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Henry Louis
"Lou" Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941), born Ludwig Heinrich
Gehrig, was an American baseball player in the 1920s and 1930s, chiefly
remembered for his prowess as a hitter and the longevity of his
consecutive games played record, which stood for more than a
half-century, and the pathos of his tearful farewell from baseball at
age 36, when he was stricken with a fatal disease. Popularly called
"The Iron Horse" for his durability, Gehrig set several Major League
records. His record for most career grand slams (23) still stands as of
2008. Gehrig was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the
Baseball Writers' Association. Gehrig was the leading vote-getter on
the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, chosen by fans in 1999.
A native of New York City, he played for the New York Yankees until his
career was cut short by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), now
commonly referred to in the United States as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Over
a 15-season span between 1925 and 1939, he played in 2,130 consecutive
games. The streak ended when Gehrig became disabled with the fatal
neuromuscular disease that claimed his life two years later. His
streak, long believed to be one of baseball's few unbreakable
records,[citation needed] stood for 56 years until finally broken by
Cal Ripken, Jr., of the Baltimore Orioles on September 6, 1995.
Gehrig accumulated 1,995 runs batted in (RBI) in seventeen seasons with
a lifetime batting average of .340, a lifetime on-base percentage of
.447, and a lifetime slugging percentage of .632. A seven-time All-Star
(the first All-Star game was not until 1933; he did not play in the
1939 game, retiring a week before it was held — at Yankee Stadium), he
won the American League's Most Valuable Player award in 1927 and 1936
and was a Triple Crown winner in 1934, leading the American League in
batting average, home runs, and RBIs.
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