On December 11, 1951, two weeks after his 37th birthday, Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio announced his decision to retire from baseball. DiMaggio lamented, “I can no longer produce for my ballclub, my manager, my teammates, and my fans the sort of baseball their loyalty to me deserves.” The Yankee Clipper finished his thirteen-year career with a .325 batting average and 361 home runs.

