Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio was an icon both on and off the field. Besides playing center field for the New York Yankees, DiMaggio also served during WW2 (albeit never seeing action) and married the most famous woman in Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe.
But it’s his play on the field that gets DiMaggio into the Hall of Immortals.
A 3-time MVP, DiMaggio woukd hit 361 home runs, drive in over 1,500 runs, and average .325 over 13 full seasons (losing 3 prime seasons to the war).
And then there was the hitting streak. In 1941, from May 15 through July 17, DiMaggio hit safely in 56 straight games. During the streak he batted .408 with 15 HRs and 55 RBIs. In the 80 years since, only 1 player has hit safely in at least 40 (Pete Rose 44 in 1978).
No body would disagree that Joe DiMaggio is an Immortal
For some background on what this is, check out the introduction post here.
