Joe DiMaggio was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees from 1936 to 1951, and is best known for his 56-game hitting streak in 1941. DiMaggio was a three-time MVP and 13-time All-Star. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
Table of Contents:
1. Early Life
2. Baseball Career
3. Personal Life
4. Legacy
5. Top Joe DiMaggio Quotes
Early Life:
Joseph Paul DiMaggio was born on November 25, 1914, in Martinez, California. He was the eighth of nine children born to Italian immigrants. DiMaggio’s father, Giuseppe, was a fisherman. His mother, Rosalia, was a homemaker.
DiMaggio grew up in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. He attended Galileo High School, where he played baseball and basketball. After graduation, he worked as a delivery boy for a fish market.
In 1932, DiMaggio began his professional career with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. He played for the Seals for four seasons. In 1936, he was signed by the New York Yankees.
Baseball Career:
DiMaggio made his major league debut with the Yankees on May 3, 1936. He quickly established himself as one of the best players in the game. In his rookie season, he hit .323 with 29 home runs and 125 RBIs. He was named the American League’s Rookie of the Year.
DiMaggio was the centerpiece of the Yankees’ dynasty of the 1940s and 1950s. He helped the team win nine World Series titles. He was named MVP of the World Series three times.
DiMaggio is best remembered for his 56-game hitting streak in 1941. The streak is the longest in baseball history.
Personal Life:
In 1939, DiMaggio married actress Dorothy Arnold. The couple had one child, Joe Jr. They divorced in 1944.
In 1954, DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe. The couple divorced in 1955.
DiMaggio had a number of health problems in his later years. He underwent surgery for cancer in 1998. He died on March 8, 1999, at the age of 84.
Legacy:
DiMaggio is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was a three-time MVP and 13-time All-Star. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
The Yankees retired DiMaggio’s uniform number, 5, in 1952. In 1999, Major League Baseball named him the greatest living player.
Top Joe DiMaggio Quotes:
“I can remember a reporter asking me for a quote, and I didn’t know what a quote was. I thought it was some kind of soft drink.”— Joe DiMaggio
“There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best.”— Joe DiMaggio
“I feel like I have reached the stage where I can no longer produce for my club, my manager, and my teammates.”— Joe DiMaggio
“I always thought there was at least one person in the stands who had never seen me play, and I didn’t want to let him down.”— Joe DiMaggio
“There’s nobody taking center from me until I give it up.”— Joe DiMaggio
“I thought he had been shot.”— Joe DiMaggio
“Now this is over thirty years later and the guy said he was that cab driver. He apologized 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
“You ought to run the hardest when you feel the worst. Never let the other guy know you’re down.”— Joe DiMaggio
“Now I’ve had everything except for the thrill of watching Babe Ruth play.”— Joe DiMaggio
“A person always doing his or her best becomes a natural leader, just by example.”— Joe DiMaggio
“A ball player has to be kept hungry to become a big leaguer. That’s why no boy from a rich family has ever made the big leagues.”— Joe DiMaggio
“Baseball didn’t really get into my blood until I knocked off that hitting streak. Getting a daily hit became more important to me than eating, drinking or sleeping.”— Joe DiMaggio
“There’s always some youngster coming up- they’ll find somebody.”— Joe DiMaggio
“I think there are some players born to play ball.”— Joe DiMaggio
“You always get a special kick on opening day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.”— Joe DiMaggio
“You start chasing a ball and your brain immediately commands your body to ‘Run forward, bend, scoop up the ball, peg it to the infield,’ then your body says, ‘Who me?’”— Joe DiMaggio
“It’s great to be young and be a Yankee!”— Joe DiMaggio
“If you keep thinking about what you want to do or what you hope will happen, you don’t do it, and it won’t happen.”— Joe DiMaggio
“Motivation is something nobody else can give you. Others can help motivate you, but basically it must come from you and it must be a constant desire to do your very best at all times and under any circumstances.”— Joe DiMaggio
“If anyone wants to know why three kids in one family made it to the big leagues they just had to know how we helped each other and how much we practiced back then. We did it every minute we could.”— Joe DiMaggio
“When baseball is no longer fun, it’s no longer a game.”— Joe DiMaggio
“At my age, I’m just happy to be named the greatest living anything.”— Joe DiMaggio
“Too many kids today are playing major league ball and don’t belong there.”— Joe DiMaggio
“I want to thank the good lord for making me a yankee.”— Joe DiMaggio
“In that case Mr. Barrow, Mr. Gehrig is a very underpaid ballplayer.”— Joe DiMaggio
“I’m a ballplayer, not an actor.”— Joe DiMaggio
“We need a hit, so here I go.”— Joe DiMaggio
“All pitchers are born pitchers.”— Joe DiMaggio
“It’s got to be better than rooming with Joe Page.”— Joe DiMaggio
“I’m proud to have been a Yankee. But I have found more happiness and contentment since I came back home to San Francisco than any man has a right to deserve. This is the friendliest city in the world.”— Joe DiMaggio
“Just two words: a masterpiece.”— Joe DiMaggio
“Putting the Yankee uniform on every day.”— Joe DiMaggio
“The test of an outfielder’s skill comes when he has to go against the fence to make a catch.”— Joe DiMaggio
“I played my best everyday. You never know when someone may be seeing you play for the first time.”— Joe DiMaggio
Source: Wikipedia Baseball Baseball Hall Life Abc News Wwd Imdb