July 31, 1951 Swayne Field Toledo Ohio - Mantle's slump didn't stop on his arrival in Kansas City. He remained confused and discouraged. He had decided he was through with baseball and wanted to go home. At that point he made a decision to call his father, Mutt, to tell him of his decision, probably a life-changing telephone call. This prompted Mutt and the Mantle family's now famous midnight trek from Commerce to Kansas City. Mutt had several hours to think about and rehearse the redressing he was about to give his son, and he wasted no time unleashing his message. Mick seeking sympathy received anything but. In the end, Mutt left his son to ponder his future, offering him the ride home and a position in the mines, or he could stick with it and tough it out. But should he decide later he was coming home, he was on his own for the expense of a bus fare, profanity excluded.

Soon thereafter Mantle broke out of his slump and went on a hitting spree. His best performance was on July 31 when he hit two home runs, one batting from the left side and one from the right side. The left-handed homer was a high clout belted over a light standard, across Detroit Avenue, over a garage and well into a field behind it, estimated at 500 feet. For good measure he added a triple, double and a ninth-inning bunt single to complete the cycle.

In 40 games with Kansas City, Mantle had a .361 batting average with 11 home runs and 50 RBI's; he was back with the Yankees in late August, just as Stengel had promised him. Also with a new uniform number, the famous number "7" replacing his number 6 which he had been issued in spring training.

The Yankees went on to win the American League pennant by five games and had a World Series date with their rivals from across the Harlem River, the New York Giants thanks to Bobby Thomson's "shot heard round the world," in a playoff game against the Dodgers.

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Sunday 11 January 2015

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