Lou Gehrig is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. During his career, “The Iron Horse” led the Yankees to 7 American League Pennants and 6 World Series titles. In 1934, he became one of only 14 players in history to win the illustrious Triple Crown award. Lou Gehrig holds the record for most career Grand Slams with 23 and his 1,995 RBIs is 4th on the all time list.

For all of his achievements as a hitter, Gehrig’s legacy is his dedication and toughness. His incredible consecutive games streak spanned 13 seasons and 2,130 games. Lou Gehrig played through a broken thumb, a broken toe, back spasms, and 17 hand fractures.

It seemed nothing could stop Lou Gehrig. In 1936, he was named Most Valuable Player, leading the league in home runs and runs scored. But two seasons later, his average dipped below .300 for the first time in 12 seasons. It was clear that something was wrong. His strength was fading and teammates were beginning to take notice. Gehrig started the first eight games in 1939, but when he struggled to make a routine play at first, he pulled himself from the lineup. The following day was the first time in 2,130 consecutive games that Lou Gehrig did not take the field for the Yankees.

Doctors diagnosed Gehrig with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare degenerative disorder, which would come to be known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He would never play baseball again.

The Yankees deemed July 4th, 1938 Lou Gehrig appreciation day. Gehrig, joined by his teammates on the field, shared an intimate moment with the sell-out crowd at Yankee Stadium. He approached the microphone and said, humbly, “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

That year, Lou Gehrig became the first athlete in history to have his number retired. In December, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Though his health was rapidly declining, Gehrig joined Mayor LaGuardia’s Parole Board to work in the community with troubled youths.

On June 2, 1941, Lou Gehrig died at the age of 37.