Position:
Center Field
Teams:
New York Yankees (1936-1942; 1946-1951)
Career Statistics:
Batting Average: .325
Home Runs: 361
RBI: 1,537
Slugging Percentage: .579
On-Base Percentage: .398
Hits: 2,214
Joseph Paul DiMaggio was born in Martinez, California to Italian immigrant parents, Giuseppe and Rosalia DiMaggio. Giuseppe had aspirations that his son (as well as his other eight children) would become fishermen like himself. Joe, however, had no interest in this pursuit, stating that the smell of fish nauseated him. He turned to baseball instead.
He was already playing semi-pro baseball when his brother, Vince (who was playing for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League) convinced his manager to allow Joe to fill in at shortstop. On October 1, 1932, Joe DiMaggio made his professional debut. From May 27-July 25, 1933, Joe logged a 61-game hitting streak, which at the time was a PCL record.
Though he suffered torn ligaments in his knee due to an accident, the New York Yankees decided to buy his contract on November 21, 1934 for $25,000 and five players, though the Seals got to hang onto him for the 1935 season. In his final season in the PCL, he batted .398 with 154 RBI, and 34 home runs, leading his team to the league championship and gaining the most valuable player award for himself.
DiMaggio made his major league debut on May 3, 1936. Prior to adding DiMaggio, the Yankees had not been to the World Series since 1932. They won the next four. He would eventually lead the Yankees to nine titles in 13 years.
In 1936, he managed to hit 44 doubles and 15 triples, drove in 125 runs, and hit 29 homers. This was even after missing 16 games due to injury. In 1937, he collected 418 total bases in one season. The only other players who have topped this achievenment are Babe Ruth (who holds the record with 457 total bases in 1921), Stan Musial (429 in 1948), Sammy Sosa (425 in 2001), and Luis Gonzalez (419 in 2001). During this sophomore season, his stats were astounding. He drove in 167 runs and scored 151, as well as hitting 46 homers.
One of the most amazing aspects of Joe DiMaggio's career is the incredibly low number of times he struck out. During his rookie season, he hit 29 home runs, but only struck out 39 times. The following season, he hit nine more homers than strike-outs. For comparison, Reggie Jackson struck out 2,597 times in his career (the major league record). Over one-hundred players have struck out more than 1,200 times in their careers. Even players who are lauded for their careful eyes at the plate (Barry Bonds and Ted Williams come to mind) struck out more than Joe DiMaggio. Joltin' Joe struck out a grand total of 369 times in a 13-year career. Sammy Sosa struck out 345 times in just two seasons.
Perhaps the most famous thing Joe DiMaggio is known for (besides being married to Marilyn Monroe) was his epic 56-game hitting streak in 1941. The second longest hitting streak that any player has ever had was 44 games by Willie Keeler in 1896-1897. Pete Rose also hit safely in 44 straight games in 1978. After Joe's hit streak ended, he began another streak that lasted 16 games. During the course of these 56 games, he hit 56 singles, 16 doubles, 4 triples, and 15 homers, while scoring 55 runs.
DiMaggio won his first MVP award in 1939. In 1941, he beat out Ted Williams in a hotly contested race for the MVP award. In 1947, DiMaggio once again prevailed over Williams for the award, though many believe that Ted, in fact, deserved it this time.
Like Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio lost time in his career to military service during World War II. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 and eventually gained the rank of sergeant. He was stationed in California, Hawaii, and New Jersey as a physical education instructor before being discharged in 1945.
Chronic heel problems plagued Joe for much of his career and they eventually lead to his retirement in 1951, at the age of 37. In announcing his retirement, Joe stated " I feel like I have reached the stage where I can no longer produce for my club, my manager, and my teammates. I had a poor year, but even if I had hit .350, this would have been my last year. I was full of aches and pains and it had become a chore for me to play. When baseball is no longer fun, it's no longer a game, and so, I've played my last game."
During the 1970's, Joe kept himself busy during retirement by becoming a spokesman for Mr. Coffee, as well as the Bowery Savings Bank. A heavy smoker most of his adult life, Joe eventually contracted lung cancer. He was admitted to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida on October 12, 1998 for lung cancer surgery. He eventually returned to his home and died January 19, 1999.
"Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson? Joltin' Joe has left and gone away." - Simon and Garfunkel
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