The Often-Overlooked Vince DiMaggio

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DiMaggio Brothers Photo Gallery
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“DiMaggio Stars In the 1943 All-Star Game!”

Last night’s All-Star game got me thinking about other memorable Mid-Summer Classics; and I happened to stumble onto highlights of the 1943 game which was won by the American League, 5-3. It was the first night game in All-Star history and was played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, home of the Athletics. As I read more, I found I was in for a real surprise!

And why was that? Well, that’s because I had just assumed (as you probably did, too!) that the “DiMaggio star” was the great Joe DiMaggio. But the DiMaggio star was not Joe…

It was none-other-than his older brother, the often-overlooked Vince DiMaggio. In that game, Vince – playing for the Pirates – went 3-4, with a single, triple, and home run in the National League’s losing effort.

In light of this, I thought it was a good time to say a few words about Vince. Last year, I wrote an essay about the DiMaggio brothers, so here’s a few excerpts, with the spotlight especially on Vince. At the end, I asked, “Which of the DiMaggio brothers ultimately was the most successful in life?” See what you think:

“More than 350 sets of brothers have played in the major leagues, but the only three brothers to have been All-Stars are the DiMaggios, with a total of 18 selections: Vince DiMaggio, two years older than Joe, had two All-Star selections; Joe had nine; while youngest brother Dom, a fixture with the Boston Red Sox, was a seven-time All-Star.

Vince and Dom were largely overshadowed by their famous brother. After all, what more can be said about “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio — the great Yankee Clipper — that hasn’t already been said? That he was one of the greatest ballplayers of all time is hardly in dispute. How many baseball fans even know that Joe DiMaggio had an older brother Vince who played ten years in the Major Leagues and was in the Top-10 in home runs in the National League six times?

During a respectable ten-year career, Vince, who was noted for his speed, occasional power, and outstanding defense, played for the Bees, Reds, Pirates, Phillies, and Giants. He batted .246 with 125 home runs, and 584 RBIs. In 1941 he had a career high 21 homers and 100 RBI, and he was a National League All-Star each of the next two seasons. The Phillies then acquired him for the 1945 season. Vince produced 19 homers and 84 RBI at age 32. He still holds the Phillies record for grand-slam home runs in a season with four. 

After baseball, Vince – without the benefit of lucrative endorsements and speaking engagements that came to his famous brother – took on a number of odd jobs: bartender, liquor salesman, carpenter, and finally Fuller Brush salesman. He spent his spare time fishing, gardening, and studying the Bible. He was said to have found “inner peace” later in life, and his only disappointment was, except for an occasional phone call, he had lost touch with his brother Joe. Vince once said of him:

“Joe’s always been a loner and he always will be. When the folks were alive we were a lot closer. It’s only a shame that we have gone such different ways. That’s real sad. Family should stick together.”

Although surpassed on the playing field by their Hall-of-Fame brother, both Vince and Dom far outshined him in an area of much greater significance: family, with both enjoying long successful marriages with loving wives and loving children. Quite different post-baseball lives from their reclusive brother Joe’s life of Hollywood glitter, multiple broken marriages, and estranged children. So ultimately the question becomes: Which of the DiMaggio brothers was the most successful?

Vince died at his home in 1986 at age 74, survived by Madelaine – his loving wife of more than fifty years – and two children.

-Gary Livacari

Photo Credit; All found on Google Search

Information: Excerpts edited from the DiMaggio brothers’ Wikipedia pages. 

Photo Credits: from “Beyond DiMaggio;” and public domain.

Statistics: Baseball-Reference.com, Vince DiMaggio page.

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