A one-for-four game against the Chicago White Sox was the spark of a special run for the New York Yankees' Joe DiMaggio as he began his MLB record 56-game hitting streak 79 years ago today.
After back-to-back hitless games, DiMaggio began his offensive hot streak by hitting a single into left-centerfield off the White Sox' Eddie Smith on May 15, 1941. The Hall of Famer did not record a hitless game for another two months, an MLB record that stands to this day.
When the streak began, the Yankees were in need of a boost.