Legends of the Game: Joe DiMaggio vs. Ted Williams

Published: July 22, 2024

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Last Updated: July 22nd, 2024 by Jake Cain

When you talk about baseball legends, it’s impossible not to mention Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. Both played during a golden era of baseball, and both left indelible marks on the game. DiMaggio, famous for his 56-game hitting streak, and Williams, the last man to hit .400 in a season, had careers that inspired millions. Let’s dive into their careers, exploring their impact, statistics, and accolades.

Joe DiMaggio vs Ted Williams — via Stathead

Early Careers and Backgrounds

Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio was born on November 25, 1914, in Martinez, California. He started his career with the New York Yankees in 1936 and quickly made a name for himself. Known as “Joltin’ Joe” and “The Yankee Clipper,” DiMaggio’s elegance and grace on the field were unparalleled. In his debut season, he batted .323 and helped lead the Yankees to the World Series.

Ted Williams

Ted Williams, born on August 30, 1918, in San Diego, California, joined the Boston Red Sox in 1939. Nicknamed “Teddy Ballgame” and “The Splendid Splinter,” Williams was renowned for his extraordinary hitting abilities. His rookie year saw him hitting .327 with 31 home runs and 145 RBIs, instantly marking him as a player to watch.

Career Statistics

Joe DiMaggio

DiMaggio’s career spanned 13 years, all with the Yankees, interrupted only by military service during World War II. He retired with a batting average of .325, 2,214 hits, 361 home runs, and 1,537 RBIs. His 56-game hitting streak in 1941 remains one of the most celebrated records in baseball.

Ted Williams

Williams’s career also faced interruptions due to military service in both World War II and the Korean War, but he still managed to compile jaw-dropping stats. Over 19 seasons, he batted .344, hit 521 home runs, and drove in 1,839 runs. His on-base percentage of .482 is the highest in baseball history, and his .406 batting average in 1941 has yet to be surpassed.

Awards and Accolades

Joe DiMaggio

13× All-Star (1936–1942, 1946–1951)
9× World Series champion (1936–1939, 1941, 1947, 1949–1951)
3× AL MVP (1939, 1941, 1947)
2× AL batting champion (1939, 1940)
2× AL home run leader (1937, 1948)
2× AL RBI leader (1941, 1948)
MLB record 56-game hitting streak
New York Yankees No. 5 retired
Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955

Standard Batting
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1936	21	NYY	AL	138	668	637	132	206	44	15	29	125	4	0	24	39	.323	.352	.576	.928	128	367		4	3		0	*789	AS,MVP-8
1937	22	NYY	AL	151	692	621	*151*	215	35	15	46	167	3	0	64	37	.346	.412	.673	1.085	166	*418*		5	2		3	*8/H	AS,MVP-2
1938	23	NYY	AL	145	660	599	129	194	32	13	32	140	6	1	59	21	.324	.386	.581	.967	139	348		2	0		11	*8	AS,MVP-6
1939	24	NYY	AL	120	524	462	108	176	32	6	30	126	3	0	52	20	.381	.448	.671	1.119	184	310	11	4	6		9	*8/H	AS,MVP-1
1940	25	NYY	AL	132	572	508	93	179	28	9	31	133	1	2	61	30	.352	.425	.626	1.051	173	318	16	3	0		14	*8/H	AS,MVP-3
1941	26	NYY	AL	139	622	541	122	193	43	11	30	*125*	4	2	76	13	.357	.440	.643	1.083	185	*348*	6	4	0		21	*8	AS,MVP-1
1942	27	NYY	AL	154	680	610	123	186	29	13	21	114	4	2	68	36	.305	.376	.498	.875	147	304	9	2	0		10	*8	AS,MVP-7
1943			Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service)
1944			Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service)
1945			Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service)
1946	31	NYY	AL	132	567	503	81	146	20	8	25	95	1	0	59	24	.290	.367	.511	.878	142	257	13	2	3		7	*8/7H	AS,MVP-19
1947	32	NYY	AL	141	601	534	97	168	31	10	20	97	3	0	64	32	.315	.391	.522	.913	154	279	14	3	0		15	*8/H	AS,MVP-1
1948	33	NYY	AL	153	669	594	110	190	26	11	39	*155*	1	1	67	30	.320	.396	.598	.994	164	355	20	8	0		6	*8/H	AS,MVP-2
1949	34	NYY	AL	76	329	272	58	94	14	6	14	67	0	1	55	18	.346	.459	.596	1.055	178	162	11	2	0		7	8	AS,MVP-12
1950	35	NYY	AL	139	606	525	114	158	33	10	32	122	0	0	80	33	.301	.394	.585	.979	151	307	14	1	0		5	*8/3H	AS,MVP-9
1951	36	NYY	AL	116	482	415	72	109	22	4	12	71	0	0	61	36	.263	.365	.422	.787	116	175	16	6	0		3	*8/H	AS
13 Yrs				1736	7672	6821	1390	2214	389	131	361	1537	30	9	790	369	.325	.398	.579	.977	155	3948	130	46	14		111
162 Game Avg.				162	716	637	130	207	36	12	34	143	3	1	74	34	.325	.398	.579	.977	155	368		4	1		10

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/25/2024.

Ted Williams

19× All-Star (1940–1942, 1946–1951, 1953–1960²)
2× AL MVP (1946, 1949)
2× Triple Crown winner (1942, 1947)
6× AL batting champion (1941, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1957, 1958)
4× AL home run leader (1941, 1942, 1947, 1949)
4× AL RBI leader (1939, 1942, 1947, 1949)
MLB record .482 career on-base percentage
Boston Red Sox No. 9 retired
Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966

Standard Batting
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1939	20	BOS	AL	149	677	565	131	185	44	11	31	*145*	2	1	107	64	.327	.436	.609	1.045	160	344	10	2	3		12	*9	MVP-4
1940	21	BOS	AL	144	661	561	*134*	193	43	14	23	113	4	4	96	54	.344	.442	.594	1.036	162	333	13	3	1		3	*79/1H	AS,MVP-14
1941	22	BOS	AL	143	606	456	*135*	185	33	3	37	120	2	4	*147*	27	.406	*.553*	*.735*	*1.287*	*235*	335	10	3	0		25	*7H/9	AS,MVP-2
1942	23	BOS	AL	150	671	522	*141*	186	34	5	36	*137*	3	2	*145*	51	.356	*.499*	*.648*	*1.147*	*216*	*338*	12	4	0		20	*7/9	AS,MVP-2
1943			Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service)
1944			Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service)
1945			Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service)
1946	27	BOS	AL	150	672	514	*142*	176	37	8	38	123	0	0	*156*	44	.342	*.497*	*.667*	*1.164*	*215*	343	12	2	0		29	*7	AS,MVP-1
1947	28	BOS	AL	156	693	528	125	181	40	9	32	114	0	1	*162*	47	.343	*.499*	.634	*1.133*	*205*	335	10	2	1		29	*7	AS,MVP-2
1948	29	BOS	AL	137	638	509	124	188	44	3	25	127	4	0	126	41	.369	.497	.615	1.112	189	313	10	3	0		14	*7/H	AS,MVP-3
1949	30	BOS	AL	155	730	566	*150*	194	39	3	43	*159*	1	1	*162*	48	.343	*.490*	.650	*1.141*	*191*	368	22	2	0		11	*7	AS,MVP-1
1950	31	BOS	AL	89	416	334	82	106	24	1	28	97	3	0	82	21	.317	.452	.647	1.099	168	216	12	0	0		2	7/H	AS,MVP-21
1951	32	BOS	AL	148	675	531	109	169	28	4	30	126	1	1	*144*	45	.318	*.464*	.556	1.019	164	295	10	0	0		9	*7/H	AS,MVP-13
1952	33	BOS	AL	6	12	10	2	4	0	1	1	3	0	0	2	2	.400	.500	.900	1.400	273	9	0	0	0		0	/H7
1953	34	BOS	AL	37	110	91	17	37	6	0	13	34	0	1	19	10	.407	.509	.901	1.410	268	82	1	0	0		1	7H	AS,MVP-26
1954	35	BOS	AL	117	526	386	93	133	23	1	29	89	0	0	*136*	32	.345	*.513*	.635	*1.148*	*201*	245	10	1	0	3	17	*7/H	AS,MVP-7
1955	36	BOS	AL	98	417	320	77	114	21	3	28	83	2	0	91	24	.356	.496	.703	1.200	209	225	8	2	0	4	17	7/H	AS,MVP-4
1956	37	BOS	AL	136	503	400	71	138	28	2	24	82	0	0	102	39	.345	*.479*	.605	1.084	172	242	13	1	0	0	11	*7H	AS,MVP-6
1957	38	BOS	AL	132	547	420	96	163	28	1	38	87	0	1	119	43	*.388*	*.526*	*.731*	*1.257*	*233*	307	11	5	0	2	33	*7/H	AS,MVP-2
1958	39	BOS	AL	129	517	411	81	135	23	2	26	85	1	0	98	49	.328	*.458*	.584	*1.042*	179	240	19	4	0	4	12	*7H	AS,MVP-7
1959	40	BOS	AL	103	331	272	32	69	15	0	10	43	0	0	52	27	.254	.372	.419	.791	114	114	7	2	0	5	6	7H	AS,AS,MVP-26
1960	41	BOS	AL	113	390	310	56	98	15	0	29	72	1	1	75	41	.316	.451	.645	1.096	190	200	7	3	0	2	7	7H	AS,AS,MVP-13
19 Yrs				2292	9792	7706	1798	2654	525	71	521	1839	24	17	2021	709	.344	.482	.634	1.116	191	4884	197	39	5	20	258
162 Game Avg.				162	692	545	127	188	37	5	37	130	2	1	143	50	.344	.482	.634	1.116	191	345	14	3	0		18
				G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/25/2024.

Impact on the Game

Joe DiMaggio

DiMaggio’s impact was felt both on and off the field. His 56-game hitting streak during the 1941 season remains one of the most euphoric moments in sports history. DiMaggio’s consistency and clutch performances made him a mainstay in the Yankees lineup. His nine World Series titles attest to his influence on a team that dominated baseball for much of his career.

Ted Williams

Williams, on the other hand, is often hailed as the greatest pure hitter in baseball history. His scientific approach to hitting, detailed in his book “The Science of Hitting,” has influenced generations of players. His .406 batting average in 1941 is a testament to his extraordinary talent and eye for the ball. Despite playing for a team that had less postseason success, Williams’s individual achievements and resilience through two wars speak volumes about his perseverance and skill.

Memorable Moments

Joe DiMaggio

The 56-Game Hitting Streak: From May 15 to July 16, 1941, DiMaggio set a record that many believe will never be broken. Every at-bat during that period was a must-see, making him a national hero.
1947 MVP Season: DiMaggio won his third MVP award this year, cementing his status as one of the greatest players ever.

Ted Williams

The .406 Season: Achieving a batting average of .400 in 1941, Williams’s feat is a benchmark for hitting excellence. It’s a mark that has stood the test of time.
1959 Home Run Derby: Williams showcased his incredible power in the inaugural Home Run Derby, further solidifying his reputation as a slugger.

Legacy

Joe DiMaggio

DiMaggio’s legacy extends beyond the diamond. Married to Marilyn Monroe, he became a cultural icon. His grace and excellence in the game have made him a timeless figure, inspiring countless sportsmen and fans alike. His No. 5 jersey remains a cherished symbol in Yankee Stadium.

Ted Williams

Williams’s legacy is not just in his stats but in his approach to the game. His dedication to mastering the art of hitting is unparalleled. Williams was also a decorated war hero, adding to his larger-than-life persona. His No. 9 is a permanent fixture at Fenway Park, a tribute to his enduring influence on the game.

Final Thoughts

Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams are two icons of the game of baseball. DiMaggio’s elegance and consistency were a perfect match for the dominant Yankees, while Williams’s raw power and scientific approach to hitting captivated fans and players alike. Both players left legacies that have stood the test of time, making them eternal icons in the world of baseball.