Joe DiMaggio. Joseph Paul Joe DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 â March 8, 1999), nicknamed Joltin' Joe and The Yankee Clipper, was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 â July 16, 1941), a record that still stands.