It was one of the most tumultuous seasons in Yankee history. 1946 saw the resignation of manager Joe McCarthy, who had led the franchise to seven World Series titles. Bill Dickey took over but the club couldn’t seem to get anything going. The Yankees were hopelessly out of contention with two weeks still to play.
Our RMY Auctions Photo of the Day is one part greatness and one part sad history.
The 69-year-old newspaper photo shows Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio sliding hard into third base on September 13, kicking up a cloud of dirt. He was the first out of a second inning double play off a bunt attempt by Johnny Lindell. The Detroit Tigers third baseman is Hall of Famer George Kell who’d just made the put out and fired to first.
Despite a 3-for-3 afternoon that included a homer, Joltin’ Joe was struggling—at least by DiMaggio standards—in his first year back following a three-year military commitment.
A day earlier, Dickey had resigned his post, lasting just four months at the helm. New York would finish the season 17 games behind the Red Sox, 
who had been revitalized by the return of Ted Williams, back at full strength after service in World War II.
Joe D took a little longer to get back to his old form. At season’s end he would be hitting just .295, his lowest average of any season between 1936 and 1950, and the Yanks would be following the post-season at home.
The following year, they were back on top, downing the Dodgers in the World Series.
The 7×9 Acme News is among 325 historic photos in RMY’s September auction, which concludes Sunday night. To register and/or bid in the auction, visit the RMY Auctions website.
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