World War II Chronicle

World War II Chronicle: June 28, 1941

Chris Carter

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Page four marks the combat debut of the Curtiss Tomahawk, an export version of the P-40 Warhawk… Also on four: Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson’s son, Walter Jr., is in the Army and wants to try out for the 29th Divisions baseball team… The Douglas XB-19 made it’s first flight at California’s March Field yesterday (see page five)…

Sports begin on page 16. Not only has Joe DiMaggio extended his hitting streak, his home run yesterday stretched the Yankees’ string of games with a home run to 36.

DiMaggio Streak (June 27, 1941)

DiMaggio walked twice (once intentional), reached on an error, singled, and hit a home run in the Yankee’s 6-7 loss to Washington at Griffith Stadium.

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DiMaggio CF312220.352

His single extends the hitting streak to 36 games, surpassing Cobb’s 35-game streak in 1917. DiMaggio is now tied for fifth place. This is not his longest mark of consecutive games with a hit, however. Joltin’ Joe set a record for minor-leaguers in 1933 with 61 games. He is now one game away from Ty Cobb’s mark set 30 years ago, and Cobb is interviewed on page 17.

Major League Baseball’s Longest Hitting Streaks (as of June 27, 1941)

1Willie Keeler451896-97
2Bill Dahlen421894
3George Sisler411922
4Ty Cobb401911
5Joe DiMaggio391941

Babe Ruth and Cobb faced each other on the golf links a second time (page 18), Cobb having beat Ruth in their first match. Ruth took the second, and the two retired baseball legends will have to decide who the best golf ball hitter is another day… 81-year-old Abner Powell, who last played baseball in 1886 and was a teammate of Hall of Famer “Old Hoss” Radbourne, is still spry enough to play ball with his neighborhood kids (story on the bottom of page 18).

Powell as a New Orleans Pelican in 1902

The Boston Braves beat the Brooklyn Dodgers today 3-2, and Boston centerfielder/coach Johnny Cooney stepped in to serve as umpire when weather delays the officiating crew out on a boating trip. The box score also lists Freddie Fitzsimmons as part of the crew, and the real umpires made it to Braves Field by the second inning to take over.

We discussed Cooney earlier in the year, but one interesting fact to add is that 18 years and 2,299 at-bats passed before he belted his first home run. The very next day he hit his second home run, which would be his last, despite playing five more seasons. That’s one home run every 1,686 at bats. You have to look pretty hard to find hitters with as many at-bats as Cooney without a home run, but they are out there. It’s not that he’s bad; Cooney is currently batting .318 and will lead the Braves this season in hits. He just has no power.

Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 28 June 1941. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1941-06-28/ed-1/

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