Lou Gehrig: The Iron Horse "Farewell To A Legend"

Hall of Fame recipient and baseball legend Lou Gehrig made his debut in major league baseball (1923) when he was only 19 years old. In 1927, he was selected as the league’s MVP during the 1927 World Series. Even though Lou was one of the highest producers of runs in baseball history, his accomplishments were often overshadowed by superstar Babe Ruth. Gehrig, in 1932, became the first 20th century player to hit an astounding four homers in a single game! By 1938, Lou was beginning to experience unexplained health issues that were dramatically affecting his overall performance. Symptoms gradually worsened until on May 2, 1939, Lou benched himself. He never played again. After an extensive examination and a battery of tests at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Gehrig, on the day he turned 36 years old, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and given no more than three years to live. On July 4, 1939, Lou gave a retirement speech at Yankee stadium, which was described as “the most touching moment in the history of baseball”. On that day of tribute, Lou’s uniform number 4 was retired from baseball making him the first player in history to receive that honor. On December 7, 1939, he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Lou Gehrig died on June 2, 1941.