Lou Gehrig Marquee Hall of Fame 1939

b. June 19, 1903 · New York Yankees 1923–1939

Lou Gehrig spent all 17 of his major-league seasons with the New York Yankees, batting behind Babe Ruth for most of them. He collected 2,721 hits, 493 home runs and 1,995 runs batted in, and drove in more than 150 runs in seven separate seasons.

He also did not miss. Between 1925 and 1939 he played 2,130 games in a row, a record that stood for 56 years, through broken fingers and back spasms and games he had no business being in. In 1939 his coordination began to fail, he took himself out of the lineup in May, and the diagnosis was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The Yankees held a day for him that July, at which he called himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. He was elected to the Hall of Fame the same year by special election, and died two years later, sixteen days short of 38. The disease carries his name in the United States.

Honors

Award	Times	Years
All-Star selection	7	1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939
Baseball Magazine All-Star	7	1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937
The Sporting News All-Star	6	1927, 1928, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937
The Sporting News Guide Most Valuable Player	3	1931, 1934, 1936
Most Valuable Player	2	1927, 1936
Triple Crown (batting)	1	1934

Batting, season by season

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
1923	NYY	13	26	6	11	4	1	1	9	2	5	0	.423
1924	NYY	10	12	2	6	1	0	0	5	1	3	0	.500
1925	NYY	126	437	73	129	23	10	20	68	46	49	6	.295
1926	NYY	155	572	135	179	47	20	16	112	105	73	6	.313
1927	NYY	155	584	149	218	52	18	47	175	109	84	10	.373
1928	NYY	154	562	139	210	47	13	27	142	95	69	4	.374
1929	NYY	154	553	127	166	32	10	35	126	122	68	4	.300
1930	NYY	154	581	143	220	42	17	41	174	101	63	12	.379
1931	NYY	155	619	163	211	31	15	46	184	117	56	17	.341
1932	NYY	156	596	138	208	42	9	34	151	108	38	4	.349
1933	NYY	152	593	138	198	41	12	32	139	92	42	9	.334
1934	NYY	154	579	128	210	40	6	49	165	109	31	9	.363
1935	NYY	149	535	125	176	26	10	30	119	132	38	8	.329
1936	NYY	155	579	167	205	37	7	49	152	130	46	3	.354
1937	NYY	157	569	138	200	37	9	37	159	127	49	4	.351
1938	NYY	157	576	115	170	32	6	29	114	107	75	6	.295
1939	NYY	8	28	2	4	0	0	0	1	5	1	0	.143
Career	—	2164	8001	1888	2721	534	163	493	1995	1508	790	102	.340

On this day & linked events

1903

Born June 19, 1903

New York, NY, USA

1941

Died June 2, 1941

1923

Major-league debut: Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig made a major-league debut on June 15, 1923.

1927

Lou Gehrig's Three-Home-Run Game, 1927

Lou Gehrig hit three home runs for the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox on June 23, 1927.

1929

Lou Gehrig's Three-Home-Run Game, 1929

Lou Gehrig hit three home runs for the New York Yankees against the Chicago White Sox on May 4, 1929.

1930

Lou Gehrig's Three-Home-Run Game, 1930

Lou Gehrig hit three home runs for the New York Yankees against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 22, 1930.

1932

Tony Lazzeri Hits for the Cycle, 1932

Tony Lazzeri hit for the cycle for the New York Yankees against the Philadelphia Athletics on June 3, 1932.

1934

Lou Gehrig Hits for the Cycle, 1934

Lou Gehrig hit for the cycle for the New York Yankees against the Chicago White Sox on June 25, 1934.

1937

Lou Gehrig Hits for the Cycle, 1937

Lou Gehrig hit for the cycle for the New York Yankees against the St. Louis Browns on August 1, 1937.

1938

Lou Gehrig's 23rd Grand Slam

Lou Gehrig hits the 23rd grand slam of his career, a Major League record that stands for 75 years until Alex Rodriguez breaks it in 2013.

1939

Final major-league game: Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig played a final major-league game on April 30, 1939.

1995

Cal Ripken Breaks the Iron Man Streak

Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, surpassing Lou Gehrig's streak that had stood for fifty-six years.

2000

Cal Ripken's 3,000th Hit

Cal Ripken singles three times in Minnesota to reach 3,000 hits, five years after breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive-games record.

Image: University Archives—Columbiana Library, Columbia University, public domain