I can’t remember a time in baseball when so many important figures in the game have died so close together. Even though this latest ballplayer never donned the pinstripes, he is a prominent figure in Yankee history because of his name alone. That and a true baseball fan should appreciate the rich history of the game itself.

Last night saw another link to baseball’s Golden Age fade away as Dom DiMaggio, a former All-Star outfielder for the Boston Red Sox and brother of Joe DiMaggio, died in Massachusetts. He was 92.

Dom DiMaggio (1917 - 2009) was a seven-time All-Star for the Red Sox and fought for his country (USN) in WWII from 1943 to 1945.

It isn’t easy being the younger brother of someone impossibly famous (see: Bonds, Jr., Bobby & Bonds, Barry), but Dom was able to make his own mark on the baseball landscape. The San Francisco native, who earned the nickname “Little Professor” from his bespectacled 5-foot, 9-inch frame, played with the Red Sox from 1940 to 1953 and lost three years (1943-1945) of his career as he served in the United States Navy during World War II. During that time, he made seven All-Star teams, including four straight from 1949 to 1952. Dom also finished as high as ninth in MVP voting, which came in 1946, his first year back after the war.

Though his stats weren’t quite on par with his brother Joe’s (then again, not too many other players are on that level, either), he retired with a .298/.383/.419 line to go with 1,680 hits and 1,046 runs scored. He also twice led the league in runs scored, with a career-best 131 in 1950.

Dom also has his own record hitting-streak that stands to this day. The middle DiMaggio child hit in a Red Sox-record 34 consecutive games in 1949. Ironically enough, it was brother Joe who helped end it as he caught one of Dom’s line drives in the eighth inning of the Yankees-Red Sox game on Aug. 9. On June 30, 1950, Dom and Joe both hit home runs while playing against each other and became the fourth duo to accomplish such a feat.

Among those he leaves behind is his wife of 61 years, Emily. My thoughts and prayers are with the DiMaggio family today.

- Michael Echan