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The Oldest Living MLB Player, Aged 98, Reveals How Mickey Mantle Stepped Aside For His Biggest New York Yankees Moment.

Published 02/23/2023, 10:19 AM EST

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In the world of baseball, only the best players make it to the top. Written into the pages of history, their names become immortal as they’re chanted from mouth to mouth. Every baseball household knows them for ages to come. Some rise to the top by crushing opponents,opponents, while some have genuine talent that is seized at the right moment in time. And one such name is Art Schallock.

Call it luck, or call it destiny – but Schallock made it to where he needed to be in the early 1950s. MLB in those years boasted big names like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Paul Waner, and Lefty Gomez, among others. He may have just been a footnote in the story of these players’ lives, but Schallock has made it to 2023 with a huge achievement of his own.

Art Schallock becomes the oldest living MLB player in history

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Ninety-nine. That’s how old Schallock will turn in April of this year. While the world, in general, is no stranger to humans performing amazing feats, this old-timer is a special case. After George Elder of the St. Louis Browns passed away in July 2022 at the age of 101, he left the title of the oldest surviving MLB player to Schallock. And he bears it with pride for someone who didn’t much care for MLB at one point in time.

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After joining the Yankees in 1951, Schallock earned three World Series rings with the team. He was originally a fan of the San Francisco Seals, a minor league in the early twentieth century. But what luck for the man, who got rejected from the Seals but got selected into one of the most iconic baseball teams of all time.

And get this, the Yankees specially made room for Schallock by demoting a struggling rookie, who later went on to become a legend of his own!

The Yankees chose to put a newbie in Mickey Mantle’s spot

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Living in the twenty-first century, we now know what Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle was capable of. After an amazing showcase in the minor leagues, the Pinstripes decided to mold the Commerce Comet in the shape of Yankee legends that came before him. Namely Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio. But come the 1951 season, Mantle found himself in a slump.

Pinstripes Icon Mickey Mantle Once Detailed His Wildest Experience in the Bleachers at Yankee Stadium: Don’t Ask Me, I’m No…’

It was this depression that allowed Art Schallock to shine, although Mantle, of course, recovered sometime later. Considered one of the greatest offensive threats in baseball history, ‘the Mick’ has the third-highest OPS+ among the post-1950s period of players. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

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WATCH THIS STORY – From Babe Ruth’s Jersey to Mickey Mantle Card – Most Expensive Memorabilia of All Time

As for Schallock, he lives in Sonoma with his wife Dona, both going strong!

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Written by:

Arunima Bhanot

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Arunima Bhanot is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports. Having earned an English literature degree from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, Arunima has always been interested in writing. She's a fan of archery and was the captain of her college team for two years running. She's an avid reader who also loves photography and travel, and you can find her talking constantly about books and anime on her Instagram!
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Edited by:

Abhinava Ghosh