Aug. 26, 1963 - Under the New York Yankees’ master plan, Mickey Mantle will do little or no playing the rest of the season. Instead, he will devote the last five weeks to getting himself into prime condition for the World Series in October. The league-leading Yankees currently hold an 11½-game lead over the Minnesota Twins. Manager Ralph Houk said today: “I’d like for Mantle to play a little in September, and he may. But I am not going to take any chances with that loose cartilage of his. It’s there, and it can pop at any time — just by getting out of the dugout, even.” Mantle, except for several pinch-hit appearances, has been out of the Yankee lineup since June 5, when he broke a bone in his left foot climbing the center field wall in Baltimore’s Municipal Stadium. He was hitting .308 at the time. The foot has healed, but loose cartilage discovered in his left knee had kept him out of the lineup. The loose cartilage doesn’t bother Mantle’s hitting, but it affects his running. Houk said surgery may be necessary this winter for removal of the torn cartilage. Another Yankee regular, third baseman Clete Boyer, may return to action tomorrow. Boyer left the lineup because of an aching head, spent a couple of days in the hospital for observation, but suited up over the weekend. “I guess Boyer was just a bit tired,” said Houk today. “The doctors didn’t find anything wrong with him while he was in the hospital. If he tells me he feels like playing, he’ll start one of tomorrow’s games.” The Yankees face the Red Sox in a doubleheader tomorrow at Yankee Stadium.
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