The changing of the Yankees icon was underway in the spring of 1951. 36-year-old Joe DiMaggio was just about to enter his final season in New York while a fresh-faced kid from the Midwest was turning heads.
Mickey Mantle was just 19 when he posed for this photo with DiMaggio in the dugout of Mission Stadium in San Antonio, TX on April 5 of that year. It’s our Vintage Photo of the Day from RMY Auctions.
Mantle had been invited to spring training camp after winning the Western Association batting title at Joplin in 1950, hitting .383 with 26 homers and 136 runs batted in. While he didn’t seem like a big league quality shortstop, he could do everything else and manager Casey Stengel decided he was worthy of a major promotion. Mantle would be the Yankees’ new right fielder.
He struggled early but after a brief demotion and a rebuke by his father Mutt after he talked of quitting the game, Mantle returned with a fury, blossoming into one of the game’s all-time greats.
DiMaggio would retire at the end of the season. He was 36—the same age Mantle was when he played his final game in September of 1968.
The 8×10 wire photo carries a $200-400 pre-sale estimate and is one of more than 1,000 sports, historic and entertainment news photos up for bid at RMYAuctions.com. Bidding closes Saturday night at RMYAuctions.com.
Related Stories:
Heritage Winter Platinum Tally: $12,985,912
Newly Discovered Original Copy of Famous DiMaggio-Mantle Photo Up for Grabs
Rare Oversized 1951 Yankees Photo Captures Changing of the Guard
Letters from Young Mickey Mantle, Glove, Home Run Ball Added to Yankee Stadium Auction
FOCO Unveils Gerrit Cole Yankees Bobblehead
MJ Shoes, DiMaggio Bat, McDavid Rookie Card Pace Lelands Auction
1946 Joe DiMaggio Jersey Set for Auction
