Joltin’ Joe Joins the Topps Living Set
Only time will tell who, if anyone, will ever come close to breaking Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak set in 1941. Joltin’ Joe’s nearly impossible feat is one of the most unbreakable records, not just in baseball, but in all of sports.
There’s no doubt how illustrious DiMaggio’s Hall-of-Fame career was, winning nine World Series championships across his 13 seasons. However, his 1941 campaign, in which he won the American League MVP Award, was truly special when looking back at it. DiMaggio finished fifth among MLB batting average leaders, hitting .357 over 139 games. He recorded 30 homers, an MLB-leading 125 RBI, and the third-most hits at 193.
The Yankees slugger and the rest of the Baseball world didn’t know it yet, but DiMaggio would log at least one hit for the next 56 games beginning with his 1-for-4 effort on May 15, 1941.
The Hall-of-Famer hit an absurd .408 with 15 home runs, 55 RBI, and a .717 slugging percentage during his iconic streak. Perhaps what’s more impressive during DiMaggio’s 56-game feat was that he only struck out five times (13 times overall in 1941), giving himself as much of a chance to get a knock every time he stepped into the batter’s box.
The Yankees legend easily broke Willie Keeler’s MLB record of 45 games and furthered it when it finally ended with a 3-for-4 performance on July 16, 1941. To put things into perspective, only three players have cracked the top 10 in the expansion era (since 1961): Pete Rose with 44 games, Paul Molitor with 39 games, and Jimmy Rollins with 38 games. It’s fun to imagine who could break one of the most sacred records in baseball with today’s generation of players, but at the same time, it’s easy to understand why DiMaggio’s feat hasn’t been touched in 84 years.
Celebrating one of the all-time best, and in a joint effort with artist Jared Kelley, Topps is proud to honor Joe DiMaggio with his first Living Set card. Available for a limited time, add DiMaggio’s card to your collection here while you can!
