56 Game Hitting Streak by Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio Hits Safely in 56 Consecutive Games in 1941

On May 15, 1941, it began. On that day, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio went one-for-four with a run batted in against Eddie Smith and the Chicago White Sox.

From that fateful day until July 16, fifty-six games later, DiMaggio hit safely in every game, setting a brand new record that still stands as one of the greatest achievements in baseball history.

While DiMaggio was no stranger to being the star of an always impressive Yankee team, 1941 was even more special than usual. While the rival Red Sox were being led by Ted Williams and his unbelievable batting average, he ended the season at .406, DiMaggio pulled his team out of an early slump, and led them to the World Series, and himself to an Most Valuable Player Award.

The run to the championship was jump started by DiMaggio's streak. It is ironic that the streak began against the White Sox, who on at least four occasions nearly ended DiMaggio's streak themselves. However, it was the Indians, not the White Sox who finally held the Yankee Clipper hitless.

On July 17, third baseman Ken Keltner made two terrific back handed stops to rob DiMaggio of two hits, ending the streak. DiMaggio had ninety-one hits in two-hundred twenty-three at bats during the stretch, hitting .409. The Yankees had the last laugh, as they won the game, and later the World Series.

DiMaggio kept his streak alive through the All-Star break (and in fact the game itself as he went one-for-four) and the death of Yankee great Lou Gehrig on June 2.

"The Streak", as it has come to be known added to the legend of the great DiMaggio. The eleven-time All-Star was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955. In fact, the first line of his Cooperstown plaque pays homage to his 1941 streak.

DiMaggio is one of only a few players whose famous record still stands, as even Hall of Fame worthy Pete Rose (hit in forty-four consecutive games in 1978) and Hall of Famer Paul Molitor (thirty-nine games in 1987) have fallen far short of his record.

Baseball Almanac proudly presents research in a game-by-game format of the unbreakable streak, the amazing streak, the record setting streak, The Joe DiMaggio Streak.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"Now this is over thirty years later and the guy said he was that cab driver (who drove DiMaggio to the game on July 17th). He apologized (for telling DiMaggio that he thought the streak would end that day) and he was serious. I felt awful. He might have been spending his whole life thinking he had jinxed me, but I told him he hadn't. My number was up." - Joe DiMaggio in A Yankee Century: A Celebration of the First Hundred Years of Baseball's Greatest Team (Harvey Frommer, Berkley Publishing, 10/01/2002, Page 73)

The Joe DiMaggio Hitting Streak

In Numerical Order | Joe DiMaggio | Batting Streak Records

1 05-15-1941 Eddie Smith Chicago 4 0 1 0 0 0 1
2 05-16-1941 Thornton Lee Chicago 4 2 2 0 1 1 1
3 05-17-1941 Johnny Rigney Chicago 3 1 1 0 0 0 0
4 05-18-1941 Bob Harris

St. Louis

3 3 2 1 0 0 1
Johnny Niggeling 1
5 05-19-1941 Denny Galehouse St. Louis 3 0 1 1 0 0 0
6 05-20-1941 Elden Auker St. Louis 5 1 1 0 0 0 1
7 05-21-1941 Schoolboy Rowe Detroit 5 0 1 0 0 0 1
Al Benton 1
8 05-22-1941 Archie McKain Detroit 4 0 1 0 0 0 1
9 05-23-1941 Dick Newsome Boston 5 0 1 0 0 0 2
10 05-24-1941 Earl Johnson Boston 4 2 1 0 0 0 2
11 05-25-1941 Lefty Grove (HOF) Boston 4 0 1 0 0 0 0
12 05-27-1941 Ken Chase

Washington

5 3 1 0 0 1 3
Red Anderson 2
Alex Carrasquel 1
13 05-28-1941 Sid Hudson Washington 4 1 1 0 1 0 0
14 05-29-1941 Steve Sundra Washington 3 1 1 0 0 0 0
15 05-30-1941 Earl Johnson Boston 2 1 1 0 0 0 0
16 05-30-1941 Mickey Harris Boston 3 0 1 1 0 0 0
17 06-01-1941 Al Milnar Cleveland 4 1 1 0 0 0 0
18 06-01-1941 Mel Harder Cleveland 4 0 1 0 0 0 0
19 06-02-1941 Bob Feller (HOF) Cleveland 4 2 2 1 0 0 0
20 06-03-1941 Dizzy Trout Detroit 4 1 1 0 0 1 1
21 06-05-1941 Hal Newhouser (HOF) Detroit 5 1 1 0 1 0 1
22 06-07-1941 Bob Muncrief

St. Louis

5 2 1 0 0 0 1
Johnny Allen 1
George Caster 1
23 06-08-1941 Elden Auker St. Louis 4 3 2 0 0 2 4
24 06-08-1941 George Caster St. Louis 4 1 1 1 0 1 3
Jack Kramer 1
25 06-10-1941 Johnny Rigney Chicago 5 1 1 0 0 0 0
26 06-12-1941 Thornton Lee Chicago 4 1 2 0 0 1 1
27 06-14-1941 Bob Feller (HOF) Cleveland 2 0 1 1 0 0 1
28 06-15-1941 Jim Bagby Cleveland 3 1 1 0 0 1 1
29 06-16-1941 Al Milnar Cleveland 5 0 1 1 0 0 0
30 06-17-1941 Johnny Rigney Chicago 4 1 1 0 0 0 0
31 06-18-1941 Thornton Lee Chicago 3 0 1 0 0 0 0
32 06-19-1941 Eddie Smith Chicago 3 2 1 0 0 1 2
Buck Ross 2
33 06-20-1941 Bobo Newsom Detroit 5 3 2 1 0 0 1
Archie McKain 2
34 06-21-1941 Dizzy Trout Detroit 4 0 1 0 0 0 1
35 06-22-1941 Hal Newhouser (HOF) Detroit 5 1 1 1 0 1 2
Bobo Newsom 1
36 06-24-1941 Bob Muncrief St. Louis 4 1 1 0 0 0 0
37 06-25-1941 Denny Galehouse St. Louis 4 1 1 0 0 1 3
38 06-26-1941 Elden Auker St. Louis 4 0 1 1 0 0 1
39 06-27-1941 Chubby Dean Philadelphia 3 1 2 0 0 1 2
40 06-28-1941 Johnny Babich Philadelphia 5 1 1 1 0 0 0
Lum Harris 1
41 06-29-1941 Dutch Leonard Washington 4 1 1 1 0 0 0
42 06-29-1941 Red Anderson Washington 5 1 1 0 0 0 1
43 07-01-1941 Mickey Harris Boston 4 0 1 0 0 0 1
Mike Ryba 1
44 07-01-1941 Jack Wilson Boston 3 1 1 0 0 0 1
45 07-02-1941 Dick Newsome Boston 5 1 1 0 0 1 3
46 07-05-1941 Phil Marchildon Philadelphia 4 2 1 0 0 1 2
47 07-06-1941 Johnny Babich Philadelphia 5 2 2 1 0 0 2
Bump Hadley 2
48 07-06-1941 Jack Knott Philadelphia 4 0 2 0 1 0 2
49 07-10-1941 Johnny Niggeling St. Louis 2 0 1 0 0 0 0
50 07-11-1941 Bob Harris

St. Louis

5 1 3 0 0 1 2
Jack Kramer 1
51 07-12-1941 Elden Auker St. Louis 5 1 1 1 0 0 1
Bob Muncrief 1
52 07-13-1941 Ted Lyons (HOF) Chicago 4 2 2 0 0 0 0
Jack Hallett 1
53 07-13-1941 Thornton Lee Chicago 4 0 1 0 0 0 0
54 07-14-1941 Johnny Rigney Chicago 3 0 1 0 0 0 0
55 07-15-1941 Eddie Smith Chicago 4 1 2 1 0 0 2
56 07-16-1941 Al Milnar Cleveland 4 3 2 1 0 0 0
Joe Krakauskas 1
Totals During Hitting Streak: 223 56 91 16 4 15 55
The Joe DiMaggio Hitting Streak | Joe DiMaggio Stats | Research by Baseball Almanac
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baseball almanac fast facts

During the streak Joe DiMaggio had a batting average of .408, a slugging average of .717, he faced four future hall of fame pitchers, and he played in the 1941 All-Star Game (he went one-for-four, scored a run, and drove in a run).

How did the streak come to an end? On July 17, 1941, pitchers Al Smith and Jim Bagby of the Cleveland Indians held The Yankee Clipper hitless. Two hard hit shots came close, but great defensive stops by third baseman Ken Keltner ended the streak.

Did you know that Ford Frick, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 through 1965, once stated Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak in 1941 was one of the unbeatable marks in baseball history?