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| Lou Gehrig | |
|---|---|
 Gehrig with the New York Yankees in 1923 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: June 19, 1903 Yorkville, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. | |
| Died: June 2, 1941 (aged 37) Riverdale, Bronx, New York City, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 15, 1923, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 30, 1939, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .340 |
| Hits | 2,721 |
| Home runs | 493 |
| Runs batted in | 1,995 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1939 |
| Election method | Special Election |
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig /ɡɛərɪɡ/;[1] June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him his nickname "the Iron Horse". He is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was an All-Star seven consecutive times,[2] a Triple Crown winner once,[3] an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice,[3] and a member of six World Series champion teams. He had a career .340 batting average, .632 slugging average, and a .447 on-base average. He hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 runs batted in (RBI). He still has the highest ratio of runs scored plus runs batted in per 100 plate appearances (35.08) and per 100 games (156.7) among Hall of Fame players. In 1939, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame[4] and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number (4) retired by a team.
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,[5] including the most career grand slams (23; since broken by Alex Rodriguez)[6][7] and most consecutive games played (2,130), a record that stood for 56 years and was long considered unbreakable until it was surpassed by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995.[8][9] 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 on the field became hampered by an undiagnosed ailment subsequently confirmed to be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is an incurable neuromuscular illness, now commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease".[10]
The disease forced him to retire at age 36, and claimed his life two years later. The pathos of his farewell from baseball was capped off by his iconic 1939 "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech at Yankee Stadium. In 1969, the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Gehrig the greatest first baseman of all time,[11] and he was the leading vote-getter on the MLB All-Century Team chosen by fans in 1999.[12] A monument in Gehrig's honor, originally dedicated by the Yankees in 1941, currently resides in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to the MLB player who best exhibits Gehrig's integrity and character.
- ^ Castro, Tony (2018). Gehrig and the Babe: The Friendship and the Feud. Triumph Books. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-64125-004-7.
- ^ "All-Star Game History". Baseball Almanac. 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
- ^ a b "Lou Gehrig Stats". Baseball Almanac. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ "Henry Louis Gehrig". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ "Lou Gehrig". Britannica Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ "A-Rod sets slam record, Yankees beat Giants 5–1". Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ "Lou Gehrig Grand Slams". Baseball Almanac. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ "ESPN Classic – Iron Man Ripken brought stability to shortstop". Espn.go.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ Unlike Gehrig, Ripken took most of the summer off in 1994 (albeit on account of a baseball strike). While that was beyond Ripken's control, it constituted an extended break that Gehrig did not enjoy.
- ^ "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – MDA". Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ Frank Graham, Lou Gehrig: A Quiet Hero. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969.
- ^ "All-Century Team final voting". ESPN. October 23, 2007. Archived from the original on July 30, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
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