In the 1940s, the rivalry on a personal level was Joe DiMaggio versus Ted Williams. Both were the stars that shone brightest in the American League in that period with DiMaggio’s New York Yankees having a virtual entitlement to the World Series. In 1941, two accomplishments happened that linked both in one year as Williams hit .406 and DiMaggio had a 56-game hit streak. In the background was another rival in St. Louis.
In the 1950s, Williams and the left-handed hitter with the unorthodox corkscrew hitting style were the elder statesmen stars of each league.