FACTS ABOUT DiMAGGIO’s 56-GAME HIT-STREAK
Today in 1941 was the last day of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, the longest in baseball history, which began on May 15, 1941 and ended on July 17. Here are 20 fun facts about the streak.
1. Alan Courtney and Ben Horner wrote the song, "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" that became a big hit for the Les Brown Orchestra.
2. DiMaggio confided to a teammate that failing to extend the streak 1 more game cost him the $10,000 promised to him by the Heinz Corporation to endorse their Heinz 57 products.
3. DiMaggio, Uniform “Number 5,” hit .408 during the streak (91-for-223), with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs.
4. DiMaggio was voted the American League MVP that season over Boston's Ted Williams who hit .406 -- the last time a major-leaguer hit over .400.
5. The longest hitting streak since DiMaggio established the record was 44 games by the Cincinnati Reds' Pete Rose in 1978.
6. The streak was interrupted by the 1941 All-Star Game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. DiMaggio was 1-for-4 against the National League.
7. “The Yankee Clipper” homered for his only hit vs. Boston on July 2.
8. DiMaggio never bunted for a hit during the streak.
9. The St. Louis Browns gave up the most of Joltin’ Joe’s hits -- 22 in 12 games.
10. Indians reliever Joe Krakauskas, a native of Quebec, was the last pitcher to yield a hit to DiMaggio during the streak.
11. DiMaggio had a 61-game hit streak with the San Francisco Seals (Pacific Coast League minor league) in 1933, that streak was second-longest in minor-league history to Joe Wilhoit (69 games, 1919). Joseph William Wilhoit was a journey-man MLB outfielder in Major League Baseball, playing mainly as a right fielder from 1916-1919 for the Boston Braves (1916–17), Pittsburgh Pirates (1917), New York Giants (1917–18), and Boston Red Sox (1919). In a four-season career, Wilhoit was a .257 hitter (201-for-782) with three home runs and 73 RBI in 283 games, i
12. The streak almost ended at 35. On June 24 against St. Louis, DiMaggio was hitless when he batted in the seventh inning, and Browns manager Luke Sewell ordered Bob Muncrief to "walk him!" Muncrief refused, Sewell relented and DiMaggio singled.
13. During the streak, he faced four future Hall of Fame pitchers -- Lefty Grove, Hal Newhouser (twice), Bob Feller and Ted Lyons.
14. Who gets credit for the nickname "The Yankee Clipper"? According to DiMaggio's official website, Yankee Stadium announcer Arch McDonald came up with the moniker for the "gracefulness of his play in the field."
15. When the streak began on May 15, the Yanks were 14-14, 5 1/2 games behind Cleveland in fourth place. After Game No. 56 of the streak, the Yankees were 55-27 and first place with a 6-game lead over Cleveland.
16. After extending the streak to 56 on July 16, DiMaggio led the American League in runs (80), hits (124) and RBIs (76), was tied for the lead in HR (20) and was second to Ted Williams in batting (.395 to .375).
17. St. Louis Browns pitching teammates Bob Harris and Elden Auker each gave up five hits during the streak.
18. Although he failed to get a hit in Game 57, DiMaggio did walk to reach base in a streak that would extend to 74 consecutive games (second all-time to Ted Williams mark of 84 games in 1949).
19. DiMaggio got hits in both games of a twin-bill May 30 vs. Boston (Games 15 and 16), but he also committed four errors.
20. DiMaggio got two hits off Cleveland's Bob Feller on June 2. Next day The New York Times reported: "DiMaggio, incidentally, has hit safely in nineteen straight games'' -- believed to be the first printed reference to the streak.