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SN 140 Moments: No. 112 - Joe DiMaggio records 56-game hitting in 1941 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When considering some of the most "unbreakable" records in sports, Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak might be one of the first to come to mind. The evolution of major league hitting is one reason. Pitchers are only getting better — their fastballs faster, their stuff nastier — but 56 games is in another stratosphere compared to every other hitting streak in MLB history. No one has ever come within 10 games of DiMaggio's record, and no one in the last three decades has come closer than 18.
All good things must come to an end, though.
DiMaggio saw his streak end on July 17, 1941, when he was retired twice and walked once by Indians pitcher Al Smith. As DiMaggio came to the plate for what was likely to be his final chance to extend the streak, Cleveland countered with Jim Bagby. The strategy was successful. DiMaggio grounded into a double play with the bases loaded, ending the Yankees' threat but, more significantly, ending a two-month chapter of MLB history.
MORE: Back to The Sporting News' 140 Greatest Sports Moments of All Time
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