Sixty-six years ago today, one of the most amazing feats in baseball history came to an end.
It started on May 15, 1941 when a guy named Joe DiMaggio went 1 for 4 against the White Sox. And he kept hitting in every game after that, shattering the record that had stood before, until it came to an end in a game against the Cleveland Indians.
To date, it stands as one of the longest standing records in baseball history. And, I think it will stay that way for a long time. The last player to come close was Pete Rose in 1978, and he fell 12 games short of even tying DiMaggio’s record. Since then, only Paul Molitor (39 in 1987) has come within even twenty games of the record, and the most recent players to make the list saw their hitting streaks end 21 games short of DiMaggio’s 56.
There are, I think, many reasons why DiMaggio’s record will prove tough to beat. Primarily, baseball is a different game than it was in 1941. Pitchers seldom go nine innings and pitching styles are far more varied than they were back then, making it more difficult for even a “hot” hitter to guarantee a hit in every game for nearly two months. Travel schedules are far more grueling than they were 60 years ago. And, fielders are alot better too.
Babe Ruth’s home run record stood for about 50 years. Depending on how things go in the next few weeks, Hank Aaron’s will stand for about 30. Ty Cobb’s career hit record stood for about 60 years.
Perhaps the day will come when DiMaggio’s record falls as well, but I think it’s going to be quite awhile before we see it happen.
And, however does it, Joe D will still have one up on him………not only did Joe hit safely in 56 games, he married Marylin Monroe.
