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Joe DiMaggio > 
The son of a fisherman, Joe DiMaggio is considered one of the most memorable baseball players of all time. For many of the fans who saw him play, he epitomizes grace and excellence. His play, his demeanor and his short marriage to Marilyn Monroe helped make him one of the icons of American pop culture.
DiMaggio played for the New York Yankees from 1936 until 1951. Babe Ruth started the tradition of winning, but DiMaggio, with his high standards and leadership, took his New York Yankees team to the World Series ten times, leading them to nine championships.
While America was on the brink of World War II, DiMaggio set a record that gripped the entire nation: he got at least one hit in 56 straight games. That 1941 record captured the attention of ordinary Americans, as fans all over the nation checked their radios and asked each other, "Did he get a hit?" The record is one of the most hallowed achievements in baseball history.
DiMaggio’s skills were much-lauded in his day, and he was voted the American League’s most valuable player three times. Fans and writers called him "Joltin’ Joe" because of his hard hitting. He was also dubbed "the Yankee Clipper" because of his graceful fielding in Yankee Stadium’s vast center field.
His lifetime batting average was .325 and he hit 361 home runs in his career. He also hit 131 triples, 389 doubles, and was involved in 4,529 put-outs in the outfield. In 1954 DiMaggio was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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