Now playing shortstop … No. 7 …

Mickey Mantle … shortstop

After outmaneuvering himself by using up all of his backup infielders before the start of the ninth inning, New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel decides 70 years ago today to do what he never does before.

Namely, he inserts the previously resting Phil Rizzuto into the game at second base, where Rizzuto is making his first appearance there after spending more than 1,400 games since 1941 as the Yankees’ shortstop.

Stengel needs to move Rizzuto to second base after already using middle infielders Willy Miranda, Gil McDougal and Jerry Coleman during the first eight innings in a 3-3 game against the Chicago White Sox in the opening game of a Thursday afternoon doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.

Moving Rizzuto — so much for an off day — to second base is easy.

Casey Stengel and Mickey Mantle

Now, finding someone else to play shortstop, well, that takes some quick thinking by Stengel, who looks at the best athlete on his team and picks out his new shortstop.

With that, Stengel moves his prized All-Star, Mickey Mantle, from center field to shortstop for the ninth inning.

Fortunately for the Yankees, the White Sox never hit the ball to Mantle, once a scatter-armed shortstop in the minors before moving to the outfield in 1951.

Just how bad is Mantle playing shortstop in the minors? How about 47 errors in 89 games bad in 1949 for the Yankees’ Class D team in Independence, Mo.

Now, five years later in 1954 – and after two uneventful innings at shortstop against the White Sox – Mantle decides enough is enough and ends the game by hitting a solo homer off Chicago reliever Don Johnson with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 4-3 victory.

The Yankees then win the second game of the doubleheader 11-1 as a crowd of 36,722 watches the Yankees return to their regularly scheduled programming with Rizzuto at shortstop and Mantle in center field.

Mantle previous plays an inning at shortstop in 1953 – also without having a ball hit to him – and in a total of four games there in 1954.

For his career, Mantle spends seven of his 2,401 games at shortstop, totaling just 16 innings over those seven games.

Historians also note that Mantle comes a long way from his 1949 woes at shortstop as he cleanly handles all 14 chances – nine putouts and five assists – during his 16 innings there in the majors.

He even takes part in a double play while playing shortstop.

Probably just showing off because, you know, he is The Mick.