Date of birth: 12 February 1917
Primary position: Outfielder
Elected to Red Sox Hall of Fame: 1995
Known as “the Little Professor” due to his glasses and his small frame, Dom DiMaggio was the youngest of three brothers who played in the Major Leagues, which included Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio and Vince DiMaggio. He played eleven seasons in the majors, all with Boston, and like Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky missed three years between 1943 and 1945 due to his service with the US Armed Forces during World War II.
While his brother Joe is remembered for a 56-game hitting streak that remains unbroken since 1941, DiMaggio holds a record of his own – a 34-game streak set in 1949 – that still stands as the water mark for Boston. In his career, he batted .298 and finished with 1046 runs scored, 87 home runs, 618 RBI, and an OBP of .383; his best season came in 1950, when he batted .328 and led the league in triples (15), stolen bases (11), and runs scored (131). That same year, on 30 June, he and Joe both homered in the same game playing against each other, only the fourth pair of brothers to accomplish the feat, in a 10-2 win for Boston over New York in the second game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park.
In 1946, after returning from active duty, he made his one World Series appearance following Boston’s first pennant in 28 seasons, and batted 7-for-27 with two runs scored and three RBI, including a two-run double that tied the score in the top of the eighth inning of Game Seven of the series. DiMaggio was also part of the inaugural class enshrined in the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995, where he again joined his teammates Williams, Pesky, and Bobby Doerr. Following his death in 2009, the center field flagpole at Fenway was named in his honor.
Career Batting Statistics through 2018 Season
| Season | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BB | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 418 | 81 | 126 | 8 | 46 | 41 | 7 | .301 |
| 1941 | 584 | 117 | 165 | 8 | 58 | 90 | 13 | .283 |
| 1942 | 622 | 110 | 178 | 14 | 48 | 70 | 16 | .286 |
| 1946 | 534 | 85 | 169 | 7 | 73 | 66 | 10 | .316 |
| 1947 | 513 | 75 | 145 | 8 | 71 | 74 | 10 | .283 |
| 1948 | 648 | 127 | 185 | 9 | 87 | 101 | 10 | .285 |
| 1949 | 605 | 126 | 186 | 8 | 60 | 96 | 9 | .307 |
| 1950 | 588 | 131 | 193 | 7 | 70 | 82 | 15 | .328 |
| 1951 | 639 | 113 | 189 | 12 | 72 | 73 | 4 | .296 |
| 1952 | 486 | 81 | 143 | 6 | 33 | 57 | 6 | .294 |
| 1953 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| TOTAL | 5640 | 1046 | 1680 | 87 | 618 | 750 | 100 | .298 |
Memorable Moments for Dom DiMaggio
- 7 August 1949 - Dom DiMaggio's 34-game hitting streak sets a franchise record but Boston loses 6-4 to Detroit at Fenway Park.
- 30 June 1950 - Red Sox outfielder Dom DiMaggio hits a home run in the same game as his brother, Yankees outfielder Joe, as the Boston wins 10-2 over New York in the second game of a doubleheader.
- 9 September 1950 - Dom DiMaggio records his 15th steal of the season; he ends the season with the same mark, which gives him the American League lead, the lowest total in league history.
- 9 September 1950 - The Red Sox purchase the rights to the youngest of the three DiMaggio brothers, Dom, from San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League.
- 8 June 1951 - Behind pitcher Bob Feller, Cleveland stops Dom DiMaggio's 27-game hitting streak as the Tribe best the Red Sox, 7-1.
- 8 June 1951 - Dom DiMaggio's inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning proves to be the only run the Red Sox need as Boston wins 1-0 over Chicago. The ball gets lost under the Boston bullpen bench and DiMaggio circles the bases while White Sox outfielder Wally Moses attempts in vain to retrieve it.
- 8 May 2009 - Former Red Sox center fielder Dom DiMaggio passes away at the age of 92 in Marion, Massachusetts.