#1 Joe DiMaggio’s MLB 56-game hitting streak

The Sporting News recently released their Top 10 Greatest Sports Records issue. The subject of greatest records and greatest players amongst sports fans will always be up for debate. Of course I have a couple of thoughts and issues with Steve Greenberg’s Top 10 list.

This is editorial article #10 in an 11 part series.

The Sporting News Top 10:

1) Joe DiMaggio’s 56-Game Hitting Streak

2) Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 Point Game

3) The UCLA Bruin’s 7 Consecutive National Titles

4) Cy Young’s 511 Wins

5) Nolan Ryan’s 7 No-Hitters

6) Jerry Rice’s 208 Touchdowns

7) Wayne Gretzky’s 215 Point Season

8) Pete Rose’s 4,256 Career Hits

9) Bill Russell’s 11 NBA Championships

10) Pete Maravich’s NCAA Basketball’s Best 44.2 Career Points per Game

#1 Joe DiMaggio’s MLB 56-game hitting streak

On the scale of ever being achieved again, it’s hard to argue this record being number 1. The Yankee Clipper had a 61-game hitting streak in the minors and after his 56-game streak ended in 1941 he started a 16-game streak the next game; point being his achievement is no fluke.

Will his record ever be broken? I doubt it, and for a few reasons.

1) The game has changed so much since 1941. One can argue that the talent is better now because Latin and black players are in the league and stop there. I think it goes well beyond that point and saying that diminishes the accomplishments of the players during that era. Would Josh Gibson, a catcher in the Negro Leagues and a baseball Hall of Famer, have hit 800 career homeruns had he played in MLB? Who knows? But why take away his accomplishment by saying he didn’t necessarily play against the best of the best?

2) The amount of pitchers and specialty pitchers in the modern game gives “Joltin’ Joe” a huge advantage. DiMaggio only had to face 7 other American League teams throughout the 1941 season. Major League Baseball had a total of 16 professional teams in baseball in 1941; 8 teams in the AL and 8 in the NL. One can get very familiar with the other team’s pitchers and their tendencies over the course of a season; he faced the Chicago White Sox in 4 different series during his streak.

If each team used a five man starting rotation, in theory, he would’ve only had to face 35 different starting pitchers in one season (not counting injuries, emergency starters, etc…). As opposed to the 14 different AL teams and 16 different NL teams in 2011. Today’s AL hitter has 70 different starting pitchers to get friendly with over the course of one season. With the addition of inter-league games, that number expands; not to mention the set-up relievers and closers he would have to face. To even this argument out, modern technology helps today’s hitters by charting opposing team’s pitches and video taping each outing. Although seeing a pitcher on a club house TV is different than facing said pitcher every few days. To give the advantage back to Joe, relievers were not widely used then and pitch counts would be the punch line to a joke. Joe may have gotten a couple of cheap hits here and there off of a starting pitcher throwing his 130 pitch of the game. Who knows?

3) Not that DiMaggio had to lay down many bunts to get hits, but that is a lost art with today’s players, thus one takes away another opportunity to extend his streak if needed. Advantage goes to Joe.

4) No one likes to have a streak go against them. Modern day opposing teams would start throwing junk pitches to a player. That’s being a poor sport, but it’s true. Point being, I don’t think an opposing team would give a player anything worth hitting or close to the plate, making Joe’s streak near impossible to break.

5) Today’s ballparks are “Mini-Me’s” as compared to the roaming lands called stadiums in 1941. Hitting a “gapper” or a “dying quail” in the hitter friendly older stadiums allows more room for error for Joltin’ Joe. Hitters are squeezed in the tighter parks of today. Advantage Joltin’ Joe.

I know what you’re thinking, “Hey HogManInLA, what about the shorter fences?” Only Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals combines the ability to hit for average (career .331 hitter) and power. If a hitter goes up to the plate swinging for the fences each time, he’ll be lucky to get a 3 game hitting streak.

As a side note, it has been researched and reported that during the 1941 season, Joe would’ve hit a total of 78 home runs that year had he played within the dimensions of modern day Yankee Stadium!

The dimensions of Yankee Stadium in 1941 were:

301 ft down the left field line

457 ft in straightaway left center

Centerfield was 461 ft!!!

407 in straightaway right field

296 down the right field line

Yankee Stadium was reconfigured in 1988, the last time the dimensions were changed before moving into the New Yankee Stadium.

318 ft down the left field line

399 ft in straightaway left center

Centerfield was 408 ft

353 ft in straightaway right field

314 down the right field line

There’s more room for Joltin’ Joe to get his extra base hits but too much room for him to get his homeruns. Take that Mr. Bonds!

Just to clarify, Joe DiMaggio’s streak is amazing. Pete Rose is the only other modern day player to come close to him with a hitting steak of 44 games in 1978. Rose was a top of the order guy with a lot of chances each game and he was a great contact hitter. If the “Hit King” couldn’t do it, who can?

Perhaps the only other single season hitting record to come close to Joltin’ Joe’s on the amazing scale is Ted William’s .408 season average. The Splendid Splinter is overshadowed by Joe’s accomplishment as both hit their marks in the same year! Talk about right place and wrong time.