JOE DIMAGGIO·1941

The summer of ’41 belonged to the Yankee Clipper. Fifty-six straight games, May into July, he hit—a streak that turned every at-bat into a civic event. The numbers around it were just as rude: .357, 30 homers, 125 ribbies, 43 doubles. He made the game look easy, which was the whole trick. By September the MVP was his, and the world was about to get loud. But that summer, the only sound was the crack of his bat, and the crowd leaning forward, waiting for the next one.

56 STRAIGHT

Scoreboard digits climbing through May and June — a streak the whole country tracked like weather.

MVP SUMMER

.357 with thirty homers — the Clipper made every at-bat feel like appointment viewing.

KELTNER ENDS IT

Cleveland's hot corner made two plays — and the legend only grew louder after the streak stopped.

Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees, 1941. Tom Sande / Associated Press / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (US).