Lou Gehrig

Lore & Background

A native of New York City and a student at Columbia University, Gehrig signed with the Yankees on April 29, 1923. He set several major-league records during his career, including the most career grand slams (23; since broken by Alex Rodriguez) and most consecutive games played (2,130), a record that stood for 56 years and was considered unbreakable until Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed it in 1995. Gehrig's consecutive game streak ended on May 2, 1939, when he voluntarily took himself out of the lineup, stunning both players and fans, after his performance in the field had become hampered by an undiagnosed ailment; it was subsequently confirmed to be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable neuromuscular illness that since then is sometimes referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease" in the United States. Gehrig never played again and retired in 1939 at age 36. Two weeks later, the ball club held a Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day on July 4, 1939, at the close of which he delivered his speech declaring himself the "luckiest man on the face of the earth" at Yankee Stadium. Two years later, Gehrig died of complications from ALS. In 1969, the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Gehrig the greatest first baseman of all time, and he was the leading vote-getter on the MLB All-Century Team, chosen by fans in 1999. A monument in Gehrig's honor, originally dedicated by the Yankees in 1941, prominently features in Monument Park at the new Yankee Stadium. The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to the MLB player who best exhibits Gehrig's integrity and character.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Yankee Stadium was thick with anticipation and sorrow. Lou Gehrig stood at home plate, the familiar weight of his bat feeling heavier than ever before. The crowd, usually raucous for the Yankees' star first baseman, fell into a hush that could be felt from the deepest dugout to the highest bleacher. He looked out over the diamond one last time, not as a player who would return tomorrow, but as a man bidding farewell to the game he loved.

Reader's Guide

Gehrig's streak ended on May 2, 1939, when he voluntarily benched himself before a game in Detroit against the Detroit Tigers. He was present at the game but did not play. The source does not state that Gehrig ever played a game for the Detroit Tigers or wore a Tigers uniform; his entire MLB career was with the New York Yankees.

Did You Know?

• Gehrig's consecutive game streak of 2,130 games ended on May 2, 1939, when he voluntarily took himself out of the lineup before a game in Detroit against the Detroit Tigers.
• Gehrig was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired by a team; the Yankees retired his number 4.
• Gehrig hit four home runs in a single game, one of only 21 players to achieve that feat.