In the 1951 World Series Game 2 between the New York Yankees and the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium, Mickey Mantle was a rookie playing right field with Joe DiMaggio playing center field. Presented is a pair of photos, taken about a second apart, that depict the play that caused a serious injury to Mantle's right knee, an accident that forever robbed Mickey of his amazing speed as the fastest player in baseball up to this injury. During the '51 World Series, Mantle was still only 19 years old, while DiMaggio, at age 36, was in his final season. Reportedly, before the game, Yankees manager Casey Stengel told Mantle to take whatever he could get in right center, as DiMaggio's range was hampered by injury. Of course, standard baseball tactics include the countervailing maxim that center fielders have priority over corner outfielders in pursuing balls hit to the outfield. The Giants had won World Series Game 1 but trailed by a 2-0 score in the top of the 5th inning. Willie Mays led off for the Giants. On a 0-2 count against Yankees starter Eddie Lopat, Mays hit a fly ball to right center. Mantle, following Stengel's orders, raced after the ball, and apparently DiMaggio called off Mantle at the last instant. Mantle jammed on the brakes, and the cleats on his right shoe became caught on a drain cover, plywood covered in rubber. Mantle dropped to the ground. DiMaggio made the catch.

The two offered photos: 1) A 7.1x9" black & white photo that shows Mantle on the ground just after his injury and DiMaggio just prior to the catch. Mantle missed the rest of the World Series, won by the Yankees 4-2 in games. The photo has an International News stamp on back. On the lower right, the photo has a spot and a few tiny scratches/lines, with some slight overall darkening because of the passage of time. The photo is in very good condition. The photo has been encapsulated and Certified by PSA as "TYPE I AUTHENTIC." 2) This 7.1x9" black & white photo depicts the moment just after DiMaggio's catch, when Joltin' Joe sees Mantle on the ground. Just after this instant, DiMaggio waved to the Yankees dugout, calling for a stretcher. The back of the International News photo has a suggested slug line, terming Mantle's injury as merely a "sprained knee." The photo has been encapsulated and PSA Certified as "TYPE I AUTHENTIC." The photo has a few small folds, some light corner wear, and an approx. half-inch fold/partial tear along the left margin. Mantle did go on to blast 536 homers, more than any other switch-hitter in baseball history, but his extraordinary speed was gone forever. Mantle's injury during the '51 World Series was described at the time in various ways, but it is now regarded as having been torn cartilage. Mickey did lead the Yankees to seven World Championships, was a 3-time AL MVP, and engaged with Roger Maris in the exciting chase of Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in '61. However, fans and baseball commentators will forever wonder what Mantle might have accomplished if not for his 1951 World Series injury.