MLB Athlete Number 5 - Joe DiMaggio

Ted Williams called Joe DiMaggio the greatest player he ever saw. He is also the best Major League Baseball athlete to ever wear the jersey number 5.

Williams also said that DiMaggio's career couldn't be summed up in numbers and awards. True as that statement may be, DiMaggio also had some impressive achievements. Over a 13 year major league career he had:

• 361 home runs


• 1,537 RBI


• 1,390 runs


• .325 batting average


• 389 doubles


• 3 AL MVP awards (1939, 1941 and 1947)

DiMaggio was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. He was a 13 time All-Star, a 9 time World Series champion and his record of 56 consecutive games with a hit still stands. Some say that his consecutive games with a hit record will be the most difficult record to ever be broken.

Did you know......that Joe batted .381 in 1939?

MLB Athlete Number 4 - Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig, the "Iron Horse", is the best MLB athlete to ever wear the jersey number 4. Given the chance to play every day, he proved to be the model of durability and one of the best hitters that the game has ever seen, at any level.

Gehrig began playing for the Yankees in 1923, at the age of 20, but didn't get to play full time until 1925. That year, Gehrig would bat .295 in 437 plate appearances. He also put 20 balls over the outfield fence.

His breakout year as a superstar hitter came in 1927. He smacked 47 homers and batted .373 in 1927. What did he do for an encore in 1928? He batted .374. Through 1937 his batting average would not dip below .300.

Over his 17 season career, Gehrig hit 493 homers, 1,195 RBI, with a .340 career batting average. He was an AL MVP twice and finished second in the voting twice. He was in the top five vote getters for AL MVP eight times during his career.

He was a seven time All-Star and a six time World Series Champion. His number 4 jersey is retired by the New York Yankees.

Of course, Gehrig held the record for consecutive games played with 2,130 until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995.

Did you know.......Lou Gehrig was a unanimous selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939?

MLB Athlete Number 3 - Babe Ruth

Not only is this guy the best MLB athlete to ever wear the jersey number 3, he's also the best MLB player ever, and quite possibly the most famous athlete ever!

Ruth began his major league baseball career with the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher in 1914. In his rookie year with the Sox, at the tender age of 19, he went 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA in 23 innings pitched. The following year, his first full one in the majors, Ruth pitched 217.7 innings, going 18-8 with 16 complete games and a 2.44 ERA.

The following two years with the Red Sox would continue to be banner years for Ruth on the mound. In his third and fourth seasons with the Sox, for each season Ruth would pitch over 300 innings, win more than 20 games, pitch more than 20 complete games, and have a 1.75 and 2.01 ERA respectively. (Wait a second, isn't this guy the greatest HITTER of all-time?)

At age 24 and in his last year with the Red Sox in 1919, Ruth would play mostly outfield (although he did pitch 133.3 innings that year), and he came to bat 432 times. That was enough times at the plate to allow Ruth to hit 29 homers, 114 RBI and 139 hits with a .322 batting average.

Of course, Ruth went on to become the best home run hitter that baseball has ever seen. Here are just a few more of his accomplishments.

• Led League in home runs 12 times
  
• .342 career batting average


• 714 career home runs


• 2,217 career RBI


• Season high 60 home runs


• Season high .393 batting average (1923)


• Led League in walks 11 times


• Led League in batters faced as a pitcher in 1917


• Led League in complete games as a pitcher in 1917


• 7 time World Series Champ

Did you know.......Ruth started his professional baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles of the International League?