“Mantle did not expect to play one day and showed up extremely hungover. He was nevertheless called on to pinch hit and smashed a towering home run to an enthusiastic ovation. The outfielder related to his teammates, “Those people don’t know how tough that was.” – Jim Bouton
Mickey Mantle could be a case study in optics. Rumors persisted, later confirmed by the Hall of Fame slugger himself, that he battled alcoholism for the entirety of his career and still he managed to slash .298/.421/.977 with 536 home runs and 1,509 RBI over 18 seasons.