Boston Red Sox: 30 Greatest Players in Team History
23: Dom DiMaggio, OF (1940-1942, 1946-1953)
Known as “The Little Professor” throughout baseball, DiMaggio was the youngest of the DiMaggio brothers to play (the other two being Vince, and of course the great Joe DiMaggio). A career .298/.383/.419 hitter, DiMaggio spent his entire 11 year career playing for the Boston Red Sox during 1940-1953 (a three-year break fighting for his country in WWII), where he was an on base machine.
He batted .300 four times in his career, and was always a pesky hitter in the Red Sox line-up. DiMaggio was an extremely patient hitter who always had full control over the strike zone. His ability to get on base was special for his era.
The Little Professor made Red Sox history in 1949 when he held a 34-game hitting streak, a streak that still stands to this day. His best season came in 1950 when he hit .328/.414/.452 while leading the league in runs scored (131), stolen bases (15) and triples (11).
In 1995, 40 years after playing his last game for the Red Sox he was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame. DiMaggio passed away on May 8, 2009 after a battle of pneumonia.
Bio on DiMaggio was given by DJ Smith. Check out his work, and give him a follow on Twitter, @dj_smitty.
Next: Number 22