On May 8, Dom DiMaggio passed away at 92 due to his struggle with pneumonia. Dom spent 11 seasons in the MLB, all of which were with the Boston Red Sox. In Dom’s debut season, he batted .301 in 108 games. However, Dom’s brother Joe, who played for the New York Yankees, always cast a shadow over him.

Nevertheless, one can argue that Dom was equally good, if not better than his brother Joe was, despite having to share an outfield with possibly the greatest Red Sox player of all time, Ted Williams. Although Dom has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, he has the statistics to do so. A seven-time all star, he had a career batting average of .298, and he led the league in runs scored in 1950 and ’51, stolen bases in 1950, and triples in 1950.

He also holds the Red Sox franchise record of most games in a row hitting safely with 34, and the year after he did so, he hit safely in 27 consecutive games. He certainly attained the credentials to be a Hall of Famer, but after the 1942 season, DiMaggio enlisted in the United States Navy and served for three years. A lot of people think that is why he never was inducted into the Hall of Fame, but without playing since the 1942 season, Dom came back in the ’46 season and batted .316 in 142 games. I do not know how much better you can get.

In the 1946 World Series, in the seventh and deciding game, Joe hit a double in the eighth inning, tying the score at three a piece. However, on his way to second base, he pulled his hamstring and was pulled from the game. In the top of the ninth, Dom’s replacement, Leon Culberson, fielded a base hit in center field but threw a mediocre ball to the shortstop, allowing the runner to score, giving the Cardinals the lead, and only minutes later, the series. Enos Slaughter, the player that scored on that play later, said, “If they hadn’t taken DiMaggio out of the game, I wouldn’t have tried it.”

It is kind of like another piece of history that not too many people remember, Mozart’s sister, Nannerl, was an excellent harpsichord player and pianist. Nannerl went on tour in several cities, including Paris and Vienna. She played in shows with Mozart, but she received the top billing when they played together. However, when she reached the age of 15, she was allowed to marry, which was what her family thought was best for her: to be domesticated and a homemaker. Thus, she lost her chance at fame that her brother was allowed to pursue.

Therefore, Dom still went unnoticed by most people, except for the Red Sox fans that held a giant hatred for the Yankees. Like the old Red Sox bleacher chant goes, “Oh, Dominic DiMaggio! He’s better than his brother Joe.”