Lou Gehrig: The Original Iron Man

About six decades before Cal Ripken Jr. made his big league debut, Lou Gehrig, the original iron man, played in 2130 consecutive games. His string of games lasted from 1925 until 1939, when he was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease that would later be named after him.

Born Henry Louis Gehrig on June 19, 1903 in New York City, Gehrig weighed in at almost 14 pounds. Little did his parents know he would become the player we would come to know as "The Iron Horse".

Gehrig put up many impressive numbers with the New York Yankees from his rookie season in 1923 until he was forced to retire in 1939 due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, the disease we know better as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Over his 16 seasons, all spent with the New York Yankees, he batted .340 with 493 home runs and 1995 RBI. He holds the all-time record for grand slams with 23, played on six championship teams, making 7 trips to the all-star games in the process. He was named MVP in the American League in 1927 and again in 1936. Gehrig likely would have played in more all-star games, but the first all-star game wasn't held until 1933, 10 years after he made the major leagues.

His best season was 1927 when he played with the famed " Murderers Row" team that is considered to be the best team ever. He connected for 218 hits that season and won his first MVP award. He hit 47 home runs, 18 triples, and 52 doubles for a scorching .373 batting average. He had a .765 slugging percentage that year for the Yankees and drove in 175 runs.

In 1934 he won the Triple Crown in a season that rivaled his MVP season of 1927. He hit 49 home runs, drove in 165 runs and won the batting title with a .363 batting average. Oddly enough, he finished fifth in voting for MVP in 1934, even though he had far superior numbers than the winner, Mickey Cochran of the Detroit Tigers.

On July 4th, 1939, in an emotional speech to the fans in Yankee Stadium, Lou Gehrig retired from baseball due to illness. His #4 was retired making him the first payer in the history of the game to have his number retired. He was elected to the Hall of Fame during 1939. Two years later, on June 2, 1941, Lou Gehrig passed way.