Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, the eldest of five children of Elvin and Lovell Mantle. Mantle’s “big chance” came in 1950 when Casey Stengle invited him to the Yankee farm school in Phoenix, Arizona. On his first time to face a Yankee pitcher, Mickey, hitting right-handed, slammed a home run over the right field fence. On his next time at bat he left-handed a homer into left field. Stengle was quoted as saying, “I believe that Mantle is our biggest prize and that he’s the No. 1 kid ball player in the professional game.” Mickey Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in January of 1974.