CHAPTER 1 THE IRON HORSE The history of sports is marked by many athletes who died or suffered devastating injuries or illnesses that shortened their careers One of the most famous was New York Yankees Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig Gehrig stood in front of a microphone at Yankee Stadium on July 4 1939 and declared himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth Those were surprising words from somebody forced to retire because of a disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS Gehrig was a shining example of strength in baseball for both his 493 career home runs and his streak of playing in 2,130 straight games The man who was known as the Iron Horse for his durability won the Triple Crown in 1934 by leading the American League AL with 49 home runs 166 runs batted in and a 363 batting average He also helped the Yankees become baseball’s first dynasty winning six World Series between 1927 and 1938 The classic left-handed swing of Lou Gehrig produced 493 career home runs
Gehrig watches from the Yankees dugout on May 2 1939 as he sits out for the first time in 14 years But Gehrig knew something was wrong in 1939 He felt weak and uncoordinated during spring training When the season began he had just four hits all singles in 28 at-bats through the first eight games Gehrig took himself out of the lineup on May 2 1939 He wouldn’t play another game Six weeks later doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota diagnosed his illness ALS affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and leads to the inability to control muscle movement
MISSING MUNSON The Yankees have seen their share of tragedy Af ter Lou Gehrig died the team waited 37 years to name another captain But like Gehrig before him catcher Thurman Munson’s career ended in tragedy He was the 1970 AL Rookie of the Year and 1976 AL Most Valuable Player MVP But Munson was killed in a plane crash on August 2 1979 He was just 32 years old Gehrig immediately announced his retirement Gehrig immediately announced his retirement He was 37 years old Just a year earlier he had He was 37 years old Just a year earlier he had still been one of the best players in baseball still been one of the best players in baseball His rapid decline shocked fans and fellow His rapid decline shocked fans and fellow players The Yankees held players The Yankees held Lou Gehrig Day on Lou Gehrig Day on July 4 to honor him July 4 to honor him and allow him to and allow him to thank his fans He thank his fans He died less than two died less than two years later Gehrig gets choked up while saying goodbye to his fans and teammates on July 4 1939
