Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio was a Hall of Fame Yankees center fielder famous for his record 56-game hitting streak and postseason success.

Joseph Paul DiMaggio was born on November 25, 1914, in Martinez, California, one of nine children born to Sicilian immigrant parents Giuseppe and Rosalia DiMaggio. His father was a fisherman who hoped his sons would follow him onto the boats, but Joe — along with older brother Vince and younger brother Dom, both of whom also became major leaguers — gravitated instead to the sandlots of San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. DiMaggio began his professional career with the hometown Pacific Coast League San Francisco Seals in 1933, where a 61-game hitting streak as an 18-year-old first announced his talent nationally. The New York Yankees purchased his contract in 1934 despite lingering concerns over a knee injury, and DiMaggio made his major league debut in 1936, immediately helping the Yankees win the World Series in his rookie season. Over the next five seasons, DiMaggio established himself as the game's most complete player, combining graceful outfield defense with a powerful, disciplined swing. He won his first American League MVP award in 1939. Then, in 1941, he authored the most celebrated achievement of his career: a 56-game hitting streak that remains unbroken more than eight decades later — the next-longest streak in MLB history, 44 games, has been reached only twice, by Willie Keeler in 1897 and Pete Rose in 1978. Statisticians have since calculated the odds of the streak being replicated at roughly one in a million, cementing its reputation as perhaps the most unbreakable record in American sports. DiMaggio lost three full seasons, 1943 through 1945, to military service during World War II, a sacrifice shared by many stars of his generation. He returned in 1946 and continued playing at a high level until retiring after the 1951 season, finishing his 13-year career with a .325 batting average, 361 home runs, and three American League MVP awards (1939, 1941, 1947). He was selected to 13 consecutive All-Star Games — every season he played — and won nine World Series championships with the Yankees, the most of any position player in the sport's history. Off the field, DiMaggio's fame extended well beyond baseball. His marriage to actress Marilyn Monroe in January 1954 lasted only nine months, but he remained devoted to her long after their divorce; following her death in 1962, he arranged for fresh flowers to be delivered to her grave three times a week for the next 20 years. DiMaggio was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955 and remained a beloved figure in American culture until his death in 1999. Known to fans as "Joltin' Joe" and to teammates simply as "The Yankee Clipper," he is remembered as much for his quiet dignity as for the records that still bear his name.

Graceful center fielder with powerful hitting

Yankees legend and cultural icon, married to Marilyn Monroe

• HOF 1955
• 3x AL MVP
• 13x All-Star
• 9x World Series champion