Joe DiMaggio: The tragic story behind one of baseball's biggest legends

Few people can be called undisputed legends of the New York Yankees. There's Baby Ruth, above all, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, and, of course, number five, Joe DiMaggio.

Although Joe DiMaggio's relationship with New York and the Yankees is indisputable, many will be surprised to find out that Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio was born in Martínez, California, on November 25, 1914.

DiMaggio's parents were Italian immigrants from Sicily, who left for America in the pursuit of a better life for themselves and their family.

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Joe's father was a fisherman, as the DiMaggio men had been for several generations in Sicily. His dream had been for his children to follow in his footsteps, but America had other plans.

When Joe DiMaggio was 10 years old, he discovered a little game called baseball, and it was love at first sight.

DiMaggio dropped out of school when he was 16 to begin playing baseball in the minor leagues in the San Francisco Bay Area.

At the same time, the future Yankee player worked various jobs such as at an orange juice bottling plant, a cannery, delivering groceries, and on the San Francisco docks. After all, these were the years of the Great Depression.

It didn't take long for the big leagues to knock on Joe's door. A 19-year-old Joe DiMaggio was transferred from the San Francisco Seals to the New York Yankees in 1934, in exchange for 25,000 dollars, five players, and the promise that would play the 1935 season with the Seals.

The New York Yankees had already won the hearts of thousands of fans with the hits of Babe Ruth, the sultan of swing himself, throughout the 1920s.

Many will be surprised to know that the bambino left the New York Yankees in 1934, while Joe DiMaggio did not start playing with them until 1936. Two of the Yankees' most famous baseball players never played together.

The Yankees' unforgettable number 5 would hit 29 home runs during his first year on the team, a record that remains among MLB rookies. The team would win the 1936 World Series against the then-New York Giants.

Another memorable feat by Joe DiMaggio was in 1941, when 'Jolting Joe' made at least one hit in 56 baseball games in a row. Some experts consider that such a streak would be virtually impossible today.

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The only one who has managed to get anywhere near was Pete Rose, who had a 44-game hitting streak for the Cincinnati Reds in 1978.

DiMaggio would lead the Yankees to play ten World Series, out of which they would come out on top nine times: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950, and 1951.

However, it should be noted that Joe DiMaggio's baseball career was cut short in his prime by World War II.

The number 5 of the Yankees enlisted in the US Air Force, where he served between 1943 and 1945 with the rank of sergeant and instructing physical education.

Dorothy Arnold, Joe DiMaggio's first wife and mother of his only son, divorced the baseball player in 1944, while DiMaggio was serving in the military.

However, the most memorable and challenging relationship the Yankee had, was with actress Marilyn Monroe. Although they were married for only nine months, in 1954, they maintained a profound friendship for many years.

Some rumors claim that when Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962, DiMaggio had plans to remarry the Hollywood actress.

What is certain is that DiMaggio was in charge of organizing Marilyn Monroe's funeral. Hollywood celebrities and members of the Kennedy family were barred from attending.

At DiMaggio's request, Marilyn Monroe's grave received half a dozen roses three times a week for the next twenty years after her death. The baseball player would never remarry.

The number Five of the Yankees would play his last game on September 30, 1951, at the age of 36. The DiMaggio era reached an end as the era of Mickey Mantle began, since that was the rookie year of number Seven.

Joe DiMaggio was inducted into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955 with 2,214 hits, 361 home runs, and a .325 batting average. A true sports legend.

As a coach, DiMaggio managed the Oakland Athletics in his native California in 1968 and 1969. He then turned to advertising, promoting everything from coffee machines to retirement homes.

Joe DiMaggio died on March 8, 1999, at age 84. Some claim that his last words were, “at least I will see Marilyn again.”

When he died, then-President Bill Clinton spoke of DiMaggio in the best terms: “He gave every American something to believe in. He became the symbol of American grace, power, and skill.”

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