Will Joe DiMaggio’s 56 Game Hitting Streak Live Forever?

Well Hello there, everybody. Welcome to This Week In Yankees Baseball.

On May 15, 1941 Joe DiMaggio‘s 56 game hitting streak began. More than ever, it looks like it is the one sports record that will never be broken.

Although it did not seem as anything out of the ordinary at the time, Joe DiMaggio’s single off of Eddie Smith of the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium began the most exciting streak in sports history. Not the UCLA Bruins under John Wooden, not the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, and not the Montreal Canadians can hold a candle to it.

But the question today is will the streak ever be broken? Paul Molitor, who had a 39 game hitting streak in 1987, explained the biggest obstacle in surpassing DiMaggio.

“There’s something about a hitting streak,” Molitor said according to ESPN. “It’s the fact that it develops over time, and the day-to-day pressures that come along as the streak mounts. And Joe being the legendary figure that he was just adds to this in itself. It’s not like some average player, who just had a glimpse of the major leagues, was able to put together this magical record. It was Joe DiMaggio. If someone ever gets into the 40s or 50s it’ll be pretty remarkable. I don’t care who the player is. He’ll be affected by it. Once a streak really gets up there, everything’s magnified. Every batting-practice swing. Every pitch you take. Every ball you foul back. People asking, ‘Was that the one that you let get away?’ It would be incredible, the focus that would come down on an individual.”

Of the current Yankees, the player who might have the best chance of making a run is Brett Gardner. Gardy has shown the ability to hit over .300. And he also has the speed to keep the streak going by legging out infield hits. And he has the mental toughness. But it would take an enormous turn around in his current batting average for him to make a serious bid.

Of course, that seems unlikely at the moment. But if anyone is to pass Joe DiMaggio, it is only fitting that it would be done by a Yankee. There are some records that deserve to stay right where they are.