Videographer and film maker Tom Molito's most successful production was The 500 Home Run Club, hosted by Bob Costas and Mickey Mantle. Mr. Molito and Mickey Mantle became good friends and remained good friends until Mantle passed away. Tom was at Yankee Stadium the day Mickey hit one of his most dramatic home runs.
One summer evening, many years after he had retired, Mickey recalled that day.
The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles were playing a doubleheader on Sunday, Aug. 4, 1963. As they sat sipping their beverages on the patio of Tom's Westchester County home, Mickey asked Tom if he knew Willie Mosconi.
Tom feigned being insulted. "Hey Mickey, you ever hear of Ralph Greenleaf?"
Mickey was taken aback. Mosconi and Greenleaf had toured together. The latter was a 20 time World Pocket Billiards Champion.
All Mickey could say was, "How do you know that?" and he started to talk about his own pocket billiards project. He hoped to open a nationwide chain.
"I thought that pocket billiards would be something great for families. I put one in my house, but I just couldn't get the hang of it."
Tom not surprised that Mickey would try such a project. He also wasn't surprised that it never worked out.
"When was this?" Tom asked Mickey, who told him he had a press conference on the Skyline terrace of the Hotel St. Moritz.
When Mickey said that it had been sometime in Aug, 1963, Tom's mind began to race.
"Wasn't that about the time you hit the pinch-hit home run?"
"Yeah. I broke my foot on the fence in Baltimore in June and had been on the disabled list for a couple of months. We lost the first game of the doubleheader to the Orioles and were losing by a run in late in the second game.
"Ralph told me to a get a bat. I remember a left-hander was pitching. I think it was a guy named Brunet, who pitched for just about everybody.
"I took a strike. He threw me a fast ball and boy, did I connect. The ball went into the left field seats."
A big grin passed across Mickey's face when he remembered his first appearance since June 5, but it wasn't as big a smile as Tom's.
"I was at that game."
Mickey laughed, filled his glass, and laughed again.
"C'mon, you're puttin' me on."
"Nope. The only problem was I was sitting in right field. I knew you were going to hit it."
Tom wondered if Mickey remembered how many home runs he hit that season. He asked Mickey, who had no idea. That was Mickey. He was always close, but he rarely remembered the right number.
Tom recalled 1963 very well. It was not a good year for Mickey. Injuries limited him to only 65 games and 213 at bats. He batted .315 with 15 home runs and 35 RBIs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Yankees in the World Series. It was the first time the Yankees had lost a World Series in four games (The New York Giants won four and tied one against the Yankees in the 1922 Series).
Tom wanted to tell Mickey that he had flown to Los Angeles and that he had seen Mickey's tremendous home run off Sandy Koufax in the last game, but he decided against it.
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