Lou Gehrig

The Yankees signed Gehrig in 1923. He earned his nickname "The Iron Horse" by playing in 2,130 consecutive games. That record stood for 56 years until Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it in 1995.

When Lou retired in 1939, he owned the record for most grandslams, 23. Alex Rodriguez broke that record in 2013.

Lou Gehrig played 17 seasons for the Yankees. He was often overshadowed by his flamboyant team mate Babe Ruth. But at the end of his career, Gehrig had a batting average of .340. Sixteenth all time.

He played in 2,164 games, collected 2,721 hits and hit 493 home runs. Add to that a fielding percentage of .991.

He drove in 1,995 runs which is sixth all time. He had a .632 slugging average and a .447 On base percentage.

Lou Gehrig was a member of seven World Series teams. He was the American League's Most Valuable Player twice. 1927 and 1936. He won the Triple Crown in 1934 and played in seven All Star Games.

On May 2, 1939, Gehrig removed himself from the lineup because of his struggles on the field. It was later discovered that he was suffering from ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). It would be the cause of his death two years later.

In 1939, the Yankees named July 4th, Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium. Between games of a double header with the Washington Senators that day, a ceremony was held to present Gehrig with trophies and awards.

Many of the 1927 Yankees "Murderer's Row" were there, along with other dignitaries.

Then, Lou Gehrig stepped to the microphone. Here's what he said:

Fans, for the past two weeks, you've been reading about a bad break.

Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

When you look around, wouldn't you consider it a privilege to associate yourself with such fine-looking men as are standing in uniform in this ballpark today?

Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert?

Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins?

Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift, that's something.

When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies, that's something.

When you have a wonderful mother in law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter, that's something.

When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body, it's a blessing.

When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed, that's the finest I know.

So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you

The crowd at Yankee Stadium applauded for two minutes. Cheering, "We love you Lou"!

Gehrig, who was visibly shaken, wiped tears from his eyes. Babe Ruth came over and hugged Lou. Gruff, old sports writers were choaked up. They wrote that it was the most touching scenes ever on a ball field.

The Yankees retired Gehrig's number 4 making Lou the first to receive that honor.

On December 7, 1939, The Baseball Writers Association elected Lou Gehrig into the Hall Of Fame. He was the youngest player ever elected until Sandy Koufax was elected in 1972.

They also waved the mandatory five year waiting period a player must wait after retirement to be elected. The only other player to have the waiting period waved was Roberto Clemente in 1973.

On June 2, 1941 at 10:10 p.m., Lou Gehrig died in his home in the Bronx, New York.

Lou and Eleanor Gehrig never had children and she never re-married. Eleanor said, "I had the best of it. I would not have traded two minutes of my life with that man for 40 years with another".

She died 43 years after Lou on March 6, 1984, and was interred with him in Kensico Cemetery.

Lou Gehrig Collectible Baseball