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Overlooked Stars:

Dom DiMaggio

“The Little Professor”

“In his post-baseball life, Dom DiMaggio was one of the most successful players of his generation.” -Author David Halberstam

I’m currently putting together a new book on overlooked, forgotten, and/or under-appreciated former baseball stars. While doing so, the thought occurred to me that the “poster boy” for this book would have to be Dom DiMaggio, the quintessential overshadowed ball player. After all, with the possible exception of Tony Lazzeri (who at different times in his career, was in the same lineup with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio), Dom has to be the most overshadowed player in major league history. Think about it. You’re not going to get a lot of notoriety when you’re the little brother of Joe DiMaggio and the outfield teammate of Ted Williams!

So I thought this would be a good time to give a little overdue recognition to “The Little Professor,” Dom DiMaggio, who had a fine career himself.

More than 350 sets of brothers have played in the major leagues, but the only three brothers to have been All-Stars are the DiMaggios, with a total of 18 selections: Oldest brother Vince DiMaggio had two All-Star selections; Joe had nine; while youngest brother Dom was a seven-time All-Star. That Joe DiMaggio was one of the greatest ballplayers of all time, hitting .325 in a 13-year career, is hardly in dispute. But what a shadow he cast over his two brothers!

Dom DiMaggio’s Fine Career

Bespectacled, Dom was the youngest of the three DiMaggio brothers. He was a stalwart in center field for the Red Sox for more than a decade. During his years with the Red Sox, he became great friends with teammates and future Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr. Over his career, Dom hit .298, with 87 home runs, 618 RBIs, 1046 runs, 100 stolen bases, and a .383 on-base percentage. Again, not Joe DiMaggio numbers, but an excellent career nonetheless.

Dom twice led the American League in runs, once in stolen bases, and once in triples. An excellent defensive center fielder with an outstanding arm, he also led the league many times in numerous defensive categories. Who can forget Joe’s great 56-game streak, but how many fans know that Dom still holds the Red Sox record with a 34-game streak set in 1949? Dom might have joined Joe in the Hall of Fame if he hadn’t lost three full seasons to military service during World War II.

Following his baseball career, Dom DiMaggio became a highly successful businessman. Author David Halberstam said of him that, in his post-baseball life, he was one of the most successful players of his generation, adding, “He had become over the years a man of means, graceful, elegant, and wise.” At the time of his death in 2009 aged 92, Emily, his wife of 61 years, gave him the highest praise: “He was the most wonderful, warm, loving man. He adored his three children, and we all adored him.”

Likewise, older brother Vince DiMaggio died at his home in 1986 at age 74, survived by Madelaine – his loving wife of more than fifty years – and two children. After baseball, Vince – without the benefit of lucrative endorsements and speaking engagements that came to his famous brother, Joe, or the business acumen of Dom – took on a number of odd jobs: bartender, liquor salesman, carpenter, and finally Fuller Brush salesman. He spent his spare time fishing, gardening, and studying the Bible. He was said to have found “inner peace” later in life, and his only disappointment was, except for an occasional phone call, he had lost touch with his brother Joe.

Although surpassed on the playing field by their Hall of Fame brother, both Dom and Vince DiMaggio far outshined him in an area of much greater significance: family, with both enjoying long successful marriages with loving wives and loving children. Quite different post-baseball lives from their reclusive brother Joe’s life of loneliness, Hollywood glitter, multiple broken marriages, and an estranged son.

So ultimately the question becomes: Which of the DiMaggio brothers was the most successful? I’ll leave the answer for you to ponder…

Gary Livacari 

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Information: Stats from Baseball-reference.com