Modest DiMaggio Beats the Red Sox
Joe Let Actions On the Field Do His Speaking
The sensational rookie asserted himself with positive results to give the league leading Yankees an overtime triumph over the Yawkey minions.
The Yankees and Red Sox rivalry is not new. In Joe DiMaggio’s rookie season of 1936, the Tigers were the choice to win the pennant, but power hitting Hank Greenberg, who had broken his wrist during the 1935 World Series, broke it again after only twelve games, seriously diminishing the Bengals pennant chances. The Red Sox moved into first place, with the Yankees in close pursuit.
A DiMaggio Single Ties the Game and His Triple Wins It
At the end of play on May 10, the Yankees pulled ahead of the Sox by ½ game but on May 21, Boston pulled even. The Yankees went to Beantown for a three game set on May 26, leading the Sox by 1-½ games. New York took two games and a few days later at the Stadium, the Yankees beat Boston to increase their lead to 4 ½ games. Left fielder Joe DiMaggio, just getting used to the rivalry which had cooled off somewhat during the late 1920s and early 1930s, singled home the tying run in the seventh inning and drove home the winning run with a twelfth inning triple.
DiMaggio Was Earning an Excellent Reputation
Joe was making quite a reputation for himself. Baseball writer James P. Dawson wrote, “Another banner holiday crowd … left the Yankee Stadium yesterday singing the praises of Joe DiMaggio. The sensational rookie asserted himself with positive results to give the league leading Yankees an overtime triumph over the Yawkey minions and boost the distance separating the two teams to a comfortable four and one half games.” After his game winning triple, “…the joy of the crowd knew no bounds. Again DiMaggio had to fight his way through a mad gathering at the Yankee dugout.”
Like A President?
The Yankees respected rookie Joe DiMaggio, and so did his opponents. Billy Martin once made a comment about DiMaggio that was a huge compliment at the time, but one, which many might consider an insult today. "When he walked into the clubhouse, it was like some senator or president walking in there." Willie Mays wanted to grow up to be Joe DiMaggio and when Pete Rose was asked his age, he told people that he was born in the year of Joe Dimaggio’s hitting streak. David Halberstam, in Summer of ’49, wrote that Joe DiMaggio was “the perfect Hemingway hero, for Hemingway in his novels romanticized the man who exhibited grace under pressure, who withheld any emotion lest it soil the purer statement of his deeds."
Grace Under Pressure
Today’s “heroes” respond to pressure, some as well as or even better than DiMaggio did, but few, if any respond to pressure with the grace of a Joe DiMaggio or a Lou Gehrig. When Joe DiMaggio or the other great hitters of his time hit a home run, they didn’t stand at home plate and admire the trajectory of the baseball. Today’s heroes, with rare exception, use emotion in attempts to magnify their deed. As Halberstam wrote, DiMaggio let the deed speak for itself.
Modesty and Decency
According to baseball writer Ed Linn, DiMaggio’s silence was synonymous with modesty and decency. That is no longer the case. Today, silence is interpreted as surliness and modesty is almost non existent. Few things illustrate the difference between today and DiMaggio’s era as the way players congratulate teammates for doing the expected or the mediocre. A pitcher who allows four runs in six innings and leaves the game trailing by a run is not embarrassed to receive congratulations for “keeping his team in the game” or “giving his team a chance to win.” When Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, and Bob Feller played, a pitcher who lost 1-0 was not congratulated. The pitcher who pitched the shut out was congratulated.
Nineteen thirty-six turned out to be a momentous season for Joe DiMaggio and the Yankees. Joe had a fine rookie season and the Yankees would begin the longest World Championship streak in baseball history.
References:
Dawson, James P. “DiMaggio’s Drive Tops Red Sox, 5-4; His Triple in the 12th Scores Rolfe, Giving Yanks 5th in a Row –Lead Now 4 ½ Games.” New York Times. 1 June 1936, p. 25.
