Mickey Mantle was born October 20th 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma and loved baseball since that day, even if he didn’t know it. His father Mutt Mantle named him after Mickey Cochrane, the Detroit Tigers catcher. As a young boy Mickey Mantle and his father played baseball, molding him into one of the best players in history. His father had taught Mantle how to become a switch hitter (be able to bat with both hands on either side ) .Every day when Mutt would come from the mines, they would practice baseball next to an old tin barn. Mutt would pitch tennis balls right handed to Mickey while he batted left handed. Mickey's grandfather, Charlie, would then pitch left handed to Mickey while he batted right handed. Being able to practice these
