Lou Gehrig was a player in the 1920s and 1930s, chiefly remembered for his prowess as a hitter and the longevity
of his consecutive games played record, 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.
In 1969, 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).
Over a 15-season span between 1925 and 1939, he played in 2,130 consecutive games.
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.
Three of the top six RBI seasons in baseball history belong to Gehrig.
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.
