During the 1941 Major League Baseball season, New York Yankees center fielder Joe DiMaggio recorded at least one hit in 56 consecutive games, breaking the MLB record for the longest hitting streak. His run lasted from May 15 to July 16, during which he had a .408 batting average. DiMaggio's streak surpassed the single-season record of 44 consecutive games that had been held by Willie Keeler since 1897.
July 17, the Yankees faced the Indians in Cleveland, at Municipal Stadium. Against left-handed Indians starting pitcher Al Smith, DiMaggio hit a sharp ground ball down the third base foul line in his first at-bat, but was denied a hit by Indians third baseman Ken Keltner, who managed to field the ball and throw DiMaggio out. Smith walked DiMaggio in his next plate appearance. DiMaggio sent another grounder down the line at third base in the seventh; for the second time in the game, Keltner fielded the ball backhanded and his throw beat DiMaggio to first base.
An inning later, DiMaggio approached the plate with the bases loaded, he faced right-handed pitcher Jim Bagby Jr. He hit a ground ball to shortstop Lou Boudreau, which took a hop before reaching him. Boudreau successfully fielded the ball and turned a double play, which denied DiMaggio a hit. Bringing an end to DiMaggio's streak.
