Editing Joe DiMaggio (section)

=== New York Yankees (1936–1942, 1946–1951) ===
[[File:1937 all stars crop FINAL2.jpg|thumb|Seven of the American League's [[1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1937 All-Star players]]: [[Lou Gehrig]], [[Joe Cronin]], [[Bill Dickey]], Joe DiMaggio, [[Charlie Gehringer]], [[Jimmie Foxx]], and [[Hank Greenberg]]. All seven would eventually be elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]].]]

DiMaggio made his Major League debut on May 3, 1936, batting ahead of [[Lou Gehrig]] in the lineup. The Yankees had not been to the [[World Series]] since [[1932 World Series|1932]], but they won the next four World Series. Over the course of his 13-year Major League career, DiMaggio led the Yankees to nine World Series championships, where he trails only [[Yogi Berra]] (10) in that category.<ref>Kennedy, Kostya, "The Streak", ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', March 14, 2011, pp. 60–67 (Excerpted from ''56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports'', 2011, Sports Illustrated Books).</ref>

DiMaggio set a franchise record for rookies in 1936 by hitting 29 home runs. DiMaggio accomplished the feat in 138 games.<ref name=judge>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19910006/aaron-judge-passes-joe-dimaggio-most-home-runs-new-york-yankees-rookie|title=Aaron Judge passes Joe DiMaggio for most Yankee rookie home runs|first=Andrew|last=Marchand|date=July 8, 2017|access-date=July 8, 2017|work=ESPN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709030024/http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19910006/aaron-judge-passes-joe-dimaggio-most-home-runs-new-york-yankees-rookie|archive-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> His record stood for over 80 years until it was shattered by [[Aaron Judge]], who tallied 52 homers in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/aaron-judge-honored-for-rookie-home-run-record-c257009592|title=Judge honored by Yanks for rookie HR record|website=MLB.com|access-date=July 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721110803/https://www.mlb.com/news/aaron-judge-honored-for-rookie-home-run-record-c257009592|archive-date=July 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1937, DiMaggio built upon his rookie season by leading the majors with 46 home runs, 151 runs scored, and 418 total bases. He also hit safely in 43 of 44 games from June 27 to August 12.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?t=b&id=dimagjo01&year=1937|title=Joe DiMaggio 1937 Batting Game Logs|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|accessdate=January 7, 2022}}</ref> He finished second in American League MVP voting in a close race with [[Charlie Gehringer]] of the [[Detroit Tigers]].

In 1939, DiMaggio was nicknamed "the Yankee Clipper" by Yankee's play-by-play announcer [[Arch McDonald]], when he likened DiMaggio's speed and range in the outfield to the then-new [[Pan American World Airways|Pan American]] airliner.<ref name=Cramer2000>{{cite book|title=Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life|author=Richard Ben Cramer|date=2000|publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=0684853914}}</ref>{{rp|152}} That year in August, DiMaggio recorded 53 RBIs, tying [[Hack Wilson]]'s 1930 record for most in a single month.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/baseball-s-greatest-offensive-streaks-c286932052|title=The 27 greatest offensive runs in MLB history|first=David|last=Adler|website=[[MLB.com]]|date=May 24, 2020|accessdate=January 7, 2022}}</ref> He also won his first career batting title and MVP award, as well as leading the Yankees to their fourth consecutive World Series championship.<ref>{{cite news|title=DiMaggio Voted Most Valuable Player in American League|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|page=31|date=October 25, 1939}}</ref>

DiMaggio was pictured with his son on the cover of the inaugural issue of [[Sport (US magazine)|''SPORT'' magazine]] in September 1946.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thesportgallery.com/products/covers/1946_sept.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414005729/http://www.thesportgallery.com/products/covers/1946_sept.html|url-status=dead|title=''SPORT'' magazine, September 1946|archive-date=April 14, 2010|access-date=July 21, 2019}}</ref>

In 1947, DiMaggio won his third MVP award and his sixth World Series with the Yankees. That year, Boston Red Sox owner [[Tom Yawkey]] and Yankees GM [[Larry MacPhail]] verbally agreed to trade DiMaggio for [[Ted Williams]], but the trade was canceled when MacPhail refused to include [[Yogi Berra]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/page2/s/list/baseballrumors.html |work=ESPN.com |title=The List: Baseball's biggest rumors |page=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226121114/http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/baseballrumors.html |archive-date=February 26, 2011}}.</ref>

In the September 1949 issue of ''SPORT'', [[Hank Greenberg]] said that DiMaggio covered so much ground in center field that the only way to get a hit against the Yankees was "to hit 'em where Joe wasn't." DiMaggio also stole home five times in his career.

On February 7, 1949, DiMaggio signed a contract worth $100,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|100000|1949|r=-4}}}} in current dollar terms) ($70,000 plus bonuses), and became the first baseball player to break $100,000 in earnings.{{Citation needed|reason=Where was this information gathered? How many seasons was the contract for?|date=May 2024}} By 1950, he was ranked the second-best center fielder by the ''Sporting News'', after [[Larry Doby]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.phillytrib.com/baseballarticles/item/3550-baseball-great-doby-receives-postage-stamp.html|title=Baseball Great Doby Receives Postage Stamp|last=Hunt|first=Donald|date=April 5, 2012|access-date=July 14, 2012|publisher=PhillyTrib.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409104049/http://www.phillytrib.com/baseballarticles/item/3550-baseball-great-doby-receives-postage-stamp.html|archive-date=April 9, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> After a poor 1951 season, various injuries, and a scouting report by the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] that was turned over to the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] and leaked to the press, DiMaggio announced his retirement at age 37 on December 11, 1951.<ref>{{Cite news |title=DiMaggio Retires as Player but Expects to Remain in Yankee Organization |author=John Drebinger |newspaper=New York Times |date=December 12, 1951 |url=https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf |page=63}}</ref> When remarking on his retirement to the ''Sporting News'' on December 19, 1951, he said:

[[File:Joe DiMaggio 1951.png|thumb|left|upright=0.75|DiMaggio in 1951, his last year in baseball]]
<blockquote>I feel like I have reached the stage where I can no longer produce for my club, my manager, and my teammates. I had a poor year, but even if I had hit .350, this would have been my last year. I was full of aches and pains and it had become a chore for me to play. When baseball is no longer fun, it's no longer a game, and so, I've played my last game.</blockquote>

Through May 2009, DiMaggio was tied with [[Mark McGwire]] for third place all-time in home runs over the first two calendar years in the major leagues (77), behind [[Phillies]] [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]]r [[Chuck Klein]] (83), and [[Milwaukee Brewers]]' [[Ryan Braun]] (79).<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=1633915 Sandler, Jeremy, "NL Weekly: The Notebook", ''National Post'', May 27, 2009, accessed 5/28/09].{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Through 2011, he was one of seven major leaguers to have had at least four 30-[[Home run|homer]], 100-RBI seasons in their first five years, along with Chuck Klein, [[Ted Williams]], [[Ralph Kiner]], [[Mark Teixeira]], [[Albert Pujols]], and Ryan Braun.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110917&content_id=24822414&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|title=Fascinating facts from Friday's games|work=Major League Baseball|access-date=September 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107084948/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110917&content_id=24822414&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|archive-date=November 7, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> DiMaggio holds the record for most seasons with more home runs than [[strikeouts]] (minimum 20 home runs), a feat he accomplished seven times, and five times consecutively from 1937 to 1941.<ref>{{cite web|title=More Homers than Strikeouts in a Season by Baseball Reference|publisher=baseball-reference.com|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/10091|access-date=September 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006091436/http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/10091|archive-date=October 6, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> DiMaggio could have possibly exceeded 500 home runs and 2,000 RBIs had he not served in the military during [[World War II]], causing him to miss the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons.<ref name="bullock2004">{{cite book | title=Playing for Their Nation: Baseball and the American Military during World War II | publisher=University of Nebraska Press | author=Bullock, Steven R. | pages=100–102, 127 | year=2004 | isbn=0-8032-1337-9}}</ref>

DiMaggio might have had better power-hitting statistics had his home park not been [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]]. In "The House That Ruth Built", its nearby right field favored the Babe's left-handed power. For right-handed hitters, its deep left and center fields made home runs almost impossible. [[Mickey Mantle]] recalled that he and [[Whitey Ford]] witnessed many DiMaggio blasts that would have been home runs anywhere other than Yankee Stadium (Ruth himself fell victim to that problem, as he also hit many long flyouts to center). [[Bill James]] calculated that DiMaggio lost more home runs due to his home park than any other player in history. Left-center field went as far back as 457&nbsp;ft [139&nbsp;m], whereas left-center rarely reaches 380&nbsp;ft [116&nbsp;m] in today's ballparks. [[Al Gionfriddo]]'s famous catch in the [[1947 World Series]], which was close to the 415-foot mark [126&nbsp;m] in left-center, just in front of the visitors bullpen, would have been a home run in the Yankees' current ballpark and most other ballparks at that time, except perhaps the Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants. DiMaggio hit 148 home runs in 3,360 at-bats at home versus 213 home runs in 3,461 at-bats on the road. His slugging percentage at home was .546, and on the road, it was .610. Statistician Bill Jenkinson commented on these figures:

[[File:Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle 1970.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|DiMaggio and [[Mickey Mantle]] at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] in 1970, two years after Mantle's retirement]]
<blockquote>
For example, Joe DiMaggio was acutely handicapped by playing at Yankee Stadium. Every time he batted in his home field during his entire career, he did so knowing that it was physically impossible for him to hit a home run to the half of the field directly in front of him. If you look at a baseball field from foul line to foul line, it has a 90-degree radius. From the power alley in the left-center field (430 in Joe's time) to the fence in the deep right-center field (407 ft), it is 45 degrees. And Joe DiMaggio never hit a single home run over the fences at Yankee Stadium in that 45-degree graveyard. It was just too far. Joe was plenty strong; he routinely hit balls in the 425-foot range. But that just wasn't good enough in the cavernous Yankee Stadium. Like Ruth, he benefited from a few easy homers each season due to the short foul line distances. But he lost many more than he gained by constantly hitting long flyouts toward center field. Whereas most sluggers perform better on their home fields, DiMaggio hit only 41 percent of his career home runs in the Bronx. He hit 148 homers at Yankee Stadium. If he had hit the same exact pattern of batted balls with a typical modern stadium as his home, he would have belted about 225 homers during his home-field career.
</blockquote>

DiMaggio became eligible for the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1953 but he was not elected until 1955. The Hall of Fame rules on the post-retirement induction waiting period had been revised in the interim, extending the waiting period from one to five years, but DiMaggio and [[Ted Lyons]] were exempted from the rule. DiMaggio told ''[[Baseball Digest]]'' in 1963 that the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] had offered him their managerial job in 1953, but he turned it down. After being out of baseball since his retirement as an active player, DiMaggio joined the newly relocated [[Oakland Athletics]] as a vice president in [[1968 Oakland Athletics season|1968]] and [[1969 Oakland Athletics season|1969]] and a [[coach (baseball)|coach]] in just the first of those two seasons. The appointment allowed him to qualify 
for MLB's maximum [[pension]] allowance of which he had fallen two years short upon his retirement. During his only campaign as a coach, he helped improve the talents of players such as [[Reggie Jackson]], [[Sal Bando]], and [[Joe Rudi]] who became part of the team's nucleus which won three consecutive World Series in 1972, 1973, and 1974.<ref>[https://www.mlb.com/news/joe-dimaggio-as-oakland-a-s-coach Castrovince, Anthony. "How DiMaggio wound up in an A's uniform," MLB.com, Tuesday, December 21, 2021.] Retrieved December 22, 2021</ref>

After he resigned from the Athletics, DiMaggio was named the acting manager for the East team in the [[East-West Major League Baseball Classic]] which was held in honor of the late [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], raising charity money for King's causes.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Verducci |first1=Tom |title=The Greatest (Forgotten) Game Ever Played: MLB's 1970 Exhibition to Honor MLK |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/01/18/martin-luther-king-day-baseball-hall-of-fame |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=January 18, 2021}}</ref>