Every streak has to begin somewhere. When it came to Lou Gehrig‘s consecutive game streak, the New York Yankees star began his march into the record books by getting into the first game of his consecutive game streak on this day in 1925.
When Yankees legend Lou Gehrig comes to mind, there are typically two images that come to mind. The first is his memorable speech on July 4, 1939, coming after he was diagnosed with the disease that would come to bear his name, where he proclaimed that he was the luckiest man on Earth, even with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ravaging his body.
On the brighter side, Gehrig is recalled for his remarkable consecutive game streak, a record surpassed only by Cal Ripken. Gehrig appeared in 2130 consecutive games, earning his nickname of ‘The Iron Horse’ along the way. No player embodied the concept of durability like Gehrig did.
More from MLB History
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 5 MLB players who are human cheat codes for Immaculate Grid
- Good MLB players in different uniforms: A look at a random year and two random teams
- Sticky fingers: The pine tar incident, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals and Gaylord Perry
- Chicago Cubs scoring 36 runs in two games? That’s nothing compared to this historic mark
It was on this day in 1925 that Gehrig’s consecutive game streak began, albeit in a very understated way. In the Yankees 5-3 loss to the Washington Senators, Gehrig entered the game as a pinch hitter, batting for Pee Wee Wanninger. It certainly did not seem like much at the time, as Gehrig had all of 26 plate appearances in eleven games through the Yankees first 42 games, and had not started since May 1.
This at bat, however, would set that streak in motion. The following day, the Yankees regular first baseman, Wally Pipp, was kept out of the lineup due to the after affects of a concussion, putting Gehrig back in the lineup. He would go 3-5 with a double and a run scored, and would not be out of the lineup again until he removed himself in 1939.
Next: Cardinals hacking punishment likely delayed
Every journey begins with a single step, and every streak begins with the first game. For Yankees great Lou Gehrig, that first game occurred on this day in 1925.