New York Yankees: 4 players who are on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
By Scott Roche
New York Yankees: Lou Gehrig belongs on the franchise Mount Rushmore
Sometimes all it takes is an opportunity that comes from injury to begin a career. That’s what happened in the case of Lou Gehrig.
Early in the 1925 season, Wally Pipp went down with an injury and he was replaced by Gehrig. It’s safe to say that it was the beginning of the end of Pipp’s time with the Yankees. Gehrig took advantage of his opportunity and never looked back winning six World Series championships.
Over 14 seasons in the Bronx, Gehrig slashed .340/.448/.634 with 492 home runs and 1,981 RBI. That was just the beginning. He had a career on-base percentage of .447 and an OPS of 1.080. He ranks second in most franchise categories behind Ruth and it was after his Hall of Fame career came to an end that Gehrig is also known for.
When he was 36 years old, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and he passed away from it in 1941. Two years before he died, he made a speech at Yankee Stadium where he declared himself as “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
It was a sad ending to what was an outstanding and memorable career for one of the Yankees’ greats.