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This Day in Baseball History

Reuters

1941 - DiMaggio edges Williams in legendary MVP race

Two of the most impressive performances in baseball history take place during the '41 campaign, putting the voting members of the BBWAA in the unenviable position of selecting the American League's Most Valuable Player.

The voters, however, are decidedly more enthralled by Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak - a record that has yet to be broken - than Ted Williams' unfathomable .406 batting average, the highest single-season mark since 1924.

DiMaggio's miraculous feat compels the voters to give him 62.5 percent of the first-place votes despite Williams' considerable advantage in wins above replacement, batting average, on-base plus slugging and home runs. 

The Yankee Clipper's efforts lift New York to a 101-53 record and a World Series berth, while Williams' Boston Red Sox languish in second place in the American League.

Name Vote Pts 1st Place Share WAR
Joe DiMaggio 291 15 87% 9.1
Ted Williams 254 8 76% 10.6
Bob Feller 174 0 52% 8.1

After falling just shy of his first career MVP award, Williams would finish second in voting the following season, too, once again losing out to a Yankee, Joe Gordon. 

Gordon, a well-rounded second baseman, who compiled a .900 OPS with 51 extra-base hits, received three more first-place votes than Williams in 1942, narrowly edging the Red Sox icon for the prestigious award.

Birthdays

1958 - Mike Scioscia
1971 - Ivan Rodriguez
1978 - Jimmy Rollins

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