Presented by BBSI BOISE.
This Day In Sports…July 17, 1941:
Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees has his legendary 56-game hitting streak snapped, as Cleveland pitchers Al Smith and Jim Bagby put an end to one of the most remarkable accomplishments in sports. At one time, Lou Gehrig’s 2,130 consecutive games played was considered one record that would last forever. Well, Cal Ripken Jr. broke it 30 years ago. DiMaggio’s hitting streak? That one is indeed untouchable.
DiMaggio’s run, during which he hit .408 and struck out only five times, had begun innocently enough back on May 15. The Yankee Clipper singled off Chicago White Sox left-hander Eddie Smith during a 13-1 Yankees loss. The defeat dropped the Yanks under .500 at 14-15, and DiMaggio ’s single drove in Phil Rizzuto for the Yankees’ only run. What could possibly happen? Then, game after game in the box score, there was a number other than zero under the letter “H”.
There were benchmarks along the way. Game No. 20 in the streak came on June 3, one day after Gehrig died of ALS. DiMaggio reached 40 games on June 28, tying Hall of Famer Ty Cobb for the fifth-longest streak ever. Then DiMaggio caught Wee Willie Keeler for the all-time mark of 44 games on July 2. (Keeler’s total was later amended for 45 games, but no matter).
Joltin’ Joe set what would become the record on July 16 with a three-hit performance against the Indians. DiMaggio already had an appreciation for long hitting streaks, as he compiled one of 61 games while playing for his hometown San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League in 1933. But the impact of the 56-game streak was, and is, other-worldly.
Breaking the record seems doable until you appreciate the fact that it all takes is one off-game to end it. The closest anyone has come since DiMaggio was the 44-game streak by Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds in 1978. Following Rose, Paul Molitor of the Milwaukee Brewers hit safely in 39 consecutive games in 1987, and Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies had a 38-game streak that bridged the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
