Joe DiMaggio
From BR Bullpen
Joseph Paul DiMaggio Jr. (Joltin' Joe or The Yankee Clipper) born as Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 193 lb.
- Debut May 3, 1936
- Final Game September 30, 1951
- Born November 25, 1914 in Martinez, CA USA
- Died March 8, 1999 in Hollywood, FL USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1955
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[edit] Biographical Information
"Joe DiMaggio was the greatest all-around player I ever saw." - Ted Williams
Brother of Dom DiMaggio and Vince DiMaggio, Joe DiMaggio was married to actress Marilyn Monroe for a time. He holds the record for most consecutive games played with at least one hit (56, in 1941).
Joe was nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" for his speed on the basepath. In High School, he was part of an efficient double play combination with with future infielder/coach/scout Dario Lodigiani.
He enlisted in the army without even notifying the New York Yankees. He was stationed at Santa Ana airbase in California where he played for the base team and soon ran up a 13-game hitting streak. Assigned to the 7th Army Air Force, DiMaggio arrived in Hawaii June 3, 1944. The day after he arrived he played for the Hickam Bombers and, despite not having played in six weeks, blasted a 435-foot home run out of Honolulu Stadium. Much of his 1944 season, however, was hampered by recurring stomach ulcer problems. In January 1945, DiMaggio was transferred to Atlantic City to recuperate from his ulcer problem.
When he retired, he was fifth on the all-time home run list. He has the best strikeout to home run ratio of any player in history: he hit 361 home runs while striking out only 369 times, for a lifetime 1.02 ratio. When asked why he played so hard he said, "because there might be somebody out there who’s never seen me play before."
Following his playing days, DiMaggio was an Oakland Athletics coach in 1968 and 1969.
DiMaggio has a children's hospital named after him and was well known for his ads for Mr. Coffee. He was further idolized in the Simon and Garfunkel song Mrs.Robinson:
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you
(woo woo woo)
What's that you say, Mrs.Robinson
'Joltin Joe' has left and gone away?
He is also mentioned in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, as Santiago would like "to take the great DiMaggio fishing." He is sure DiMaggio would fish because his father was a fisherman.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1935 MVP Pacific Coast League San Francisco Seals
- 13-time AL All-Star (1936-1942 & 1946-1951)
- 3-time AL MVP (1939, 1941 & 1947)
- 2-time AL Batting Average Leader (1939 & 1940)
- 2-time AL Slugging Percentage Leader (1937 & 1950)
- AL Runs Scored Leader (1937)
- 3-time AL Total Bases Leader (1937, 1941 & 1948)
- AL Triples Leader (1936)
- 2-time AL Home Runs Leader (1937 & 1948)
- 2-time AL RBI Leader (1941 & 1948)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 11 (1936-1942, 1946-1948 & 1950)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 7 (1937-1941, 1948 & 1950)
- 40-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1937)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 9 (1936-1942, 1948 & 1950)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 8 (1936-1939, 1941, 1942, 1948 & 1950)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 2 (1936 & 1937)
- Won nine World Series with the New York Yankees (1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950 & 1951)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1955
[edit] Stats
| Season | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | Avg. | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 138 | 637 | 132 | 206 | 29 | 125 | 24 | 39 | .323 | .576 |
| 1937 | 151 | 621 | 151 | 215 | 46 | 167 | 64 | 37 | .346 | .673 |
| 1938 | 145 | 599 | 129 | 194 | 32 | 140 | 59 | 21 | .324 | .581 |
| 1939 | 120 | 462 | 108 | 176 | 30 | 126 | 52 | 20 | .381 | .671 |
| 1940 | 132 | 508 | 93 | 179 | 31 | 133 | 61 | 30 | .352 | .626 |
| 1941 | 139 | 541 | 122 | 193 | 30 | 125 | 76 | 13 | .357 | .643 |
| 1942 | 154 | 610 | 123 | 186 | 21 | 114 | 68 | 36 | .305 | .498 |
| 1946 | 132 | 503 | 81 | 146 | 25 | 95 | 59 | 24 | .290 | .511 |
| 1947 | 141 | 534 | 97 | 168 | 20 | 97 | 64 | 32 | .315 | .522 |
| 1948 | 153 | 594 | 110 | 190 | 39 | 155 | 67 | 30 | .320 | .598 |
| 1949 | 76 | 272 | 58 | 94 | 14 | 67 | 55 | 18 | .346 | .596 |
| 1950 | 139 | 525 | 114 | 158 | 32 | 122 | 80 | 33 | .301 | .585 |
| 1951 | 116 | 415 | 72 | 109 | 12 | 61 | 61 | 36 | .263 | .422 |
| Career Statistics | 1736 | 6821 | 1390 | 2214 | 361 | 1537 | 790 | 369 | .325 | .579 |
| AL MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 1939 | 1940 |
| Jimmie Foxx | Joe DiMaggio | Hank Greenberg |
| 1940 | 1941 | 1942 |
| Hank Greenberg | Joe DiMaggio | Joe Gordon |
| 1946 | 1947 | 1948 |
| Ted Williams | Joe DiMaggio | Lou Boudreau |
[edit] Records Held
- Consecutive games with a hit, 56, 1941
- Strikeout to home run ratio, career, 1.02



