Cliff Mapes

Clifford Franklin Mapes (March 13, 1922 – December 5, 1996) was an American professional baseball player. He played five seasons of Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers.

Professional career Mapes, who was listed with a height of , and a weight of , was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Cleveland Indians prior to the season. Mapes hit .250, with 12 runs batted in, and his first career home run. He was the team's starting right fielder against the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he helped the team win the 1949 World Series, the team's first World Series en route to five consecutive world championships.

In , Mapes led the team in strikeouts for the second consecutive season. His playing time remained the same, but his power numbers improved from a year earlier. Mapes hit batted .247 with 12 home runs and 61 runs batted in, but also grounded into a team-high 14 double plays.

As Mapes' numbers started to decrease in , including a batting average which fell to .216, the Yankees decided to cut ties with him. He was purchased by the St. Louis Browns on July 31, 1951. When Mapes was traded by the Yankees in 1951, Mickey Mantle took uniform number 7. Mapes, thus, is mainly remembered as the Yankee who wore both Babe Ruth's and Mickey Mantle's numbers.

On December 5, 1996, Mapes died in Pryor, Oklahoma, at the age of 74.