Joe DiMaggio (1955)


Date of Birth: 11/25/1914
Date of Death: 3/8/1999
Birthplace: Martinez, California

Joe DiMaggio came from a baseball family, with two brothers, Vince and Dom, who also played in the major leagues. However, they did not have the stellar career that Joe did.

DiMaggio started his professional career in the Pacific Coast League. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 1934.

New York Yankees

DiMaggio first played with the Yankees in 1936, and he was impressive in his rookie season. That year, he batted .323, with 206 hits, 44 doubles, 15 triples, 29 home runs, and 125 RBIs in 138 games.

DiMaggio's best season was probably his second one (1937) when he led the AL in home runs and he had career highs in hits, triples, home runs, and RBIs. He finished the season with 215 hits, 35 doubles, 15 triples, 46 home runs, and 167 RBIs in 151 games.

DiMaggio batted .328 in 145 games in 1938. He had 194 hits, 32 doubles, 32 home runs, and 140 RBIs. He walked 59 times and struck out just 21 times.

In 1939, DiMaggio won his first of three American League MVP awards, the Sporting News MVP award, and the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year award. He won the AL batting title with a career high .381 batting average. He finished the season with 176 hits, 32 doubles, 30 home runs, and 126 RBIs. He walked 52 times and struck out 20 times in 120 games.

DiMaggio again won the AL batting title in 1940. He batted .352 with 179 hits, 28 doubles, 31 home runs, and 133 RBIs in 132 games.

In 1941, DiMaggio hit in 56 straight games, a major league baseball record that still stands as the longest hitting streak in major league baseball. That season, he won his second AL MVP award, the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year award, and the Associated Press Athlete of the Year award. He led the AL in RBIs with 125. He finished the season with 193 hits, 43 doubles, 30 home runs, and a .357 batting average in 139 games.

DiMaggio had an average season (for him) in 1942, finishing with 186 hits, 29 doubles, 21 home runs, 114 RBIs, and a .305 batting average in a career high 154 games. For the following three seasons, he served in the US army, where he continued to play baseball.

DiMaggio returned to the Yankees in 1946. That season, he batted .290 with 146 hits, 20 doubles, 25 home runs, 95 RBIs, and 24 strikeouts to 59 walks in 132 games. The following season he won his third AL MVP award. He finished the 1947 season with 168 hits, 31 doubles, 20 home runs, 97 RBIs, 32 strikeouts to 64 walks, and a .315 batting average in 141 games.

In 1948, DiMaggio led the AL in home runs and RBIs. He had 190 hits, 26 doubles, 39 home runs, 155 RBIs, and a .320 batting average in 153 games. He walked 67 times and struck out 30 times. The following season, he played in just 76 games, but he still had a strong season. He finished the 1949 season with 94 hits, 67 RBIs, and a .346 batting average.

DiMaggio had a career high 80 walks (to 33 strikeouts) in 139 games in 1950. He finished the season with 158 hits, 33 doubles, 32 home runs, 122 RBIs, and a .301 batting average.

DiMaggio retired after the 1951 season in which he batted .263 with 109 hits and 22 doubles in 116 games.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL MVP (3 times)
  • Sporting News Major League Player of the Year (2 times)
  • Sporting News MVP in 1939
  • Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 1941
  • AL Batting title (2 times)
  • Led AL in triples in 1936
  • Led AL in home runs (2 times)
  • Led AL in RBIs (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for DiMaggio in 13 seasons (1936-1942, 1946-1951) in the major leagues include:

  • 10 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 215 in 1937
  • 7 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 44 in 1936
  • 8 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 15 in 1936 and 1937
  • 11 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 46 in 1937
  • 9 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 167 in 1937
  • 11 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .381 in 1939

Career batting statistics for DiMaggio include:

  • 1,736 games played
  • 2,214 hits
  • 389 doubles
  • 131 triples
  • 361 home runs
  • 1,537 RBIs
  • .325 batting average

Career fielding statistics for DiMaggio as a center fielder include:

  • 1,634 games played
  • 4,176 putouts
  • 100 errors
  • .977 fielding percentage

Career postseason statistics for DiMaggio include:

  • 51 games played
  • 199 at-bats
  • 54 hits
  • 6 doubles
  • 8 home runs
  • 30 RBIs
  • 23 strikeouts to 19 walks
  • .271 batting average
  • .398 on-base percentage
  • .977 OPS

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, DiMaggio returned to the Yankees as a batting coach. In the 1970s, he became a celebrity of a different kind when he was the spokesman for Mr. Coffee coffee makers.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Joe DiMaggio
ESPN - Joe DiMaggio
Baseball Reference - Joe DiMaggio

Back to Top