On January 16, 1974, New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle became the seventh player to be voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He had played for the Yankees only from 1951-1968, during which time he blasted 536 homers, knocked in 1,509 rbi’s, and sped to 153 stolen bases. Quite an honor, but not unprecedented. The thing that makes it special is that on the same day, Mickey’s teammate Whitey Ford, the “Chairman of the Board,” achieved Hall of Fame status too.
Mickey was the AL MVP three times, came in second in that vote another three times, and in third once.