Dom DiMaggio
Encyclopedia
Dominic Paul DiMaggio nicknamed "The Little Professor", was a Major League Baseball
center fielder
. He played his entire 11-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox
(1940–1953). He was the youngest of three brothers who each became major league center fielders, the others being Joe
and Vince
.
, he batted
.300 four times and led the American League
in runs
twice and in triples
and stolen base
s once each. He also led the AL in assists
three times and in putout
s and double play
s twice each; he tied a league record by recording 400 putouts four times, and his totals of 503 putouts and 526 total chances
stood as AL records for nearly thirty years. His 1338 games in center field ranked eighth in AL history when he retired. His 34-game hitting streak
in remains a Boston club record.
He was the youngest of three brothers who each became major league center fielders: Joe
was a star with the rival New York Yankees
, and Vince
played for five National League
teams. The youngest of nine children born to Sicilian
immigrants, Dom's small stature (5'9") and eyeglasses earned him the nickname "The Little Professor." A little ditty from Dom's playing days said:"Who hits the ball and makes it go? Dominic DiMaggio./ Who runs the bases fast, not slow? Dominic DiMaggio./ Who's better than his brother Joe? Dominic DiMaggio./ But when it comes to gettin' dough, they give it all to brother Joe."
After breaking into the minor leagues in 1937 with the San Francisco Seals
of the Pacific Coast League
, Dom DiMaggio's contract was purchased by the Red Sox following a 1939 season in which he batted .361; he hit .301 in his rookie season, becoming part of a .300-hitting outfield with Ted Williams
and Doc Cramer
. In both 1941 and 1942 he scored over 100 runs to finish third in the AL, and was among the league's top ten players in doubles
and steals; he was named an All-Star
both years. After missing three years serving in the Navy
in World War II
, he returned in with his best season yet, batting .316 to place fifth in the league, and coming in ninth in the MVP
voting as Boston won its first pennant in 28 years. Batting third, he hit only .259 in the 1946 World Series
against the St. Louis Cardinals
, but was almost a Series hero for Boston. With two out in the eighth inning of Game 7, he doubled to drive in two runs, tying the score 3-3; but he pulled his hamstring coming into second base, and had to be removed for a pinch runner. The result was costly, as Harry Walker
doubled to center field in the bottom of the inning, with Enos Slaughter
scoring from first base in his famed "Mad Dash
" to win the game and Series for St. Louis; had DiMaggio remained in the game, Walker's hit might have been catchable, or the outfielder's strong arm might have held Slaughter to third base. “If they hadn’t taken DiMaggio out of the game,” Slaughter later said of his daring sprint, “I wouldn’t have tried it.”
After an offensively disappointing year in 1947, DiMaggio rebounded in 1948 to score 127 runs (second in the AL) with career highs in doubles (40), runs batted in
(87) and walks
(101). His 503 putouts broke Baby Doll Jacobson
's AL record of 484, set with the St. Louis Browns
; his 526 total chances surpassed the league mark of 498 shared by Sam Rice
of the Washington Senators
and Jacobson. At the time, the marks ranked behind only Taylor Douthit
's totals of 547 and 566 with the Cardinals in major league history; both records stood until , when Chet Lemon
of the Chicago White Sox
recorded 512 putouts and 536 total chances. In 1949 DiMaggio batted .307 with 126 runs, and had his team-record 34-game hitting streak; ironically, the streak was ended on August 9 by an outstanding catch made by his brother Joe. That year he made 400 putouts for the fourth time, tying the AL record held by Sam West
of the Senators and Browns; the mark was later tied by two other players before being broken by Lemon in .
In DiMaggio led the AL in runs (131), triples (11) and stolen bases (15) while hitting a career-high .328. On June 30 he and Joe hit home run
s while playing against one another, becoming the fourth pair of brothers to homer in the same game. Dom's stolen base total of 15 is the lowest stolen base total to lead either of the Major Leagues in a single season.
He again led the league in runs (113) in , when he had a 27-game hitting streak from May 12 to June 7. He retired in May , after appearing in only three games that year as a pinch hitter, with a .298 batting average, 1680 hits
, 308 doubles, 87 home runs, 1046 runs and 618 RBI in 1399 games. He was selected an All-Star seven times (1941–42, 1946, 1949–52). His career average of 2.98 chances per game remains the record for AL outfielders.
DiMaggio enjoyed a close friendship with teammates Ted Williams
, Bobby Doerr
, and Johnny Pesky
, which was chronicled in David Halberstam
's book The Teammates. After retiring, he became a plastics manufacturer in New England. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
in . He and his wife Emily, whom he married in 1948, had two sons (Paul and Peter), a daughter (Emily), and several grandchildren (Alex, Andrew, Charlotte, Margel, Peter, and Anna).
In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Dom DiMaggio was the left fielder on Stein's Italian team.
In 1978 he was named a member of the Board of Trustees at Saint Anselm College
in Goffstown, New Hampshire
. He served under Presidents Father Peter and Father Jonathan and helped lead Saint Anselm College through four decades of expansion; he was awarded an honorary degree in 1999.
Renowned author David Halberstam described Dom as “probably the most underrated player of his day.”
. He was 92 years old and had been suffering from pneumonia
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
. He played his entire 11-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1940–1953). He was the youngest of three brothers who each became major league center fielders, the others being Joe
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
and Vince
Vince DiMaggio
Vincent Paul "Vince" DiMaggio was a Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 10-year baseball career, he played for the Boston Bees , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies , and New York Giants...
.
Biography
An effective leadoff hitterBatting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...
, he batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.300 four times and led the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
twice and in triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s once each. He also led the AL in assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
three times and in putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s and double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s twice each; he tied a league record by recording 400 putouts four times, and his totals of 503 putouts and 526 total chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
stood as AL records for nearly thirty years. His 1338 games in center field ranked eighth in AL history when he retired. His 34-game hitting streak
Hitting streak
In baseball, a hitting streak refers to the number of consecutive official games in which a player gets at least one base hit.According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is ended when a player has at least 1 plate appearance and no hits...
in remains a Boston club record.
He was the youngest of three brothers who each became major league center fielders: Joe
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
was a star with the rival New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, and Vince
Vince DiMaggio
Vincent Paul "Vince" DiMaggio was a Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 10-year baseball career, he played for the Boston Bees , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies , and New York Giants...
played for five National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
teams. The youngest of nine children born to Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
immigrants, Dom's small stature (5'9") and eyeglasses earned him the nickname "The Little Professor." A little ditty from Dom's playing days said:"Who hits the ball and makes it go? Dominic DiMaggio./ Who runs the bases fast, not slow? Dominic DiMaggio./ Who's better than his brother Joe? Dominic DiMaggio./ But when it comes to gettin' dough, they give it all to brother Joe."
After breaking into the minor leagues in 1937 with the San Francisco Seals
San Francisco Seals (PCL)
The San Francisco Seals were a minor league baseball team in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 until 1957 before transferring to Phoenix, Arizona...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, Dom DiMaggio's contract was purchased by the Red Sox following a 1939 season in which he batted .361; he hit .301 in his rookie season, becoming part of a .300-hitting outfield with Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
and Doc Cramer
Doc Cramer
Roger Maxwell Cramer [Doc] was an American center fielder and left-handed batter in Major League Baseball who played for four American League teams from 1929 to 1948.-Career:...
. In both 1941 and 1942 he scored over 100 runs to finish third in the AL, and was among the league's top ten players in doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and steals; he was named an All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
both years. After missing three years serving in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he returned in with his best season yet, batting .316 to place fifth in the league, and coming in ninth in the MVP
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
voting as Boston won its first pennant in 28 years. Batting third, he hit only .259 in the 1946 World Series
1946 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 6, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, MissouriThe Red Sox won Game 1 when Rudy York hit a home run into the left field bleachers.-Game 2:Monday, October 7, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St...
against the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, but was almost a Series hero for Boston. With two out in the eighth inning of Game 7, he doubled to drive in two runs, tying the score 3-3; but he pulled his hamstring coming into second base, and had to be removed for a pinch runner. The result was costly, as Harry Walker
Harry Walker
Harry William Walker, known to baseball fans of the middle 20th century as "Harry the Hat" , was an American baseball player, manager and coach.-Early life and family:...
doubled to center field in the bottom of the inning, with Enos Slaughter
Enos Slaughter
Enos Bradsher Slaughter , nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 19-year baseball career, he played from 1938–1942 and 1946-1959 for four different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the St...
scoring from first base in his famed "Mad Dash
Slaughter's Mad Dash
The Mad Dash, or Slaughter's Mad Dash, refers to an event in the eighth inning of the seventh game of the 1946 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox.-Background:...
" to win the game and Series for St. Louis; had DiMaggio remained in the game, Walker's hit might have been catchable, or the outfielder's strong arm might have held Slaughter to third base. “If they hadn’t taken DiMaggio out of the game,” Slaughter later said of his daring sprint, “I wouldn’t have tried it.”
After an offensively disappointing year in 1947, DiMaggio rebounded in 1948 to score 127 runs (second in the AL) with career highs in doubles (40), runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
(87) and walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
(101). His 503 putouts broke Baby Doll Jacobson
Baby Doll Jacobson
William Chester "Baby Doll" Jacobson was a Major League baseball outfielder. Jacobson was born in Cable, Illinois, USA.His best season was 1920, when he hit for a .355 batting average and amassed 122 RBIs....
's AL record of 484, set with the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
; his 526 total chances surpassed the league mark of 498 shared by Sam Rice
Sam Rice
Edgar Charles "Sam" Rice was an American pitcher and right fielder in Major League Baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963....
of the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
and Jacobson. At the time, the marks ranked behind only Taylor Douthit
Taylor Douthit
Taylor Lee Douthit , was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds from 1923 to 1933.-Career:...
's totals of 547 and 566 with the Cardinals in major league history; both records stood until , when Chet Lemon
Chet Lemon
Chester Earl Lemon is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. A three time All-Star, he was a member of the World Series champion 1984 Detroit Tigers.-Early years:...
of the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
recorded 512 putouts and 536 total chances. In 1949 DiMaggio batted .307 with 126 runs, and had his team-record 34-game hitting streak; ironically, the streak was ended on August 9 by an outstanding catch made by his brother Joe. That year he made 400 putouts for the fourth time, tying the AL record held by Sam West
Sam West
Samuel Filmore West was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams between and . Listed at 5' 11", 165 lb., West batted and threw left handed. He was born in Longview, Texas....
of the Senators and Browns; the mark was later tied by two other players before being broken by Lemon in .
In DiMaggio led the AL in runs (131), triples (11) and stolen bases (15) while hitting a career-high .328. On June 30 he and Joe hit home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s while playing against one another, becoming the fourth pair of brothers to homer in the same game. Dom's stolen base total of 15 is the lowest stolen base total to lead either of the Major Leagues in a single season.
He again led the league in runs (113) in , when he had a 27-game hitting streak from May 12 to June 7. He retired in May , after appearing in only three games that year as a pinch hitter, with a .298 batting average, 1680 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, 308 doubles, 87 home runs, 1046 runs and 618 RBI in 1399 games. He was selected an All-Star seven times (1941–42, 1946, 1949–52). His career average of 2.98 chances per game remains the record for AL outfielders.
DiMaggio enjoyed a close friendship with teammates Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
, Bobby Doerr
Bobby Doerr
Robert Pershing Doerr is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and coach. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox . He led American League second basemen in double plays five times, tying a league record, in putouts and fielding percentage four times each, and...
, and Johnny Pesky
Johnny Pesky
John Michael Pesky , nicknamed "The Needle" and "Mr. Red Sox", was a Major League Baseball shortstop, third baseman, and manager. During a 10-year career, he played in 1942 and from 1946-1954 for three different teams. He missed all of the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons while serving in World War...
, which was chronicled in David Halberstam
David Halberstam
David Halberstam was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and historian, known for his early work on the Vietnam War, his work on politics, history, the Civil Rights Movement, business, media, American culture, and his later sports journalism.-Early life and education:Halberstam...
's book The Teammates. After retiring, he became a plastics manufacturer in New England. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of former Boston Red Sox baseball players. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, past and present media personnel, and representatives from The Sports Museum of New England and the...
in . He and his wife Emily, whom he married in 1948, had two sons (Paul and Peter), a daughter (Emily), and several grandchildren (Alex, Andrew, Charlotte, Margel, Peter, and Anna).
In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Dom DiMaggio was the left fielder on Stein's Italian team.
In 1978 he was named a member of the Board of Trustees at Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College is a nationally ranked, private, Benedictine, Catholic liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889 by Abbot Hilary Pfrängle, O.S.B. of Saint Mary's Abbey in Newark, New Jersey, at the request of Bishop Denis M. Bradley of Manchester, New Hampshire, the...
in Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 17,651 at the 2010 census. The compact center of town, where 3,196 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffstown census-designated place and is located at the...
. He served under Presidents Father Peter and Father Jonathan and helped lead Saint Anselm College through four decades of expansion; he was awarded an honorary degree in 1999.
Renowned author David Halberstam described Dom as “probably the most underrated player of his day.”
Death
DiMaggio died on May 8, 2009 at his home in Marion, MassachusettsMarion, Massachusetts
Marion is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,123 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Marion Center, please see the article Marion Center, Massachusetts.-History:...
. He was 92 years old and had been suffering from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
See also
- Bay Area Sports Hall of FameBay Area Sports Hall of FameThe Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame honors sports figures who have made a significant impact in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization is a section 501 non-profit, that was created by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce in 1979.-Inductees:...
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
External links
- BaseballLibrary
- The SPORT Gallery
- Dom Dimaggio at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...
- AP Obituary in the Boston Globe
- 2 July 2001 Sports Illustrated article Retrieved 11 August 2008