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Eclipsing DiMaggio a fitting eulogy
Other historic seasons will be remembered for the numbers .438 (Hugh Duffy's batting average in 1894), 190 (Hack Wilson's RBI total in 1930), 196 (Billy Hamilton's runs scored total in 1894), 257 (George Sissler's hits total in 1920), 383 (Nolan Ryan's strikeout total in 1973) and 41 (Jack Chesbro's win total in 1904).
While these are some of the greatest numbers in sports history, none is bigger than 56 - the number of consecutive games the late great "Yankee Clipper" Joe DiMaggio hit safely in during his immortal "Streak" in 1941. For three months, from May 15 when he singled in a game against the White Sox at Yankee Stadium to July 17 when he went hitless in a game against the Indians in Cleveland, Joltin' Joe captivated baseball fans around the world with his unparalleled display of baseball acumen.
In his streak he had 91 hits, almost two a game; 15 home runs, almost one every three games; drove in 55 runs, scored 56 and batted .408. When the streak started, DiMaggio was hitting .306. When it ended, he was hitting .375. DiMaggio struck out only five times during the streak and kept it on life-support with a hit in his last at-bat nine times. DiMaggio's individual feat also helped the Yankees, who went 41-13-2 during the streak and moved from five games out of first to six games ahead of Cleveland, win their ninth World Series. DiMaggio's streak in 1941 outshone Ted Williams' amazing .406 batting average - no player has hit .400 since. Because of the classy way he played the game, many baseball writers have praised DiMaggio's hitting-streak as the "noblest" mark in America's noblest sport.
While McGwire's assault on the record books thrilled fans a year ago it never attained the same social impact as "The Streak" did in 1941, when it completely captured the American conscience, helping to take peoples' minds off the day-to-day horror of World War II as updates of DiMaggio's streak preceded all other news reports.
When the 84-year-old DiMaggio passed away two months ago, after losing a battle with lung cancer, memories of "The Streak" were reborn and a new era of ballplayers were introduced to a hallmark of baseball lore.
DiMaggio's record surpassed the mark of 44 games set by Wee Willie Keeler in 1894. Since then, only Pete Rose has seriously approached the record, hitting in 44 straight in 1978 for the Cincinnati Reds. So when Arizona Diamondbacks' outfielder Luis Gonzalez had the longest hitting streak of this decade ended at 30 games last week, baseball historians were given the opportunity to revel in past glories yet again. Even Gonzalez, 31, took some time to reflect on his part in history, whose only significance now is that it propelled us to dream of the blasphemous - the eclipsing of "The Streak." After going 0-for in his first three at-bats, Gonzalez - one of only 36 players ever to hit 30 games in succession - took a moment in his final plate appearance to ponder the magnitude of DiMaggio's feat.
"You never know if you'll ever get here again," Gonzalez said after San Francisco Giants' reliever Alan Embree ended his streak at 30 games. "I kind of took in the moment."
Gonzalez shares the top streak in the 1990s with Baltimore's Eric Davis (1998), Cleveland's Sandy Alomar Jr. (1997) and Boston's Nomar Garciaparra (1997). His streak is the longest in the NL since Jerome Walton hit in 30 straight in 1989.
"When I was at 28 games and halfway to 56 I thought, 'No way. No way.' There was no way to get there. And you think about Pete Rose, who had 44 straight, or Paul Molitor's 39 straight. And it makes you understand how tough it is to do.
"To think that someone could hit in every game for a third of a season like DiMaggio is really something."
In a year in which baseball lost another of it's living links to a storied past, it would have been a fitting eulogy to DiMaggio's memory to have a classy player like Gonzalez eclipse baseball's purest record.
With the latest run at 56 in the record books, Gonzalez passes the torch - just like Rose and Molitor did before him - to the next player to take up and run with. The majors next contenders to the DiMaggio throne are the Rangers' Ivan Rodriguez and the Orioles' Bj Surhoff who both own 14-game hit streaks. Maybe the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr., who has been chosen as the heir to Hank Aaron's milestone of 755 career home runs, can turn his 13-game streak into 57 and pass Joltin' Joe. Or will it be the Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr., who broke Lou Gehrig's incredible record of consecutive games played on September 6, 1995, playing in his 2,131st game, who currently has a 12-game hitting run? For purely sentimental reasons I hope Tampa Bay slugger Jose Canseco, who started his eight-game hit streak exactly 58 years to the day that DiMaggio launched his streak, can keep it going for another 49 games. Yeah and I'm the commissioner of baseball!
In an era characterized by whiney superstars, greedy owners, powerful unions, inept management and free-agency to end it by setting a new standard for the next millenium would be the perfect way for baseball to pay homage to the past while forging a "Brave New World" for the future.
Baseball's longest hitting streaks:
Sources: SportsTicker Enterprises and Major League Baseball
56
Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees, 1941
44
Pete Rose, Cincinnait Reds, 1978
Willie Keeler, Baltimore, 1897
42
Bill Dahlen, Chicago Colts (Cubs), 1894
41
George Sisler, St. Louis Browns, 1922
40
Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers, 1911
39
Paul Molitor, Milwaukee Brewers, 1987
37
Tommy Holmes, Boston Braves, 1945
36
Billy Hamilton, Philadelphia Phillies, 1894
35
Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers, 1917
Fred Clarke, Louisville, 1895
34
Benito Santiago, San Diego Padres, 1987
Dominic DiMaggio, Boston Red Sox, 1949
George McQuinn, St. Louis Browns, 1938
John Stone, Detroit Tigers, 1930
George Sisler, St. Louis Browns, 1925
33
Heinie Manush, Washington Senators, 1933
Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis Cardinals, 1922
George Davis, New York Giants, 1893
31
Ken Landreaux, Minnesota Twins, 1980
Rico Carty, Atlanta Braves, 1970
Willie Davis, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1969
Sam Rice, Washington Senators, 1924
Napoleon LaJoie, Cleveland Naps (Indians), 1906
Ed Delahanty, Philadelphia Phillies, 1899
30
Luis Gonzalez, Arizona Diamondbacks, 1999
Eric Davis, Baltimore Orioles, 1998
Sandy Alomar Jr., Cleveland Indians, 1997
Nomar Garciaparra, Boston Red Sox, 1997
Jerome Walton, Chicago Cubs, 1980
George Brett, Kansas City Royals, 1980
Ron LeFlore, Detroit Tigers, 1976
Stan Musial, St. Louis Cardinals, 1950
Goose Goslin, Detroit Tigers, 1934
Tris Speaker, Boston Red Sox, 1912
Elmer Smith, Cincinnati Reds, 1898
BEST LINE OF THE NIGHT
Minnesota Twins' third-baseman Ron Coomer went 3-for-4 with two homers, four RBIs and three runs scored in Minnesota's 10-5 victory over Seattle.
ON THIS DATE
In 1982 Canadian Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins became the seventh man to strike out 3,000 batters in the Chicago Cubs' 2-1 loss at San Diego.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I have a friend of mine in Harrisburg who's had sideburns for 35 years. He told me if I ever hit a home run, he would shave them off. I can't wait to call him."
-- Montreal Expos' starter Miguel Batista said after hitting his first home run in the majors in last night's 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Here's a little stats pack we'll be keeping as the season goes along.
Countdown to new Expos' single-season attendance record:
2,083,838 - (236,773)
Countdown to 3000 hits:
Tony Gwynn, SD - 25 (2975)
Wade Boggs, TB - 52 (2948)
Cal Ripken Jr., BAL - 104 (2896)
Countdown to 71 home runs:
Jose Canseco, TB - 54HR
Ken Griffey Jr., SEA - 54HR
Raul Mondesi, LA - 55HR
Sammy Sosa, CHI - 56HR
Matt Williams, ARI - 57HR
Shawn Green, TOR - 57HR
Jeff Bagwell, HOU - 57HR
Jay Bell, ARI - 57HR
Rafael Palmeiro, TEX - 58HR
Fred Mcgriff, TB - 58HR
Fernando Tatis, STL - 58HR
David Bell, SEA - 58HR
Juan Gonzalez, TEX - 59HR
Mark McGwire, STL - 59HR
Manny Ramirez, CLE - 59HR
Brian Giles, PIT - 59HR
Carlos Delgado, TOR - 59HR
Matt Stairs, OAK - 60HR
Brian Jordan, ATL - 60HR
Vladimir Guerrero, MTL - 60HR
Chipper Jones, ATL - 61HR
David Justice, CLE - 61HR
Luis Gonzalez, ARI - 61HR
Charles Johnson, BAL - 61HR
Larry Walker, COL - 61HR
Scott Rolen, PHI - 61HR
Russ Davis, SEA - 61HR
Mike Lieberthal, PHI - 61HR
Countdown to the wild card:
Montreal Expos - 13W 29L (10.5 gm back of N.Y. Mets for NL wild card)
Toronto Blue Jays - 22W 25L (4.5 gm back of N.Y. Yankees for AL wild card)