As the 2nd place Detroit Tigers came to Yankee
Stadium on September 1st, the Yankees held a slim 1 1/2 game lead over them.
The Yankees won the first two games of the three game series. In the
second game, on a check swing, Mickey badly pulled a muscle in his left
forearm. He then grounded out and later had to bunt in his last at
bat, because the pain was too great for him to swing and he refused to come
out of the important game.
The next day, manager Ralph Houk did not
originally have Mickey in the starting lineup. Mickey objected and
assured Houk that he could play despite the pain. Houk then had Mickey
swing a bat right there in the locker room and then decided to let Mickey
participate in batting practice. Again, Mickey masked the pain and
convinced Houk that he could play so he was put into the lineup.
Jim Bunning was on the mound for the Tigers
who quickly took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Mickey came to the
plate in the bottom of the first inning with Roger Maris on first base.
On a 2-0 pitch, Mickey fouled the next pitch but the pain in his forearm was
unbearable as he grimaced in pain and went down on one knee to gain his
composure. Three pitches later, with a full count, Mickey blasted a
home run (his 49th of the season) into the right field stands.
In between innings, Mickey iced his forearm
to numb the pain and to keep the swelling down. He struck out in the
fourth and sixth innings.
The Tigers had a 5-4 lead going into the
bottom of the ninth inning when Mickey stepped to the plate as the leadoff
hitter. A Tiger victory would wipe out one of the two Yankee victories
and reduce their lead to just 2 1/2 games. On an 1-0 pitch from relief
pitcher Gerry Staley, Mickey launched his second home run of the game (his
50th of the season) to tie the game 5-5. The Yankees went on to win
that game 8-5 and increased their lead over the Tigers to 4 1/2 games.
After the game, Ralph Houk stated about
Mickey, "He's an amazing player and a superb competitor. I know very
well he was in more pain than he cares to admit. For a guy who was
hurting like that, he had one helluva day."
In his first at bat of the game, on an 2-0 pitch, Mickey fouls off a pitch from
Jim Bunning.
The swing causes Mickey to grimace in pain. This is actually the photo
from which artist, Leroy Neiman painted his famous painting of Mickey.
Three pitches later, with a full count, Mickey connects for his 49th home run of
the season, a two run shot, and puts the Yankees ahead with a 2-1 lead.
