The life and death of the legend Gehrig
Lou Gehrig was only 37 years old © Imago
He is considered one of the best players in MLB. But Lou Gehrig was also accompanied off the field by an illness that still reminds of him today.
Who is the best athlete of all time?
This question concerns fans and media in every sport. A unanimous opinion is rarely found, because after all it is difficult to compare the different epochs with each other.
There is more unity when it comes to the formative figures of the respective sport. Lou Gehrig played such a role in baseball.
His nickname “The Iron Horse” (In German: The Iron Horse) is based on the eternal availability of the MLB professionals. However, that is not the only characteristic of Gehrig, who died on June 2, 1941, because after all he is one of the best of all time.
SPORT1 looks at the life and tragedy of the legend who succumbed to the illness that launched the Ice Bucket Challenge a few years ago.
Three siblings die, father an alcoholic
Little Lou was born on June 19, 1903, one of four children born to German immigrants Christina Foch and Heinrich Gehrig.
There were early indications that the young man from New York City could one day become a big one. At the age of 17, he was already knocking a ball out of the stadium and onto the street during a selection game in Chicago – unimaginable for the time.
But his childhood is tough. Lou, whose real name is Heinz Ludwig, is the only child celebrating his 18th birthday. His brother died as a baby, while his two sisters died from measles and whooping cough. In addition, his father is an alcoholic and can hardly keep a job any longer. As a maid, his mother has to provide for the family’s income.
But Gehrig goes his way anyway. He becomes a multi-sport athlete in high school and earns a football scholarship from Columbia University. However, his goal remains to play baseball at a professional level.
Lou Gehrig (right) is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time
Wrong pseudonym flies up
John McGraw, then manager of the New York Giants, gave him this chance. Gehrig plays in a summer league for the Hartford Senators, but under an assumed name, because at the time college athletes were strictly forbidden to be paid.
It happened as it had to: His pseudonym Henry Lewis is exposed, so that he is banned from college for a whole season.
When he returned in 1922, he first played fullback football before finally deciding to play baseball the following year. He quickly attracted attention as a pitcher and first baseman, and the illustrious New York Yankees secured his services that same year.
The Yankees’ incredible streak begins
But the qualified engineer has to wait for his first assignment in Major League Baseball. He was deployed for the first time on June 1, 1925, before being in the starting lineup for the first time a day later. It was the start of an incredible series.
In total, Gehrig has played 2,130 (!) games in a row – a record that Cal Ripken Jr. is said to have surpassed in 1995.
During this time, Gehrig developed into one of the absolute stars of the league. In total, he leads the Yankees to six championships and impresses with unbelievable numbers.
Feud between Gehrig and Ruth
He probably has his best season in 1927. There he puts down one of the best performances that MLB has ever seen. In 155 games he has 218 hits, 47 home runs and 173 runs batted in (RBI). No wonder he wins the first of his two MVP titles.
However, Gehrig is not alone in his brilliant achievements: teammate Babe Ruth became the first player in history to hit 60 home runs in the same year, eclipsing Gehrig in the process.
Lou Gehrig is inducted into the Hall of Fame and was voted the greatest first baseman of all time
The two superstars lead the legendary “Murderer’s Row” Yankees, but they weren’t always best friends. From 1933 onward, Ruth Gehrig avoided going off the pitch – he was angry because Gehrig’s mother had criticized his daughter’s style of clothing.
However, these interpersonal problems have no impact on the sport. Gehrig is always the fourth batsman after Ruth, which also makes him a strong career.
Dramatic career end at Gehrig
This is how Gehrig produces top run statistics year after year. His 185 RBI from 1931 remains the record in the American League, one of MLB’s two conferences. He’s also the first player to hit four home runs in one game. (NEWS: All current information about the MLB)
However, this unbelievable run came to an abrupt end in 1939. Gehrig tells his manager at the time, Joe McCarthy, that he lacks the strength and is taking himself out of the team – “for the good of the team,” as he explains.
When the news was announced by the Detroit announcer, the fans rose and cheered Gehrig, who was sitting on the bench in tears.
An incurable illness costs Gehrig his life
After a detailed examination, the reason for Gehrig’s suffering is found: he is diagnosed with the nervous disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. At that time, little was known about the disease – but the doctors were already telling Gehring that he didn’t have much longer to live.
He immediately announced his resignation because it is foreseeable that he will gradually lose his motor skills through illness and will have problems with speaking, swallowing and breathing.
It’s a shock to the baseball scene.
In his honor, the MLB organized “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” on July 4, 1939. He himself gave a famous speech in a packed Yankee Stadium that moved many people to tears.
The Yankees also announce they will retire the number four — the first jersey number in MLB to be retired. In addition, the post of team captain, which he held from 1935 to 1939, is also vacant for 37 years.
These events also ensure that Ruth puts his quarrel with Gehrig aside. The legend supports the sick teammate and his wife Eleanor in this difficult hour.
Hall of Famer and all-time top first baseman
In addition, Gehrig was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association in a special election that same year. Actually, this is only possible five years after the end of your career. 30 years later, journalists also voted him the best first baseman of all time.
“The Iron Horse” was also very popular with the fans – and even well after his death. In 1999, for example, he received the most votes for the best team of the century.
Fans, opponents and teammates mourn like the entire sport when Gehrig finally loses the fight against ALS on June 2, 1941. The flags in New York and all MLB stadiums are flown at half-staff in his memory.
Disease is named Gehrig – Ice Bucket Challenge 2014
After his death, Gehrig’s widow dedicated herself to advancing ALS research. In the USA, the insidious disease is now even called Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The baseball legend isn’t the only athlete to die from complications from ALS. Footballer Krzystof Nowak, who played 83 league games for VfL Wolfsburg between 1998 and 2001, also died of this disease.
In 2014, the disease became even more well-known thanks to the “Ice Bucket Challenge”: The online hype, in which numerous stars from all over the world took part, was intended to draw attention to the nervous disease and to collect donations for research into it. By the end of 2014 alone, 200 million US dollars should have been raised worldwide.
