In 1951, nineteen-year-old Mickey Mantle joined the fabled New York Yankees. In the ensuing decade—a time when baseball was still America's Pastime, representing all that was good in sports and in the nation—Mantle would evolve into a legend. This innocent boy from Oklahoma became one of the most beloved players in the history of the game. Known as a genuine and humble young man, the kid whose mother had sewn all of his baseball uniforms for him came to evoke the soul of baseball.

It was Mantle's father, Mutt, who directed his son's life toward baseball from birth when he named him after his favorite player, Mickey Cochrane. A natural right-handed hitter, Mickey was taught by his father to become a switch-hitter, making the young man a double threat at the plate. A powerful batter from either side, Mantle switch-hit with great success...