DiMaggio followed in the footsteps of Hall of Fame center fielder, Earle Combs and was succeeded by the legendary Mickey Mantle. In his debut, DiMaggio started in left field and spent time in all outfield positions throughout his rookie year before becoming the official starting center fielder in 1937.

The Yankees had last appeared in a World Series in 1932 but still had a substantial lineup in spite of Babe Ruth and Earle Combs’ retirement. DiMaggio’s debut came against the St Louis Browns who hadn’t had a winning season since 1929. The  Yankees dominated the St Louis Browns by a score of 14-5 with DiMaggio going 3/6 with two singles, a triple and scoring 3 runs. They would go on to finish the season with a 102-51-2 record and beat the Giants in a six game World Series. DiMaggio played a key role, playing 138 of the 155 games and batting a .323 average. This would be the beginning of 4 consecutive World Series Championships for the Yankees.