It’s a remarkable record, one frequently listed among the greatest in baseball history. And yet it is grossly overrated.
With 2011 being a round-number anniversary of Joe DiMaggio’s 1941 hitting streak — and with a book coming out about the 56-game endeavor — we’re guaranteed to hear plenty about the streak this summer.
Why, it already has been the subject of a Sports Illustrated cover, further entrenching the steak in the American psyche.
Considering that nobody before or since has had a hit in more than 44 consecutive games, DiMaggio’s record is, indeed, safe from would-be challengers.
And in the age of 24/7 media saturation, in an era when the attention begins as soon as a hitting streak reaches double-digits, it’s conceivable that anybody who comes remotely close to DiMaggio would be reduced to blubbering in the fetal position in a corner of the shower.
And yet, the record — and hitting streaks in general — are overrated. Here’s why:
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Simply having a hit in a game does not mean a player had a good game. Six times during his streak, DiMaggio had one hit with no extra-base hits, no runs, and no RBI. What’s special about that?
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Simply having a hit doesn’t necessarily mean a player did a lot to help his team win.
To DiMaggio’s credit, the Yankees went on a tear during the streak, going 41-13 (with two ties). Then again, they were the Yankees. They were in the midst of winning seven pennants in eight years. They were pretty good regardless.
- A walk isn’t quite as good as a hit — but it’s close. DiMaggio was a great player, but he never walked much. His .325 career batting average ranks 44th all-time, while his .398 on-base percentage ranks 64th.
During the streak, DiMaggio had 91 hits, 21 walks, and was hit by a pitch twice, reaching base 114 times. During the same calendar stretch, from May 15 through July 16, Ted Williams played 55 games with 77 hits, 50 walks, and 2 HBP — reaching base 129 times.
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During the streak, DiMaggio had an on-base percentage of .463 and a slugging percentage of .717. His OPS of 1.180 would rank 26th all-time on the single-season list if he had sustained if for the entire year. He didn’t.
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During the streak, DiMaggio wasn’t as effective of a hitter as Williams was for the entire season. DiMaggio played in 139 games during the 1941 season. Here are his stats during the streak, extrapolated over 139 games, compared with Williams’ stats for the season of 143 games.
AB R H HR BI BB AVG OBP SLG
DiMaggio 554 226 139 37 137 52 .408 .463 .717
Williams 456 185 135 37 120 147 .406 .553 .735
During the streak, DiMaggio hit .408, while Williams hit .406 for the season. His on-base and slugging percentages were lower than Williams’ were for the season.
To top it off, while DiMaggio was getting a hit in every game from May 15 through July 16, Williams was batting .412 — higher than DiMaggio.
Comparing any hitter to Williams is patently unfair. Plus, Williams wasn’t nearly as good of a fielder, and DiMaggio’s team won the pennant. But DiMaggio’s 1941 MVP award appears silly in retrospect.
This isn’t meant to denigrate DiMaggio as a player. He was a great player, one of the five or six best center fielders in history.
But it is meant to denigrate the significance placed on hitting streaks, one of the most overrated aspects of baseball.
