Lot # 2404: July 17, 1941 Cleveland Indians (vs. New York Yankees) Program - Possibly From The End of DiMaggio's Hit Streak

On July 17, 1941, one of the most remarkable feats in baseball history came to an end when the Cleveland Indians ended Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak at Cleveland Stadium. Offered here is a possible program from that historic game. The Indians' 1941 home schedule is listed on the interior, along with a schedule of night games for the season, including the July 17th game. Perhaps the lighting was one of the reasons for DiMaggio's miraculous streak coming to an end that night. Credit for ending the streak went to pitcher Al Smith, but a "save" had to be awarded to third baseman Ken Keltner, who twice "robbed" DiMaggio of hits with backhand stabs of balls down the line, once in the first inning and again in the seventh. The Yankees gave DiMaggio one last chance by rallying for two runs in the eighth, but DiMaggio hit into a double-play with the bases loaded to end the inning. Despite the end of what had been a national obsession over the previous few weeks, DiMaggio showed no remorse after the game, telling reporters, "I'm tickled to death it's over." The next day, DiMaggio began a new streak that lasted sixteen games. The eight-page program has a few pencil marks and notations in the scorer's section, including the names of the two starting pitchers (Lefty Gomez and Al Smith) from the day DiMaggio's streak ended. There are no additional scoring notations, however, that allow us to definitively match this program to the game. The program (5.5 x 9 inches) displays light handling wear and is in Excellent condition overall.