Mickey Mantle in a 1961 file photo.

Calling claims that their father corked his bat “outrageously false, misleading and deceptive,” Mickey Mantle’s children are leading an effort to clear his name, beginning with legal intervention that led an auctioneer to withdraw the controversial piece of equipment from its site.

The so-called Mickey Mantle corked bat made headlines earlier this month after an auction house made plans to sell a Louisville Slugger allegedly used by the baseball Hall of Famer. Grey Flannel Auctions claimed an X-ray of the bat shows that it had been drilled and filled with cork.

(PHOTO: Grey Flannel Auctions)

Mantle’s children denied the claims in a statement released Monday.

“Let us be clear: Dad didn’t need and never used a corked bat. Mickey Mantle was honest about the way he played the game that he loved and to which he devoted his professional life. He was one of the best who ever played the game because of his natural talents and abilities – and his heart. Our Dad’s legacy must be protected and the injury to his reputation must be corrected – he does not deserve to be the subject of these outrageous fabrications.”

The family retained a lawyer to advise on rights and remedies. A spokesman for the law firm says the auction was pulled. However, the online auction site hadn’t made mention of its removal, nor responded to any of the Mantle’s family claims about authenticity requests, forensic analysis or third-party review, according to the statement.

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