Joe DiMaggio Rookie Spring Training, 1936

Print Detail: This limited print, which measures 9.8” x 7.5”, was printed on to canvas and mounted on to an acid-free 11” x 14” beveled mat. The mat is attached to a 4-ply, acid-free backing board and is protected with a removable, Krysta Seal transparent plastic covering. The mat is intended to protect the print, but it can be framed as is, or can easily be disassembled without harming the underlying canvas print or matting material. Please note that the mat opening is 9.5” x 7.5” and does not perfectly match the opening in the pre-cut mat.

Source: Sports Illustrated

Photo Subject: Rookie Joe DiMaggio batting against the St. Louis Cardinals in spring training at St. Petersburg’s Waterfront Park.

Fun Fact: In 1936, Joe DiMaggio, a native of Martinez, California was transitioning from the San Francisco Seals to the New York Yankees. For the 1936 spring training, Joe was given permission to drive cross-country from San Francisco to St. Petersburg with fellow San Francisco area teammates Tony Lazzeri and Frank Crosetti. Lazzeri remembers DiMaggio as not being much of a talker and after Day Three he asked Joe if he would be willing to take a turn at driving. DiMaggio answered, “I don’t know how” and those were the only words he uttered during this three-day trip. 

While he may have been quiet during the car ride, rookie DiMaggio was not silent during spring training. On March 17, 1936 DiMaggio played his first game in a Yankee uniform against the St. Louis Cardinals. He was four for five, scored two runs and hit two RBIs. The next day he went two for four with a single and a triple. 

Original Painting Detail (not this Print): Printed on 13” x 19” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details, such as piping on the Cardinal uniform piping, were made using Prismacolor pencils.

Acknowledgement: Driving story is from “ESPN Classic” website

Additional info, go to: baseballoncanvas.com