Few moments in baseball history are as iconic as when Lou Gehrig addressed the New York Yankees crowd on this day in 1939, proclaiming himself as the “luckiest man on Earth” despite being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Lou Gehrig had been a force for the New York Yankees, teaming with Babe Ruth to give the Bronx Bombers one of the more fearsome 1-2 punches in baseball history. A constant presence in the Yankees lineup, literally playing every day until he removed himself due to his struggles in the early part of the 1939 season.
After seeing several doctors, Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He remained with the Yankees, but could no longer play as the disease that would come to bear his name ravaged his body. However, his impact upon the Yankees, as he helped make them into a powerhouse, could not be discounted.
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It was fitting that the Yankees would celebrate his career, and life, in a manner that only they could. Announcing that July 4, 1939 would be Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium, they sent the Iron Horse off in style. Between games in a double header, the Yankees brought in most of the members of their 1927 squad, including Ruth, and other dignitaries, to pay tribute to the star.
They made Gehrig’s number 4 the first number retired in Yankees history, ensuring that the only player to wear that number in team history would never have company. Then Gehrig, who initially did not want to speak due to being overcome with emotion, gave what would come to be known as the Gettysburg Address of baseball, proclaiming that he was the luckiest man alive and that he just had a bad break. That speech was enough to move grown men to tears, and would go down as one of the more poignant moments in baseball history.
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Lou Gehrig may not have gotten to see his career end the way he would have wanted to, but the New York Yankees made sure that he went off in style. On this day in 1939, if there were any questions left in Gehrig’s mind as to what he meant to the Yankees, and the city of New York, they had to be erased by the outpouring of thanks and support he received.