August 8, 1953 – Mantle reinjures his knee at Yankee Stadium. Mantle was chasing down a hard-hit ball to left center field to keep the hit to a single. Stopping short to make the pivot for the throw to second base he gave his right knee a severe jolt. Sprained ligament was the diagnosis of team physician Sidney Gaynor. Gaynor had Mantle fitted with a bulky brace that laced above and below the knee. He talked his way back into the lineup on August 18th, but when he failed to reach a ball he should have caught, Stengel sent him back to the bench where he remained except for four pinch-hit appearances until August 29th.

So the promising season that had begun in April peaking with a league-leading .353 batting average in June and four 4 RBI games by mid-July ended with respectable but less-than-stellar totals: .295 BA, 92 RBI and 21 home runs, only 5 after August 8th.

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Thursday 19 August 2021

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• You Must Be Mick / Mickey Mantle 1951 thru 1968

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