Turn Back The Clock: October 10th, 1964-Mickey Mantle Walk-Off Blast

Could it really be 50 years already? The longest dynasty in the history of baseball was beginning to show signs of crumbling, and by the end of the decade, the Bronx Bombers would be an afterthought. Legendary players walking off into the sunset, and the Yankees wouldn’t matter again until the mid-1970s. Today’s third installment of “Turn Back The Clock” takes us back to the 1964 World Series between the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals.

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While the Cardinals took the series, today’s retrospective takes a look at one of the greatest blasts in the history of World Series play. What’s interesting about the shot from this game, according to multiple reports, the great Mickey Mantle actually “called his shot,” similar to that of the Bambino, Babe Ruth.

Mantle told teammate Jim Bouton: “I’m gonna hit one outta here” before heading to the plate to start the bottom of the ninth inning in Game Three of the series. Others have said that he told Elston Howard, who was in the on-deck circle behind him that he “…might as well go back in” because this game is over. Not nearly as celebrated as Ruth’s called shot, Mantle faced knuckleballer Barney Shultz, who at 38-years-old, had an incredible 1.64 ERA during the regular season.

Cardinals’ catcher Tim McCarver, who was involved in some of the great pitching performances of Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, knew the second the first pitch was thrown from Schultz to Mantle, the game was indeed over for St. Louis:

"“It wasn’t thrown, it was dangled like bait to a big fish. Plus it lingered in that area that was down, and Mickey was a lethal low-ball hitter left-handed. The pitch was so slow that it allowed him to turn on it and pull it.”(h/t, Paul Mirengoff, Powerline)"

The ball, which was absolutely crushed by Mantle, was estimated to have traveled more than 400 feet, and landed in the third deck of the right field stands. One pitch. Game over. For the remainder of Mickey’s life, he readily admitted it was one of the biggest thrills of his long and storied career, and how it was his most memorable home run. Here is a clip from a documentary about Mantle, where he discusses that very shot he hit:

While it might not have been a World Series-winning home run, for our Turn Back The Clock, Mantle’s 16th Fall Classic bomb, one that briefly gave the Yankees the series lead in 1964, will work, as it was 50 years ago today, that one of the greatest Yankees of all-time once again showed what legends are made of.