth inning. Braves are down four runs. Mantle with that bat right on the end. Kubek again leads away. Conley looks, throws to first, he’s back. Babcock delays his throw, now works it over to Conley. There’s the stretch, the look to first, and the pitch to Mantle is low and inside.
Two balls, one strike. Two and one. Conley hesitating. Stretches now. Kubek dancing away from first, and the pitch to Mantle is inside. Ball three. Three balls, one strike. Three and one now, Mickey Mantle looking down to Frankie Crosetti as that sign. Kubek with the lead away, dancing away from first. There he goes.
3-1 pitch swung on, a drive deep in the right center field. Hank Aaron looking over his head. Ball sails into the bullpen. Oh, Mickey Mantle. It’s a two-run home run into the bullpen in right center field. In Conley gives up his second hit. He’s charged with two runs, and it is a 7-1 ball game now. Mantle wants no alibis.
He still has a wound on his right side. Uh in the normal course of events, uh being a well uh a man, batting right-handed, he tomahawks the ball more, and so hits on the ground more frequently than he does when batting left-handed. High outside, ball one. Though his greatest power is right-handed, if he gets a a high fastball sometimes and connects, he uh has greater power than left-handed, but will hit more ground balls right-handed.
One of the Sonny balls hit harder to the opposite field than he hit against the Pirates last year. As a matter of actual fact, just being in the lineup has been a lift to the New York team, even though he cannot go at top speed. And he’s playing on uh just sheer moxie. Seemed trying to get away from there and uh not being able to move too well.
Ball two. I like Houk’s explanation. Manager Houk said that the pencil even swings easier when you write Mantle on the lineup card. Mantle and Pinson when they both are well, and Pinson too has a wrist injury, are are quite uh alike in many respects. And uh the ability to steal a base or beat out a bunt, go get the ball.
There’s a high foul beyond first and out of play. Two and one. No score, fourth inning. Jim O’Toole pitching to Mantle. Mantle’s on first. There’s a line drive to left center field for a base hit, and Post is over to cut it off, and Bob is Maris on the way to third. Mantle cannot go to second in the normal course of events if he could run, since he’s one of the fastest runners in the majors, and now Hector Lopez is going in to run for him.
As uh an indication or proof of what we’ve been attempting to tell you, he just can’t go at top speed. Mantle lines a single to left, and the crowd applauds and appreciates the effort he has made.
