Zoneboy
05-08-2009, 08:14 AM
Link (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090508&content_id=4623958&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb)
Dom DiMaggio, a seven-time All-Star for the Red Sox and the youngest of the three DiMaggio brothers who played in the Major Leagues, died Friday at age 92 at his home in Marion, Mass.
DiMaggio died at about 1 a.m. ET, his wife, Emily, told The Associated Press.
Known as the "Little Professor" because of his eyeglasses and his 5-foot-9, 168-pound frame, DiMaggio played for the Red Sox for 11 seasons from 1940-53, missing three seasons while serving in the Coast Guard in World War II.
Dom was a center fielder, as were his brothers Joe, a Hall of Famer for the Yankees from 1936-51, and Vince, who played for five National League teams from 1937-46. And like his brother Joe, who hit in a Major League-record 56 games in 1941, Dom had an impressive hitting streak of his own, hitting in 34 consecutive games -- a Boston club record that still stands -- in 1949.
That streak, though, was broken on Aug. 9, when Joe DiMaggio caught a sinking liner in the eighth inning of a 6-3 Red Sox win over the Yankees.
Dom DiMaggio led the American League twice in runs scored (131 in 1950 and 113 in 1951) and also led the league with 11 triples and 15 stolen bases in 1950, when he hit a career-high .328. He finished as high as ninth in Most Valuable Player voting, in 1946.
He was the youngest of the nine DiMaggio children raised in San Francisco, and began playing professionally with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1937. His contract was purchased by the Red Sox prior to the 1940 season, and he hit .301 in his rookie season.
He played in one World Series, going 7-for-27 (.259) and tying the score with a two-run double in the eighth inning of Game 7 against the Cardinals. He was hurt running the bases, though, and had to leave the game.
His replacement, Leon Culberson, was the center fielder when Harry Walker doubled to center in the bottom of the inning, scoring Enos Slaughter from first base on the so-called "Mad Dash" that won the Series for St. Louis.
DiMaggio and former teammates Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky were the subjects of the 2004 book, "The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship," written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam.
In addition to his wife, Dom DiMaggio is survived by three children and six grandchildren.
Dom DiMaggio, a seven-time All-Star for the Red Sox and the youngest of the three DiMaggio brothers who played in the Major Leagues, died Friday at age 92 at his home in Marion, Mass.
DiMaggio died at about 1 a.m. ET, his wife, Emily, told The Associated Press.
Known as the "Little Professor" because of his eyeglasses and his 5-foot-9, 168-pound frame, DiMaggio played for the Red Sox for 11 seasons from 1940-53, missing three seasons while serving in the Coast Guard in World War II.
Dom was a center fielder, as were his brothers Joe, a Hall of Famer for the Yankees from 1936-51, and Vince, who played for five National League teams from 1937-46. And like his brother Joe, who hit in a Major League-record 56 games in 1941, Dom had an impressive hitting streak of his own, hitting in 34 consecutive games -- a Boston club record that still stands -- in 1949.
That streak, though, was broken on Aug. 9, when Joe DiMaggio caught a sinking liner in the eighth inning of a 6-3 Red Sox win over the Yankees.
Dom DiMaggio led the American League twice in runs scored (131 in 1950 and 113 in 1951) and also led the league with 11 triples and 15 stolen bases in 1950, when he hit a career-high .328. He finished as high as ninth in Most Valuable Player voting, in 1946.
He was the youngest of the nine DiMaggio children raised in San Francisco, and began playing professionally with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1937. His contract was purchased by the Red Sox prior to the 1940 season, and he hit .301 in his rookie season.
He played in one World Series, going 7-for-27 (.259) and tying the score with a two-run double in the eighth inning of Game 7 against the Cardinals. He was hurt running the bases, though, and had to leave the game.
His replacement, Leon Culberson, was the center fielder when Harry Walker doubled to center in the bottom of the inning, scoring Enos Slaughter from first base on the so-called "Mad Dash" that won the Series for St. Louis.
DiMaggio and former teammates Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky were the subjects of the 2004 book, "The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship," written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam.
In addition to his wife, Dom DiMaggio is survived by three children and six grandchildren.