Sept. 23, 1961 - Mickey Mantle, who had almost become the forgotten man in 1961's home run derby, crashed back into contention today. Appearing in the Yankee starting line-up for the first time since Sept. 17, Mantle hit his 54th homer. The blow, struck off Red Sox rookie Don Schwall, came in the first inning and paved the way for an 8-3 Bomber triumph. It also put Mantle within five homers of the fellow who had been overshadowing him for the past two weeks. Roger Maris, who remains stuck at 59 homers, drew a blank today.
