Dom DiMaggio, The Baseball Star Who Lived In The Shadow Of His Brother, Joe
Joltin’ Joe’s younger brother was a star in his own right, but usually played second fiddle- in sports and off the field
Joe DiMaggio embodied American athleticism during his remarkable professional baseball career. Seeming to do just about everything on the field effortlessly (and also off the field- he famously married Marilyn Monroe), he was an idol to countless fans. The sport ran in his family, as he had two brothers, Vince and Dominic (Dom), who played for years in the major leagues. Dom, who wore glasses, looked more like a professor than an athlete, but forged his own stand-out legacy. Unfortunately, he spent much of his life in the shadow of Joe, rarely getting appropriate credit for his own achievements.
The son of a San Francisco fisherman, Joe DiMaggio played a total of 13 seasons with the vaunted New York Yankees (1936–1942; 1946–1951), missing three full years during World War II because of military service. Remarkably, he was an All Star in every season he played, winning three MVP awards, and receiving MVP votes in all but his final season. This was in large part because he was the star on 10 World Series teams, including nine that won championships. The right-handed hitter batted a combined .325…
