Lou Gehrig Hits Record 23rd Grand Slam
Stepping up to bat in the first inning with the bases loaded, Lou Gehrig hit the 23rd grand slam of his career on August 20, 1938.
Many sportswriters have used the word “durable” to describe Lou Gehrig. Even his nickname, “The Iron Horse,” implied stability. Recruited by the Yankees in 1923, Gehrig stayed with the team his entire career.
Gehrig’s career was full of incredible accomplishments. He set an American League record in 1931 with 184 runs batted in; hit four home runs in one game in 1932; and played in 2,130 consecutive games – a record that remained unbroken until 1995.
During the 1938 season, Gehrig was struggling. Though his health was beginning to fail, his statistics were higher than average in the second half of the season. Then on August 20, Gehrig stepped up to the plate in the first inning and hit a grand slam against Philadelphia’s Buck Ross. That earned Gehrig another record – one that wouldn’t be broken for 75 years.
The following year, Gehrig’s career was cut short when he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. On July 4, 1939, some 61,000 people attended “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” at Yankee Stadium. In his stirring speech, Gehrig said, “… today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” He remained active in the community until his death in 1941. The tradition of retiring a player’s uniform began when Gehrig left the game in 1939. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in a special election that year.
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Another great moment in history. Thanks Mystic. Thanks Don.
love any history about Americas game baseball fanatic.
As a 12 year old just getting into following the sport of baseball this day I remember. I was not present at Yankee Stadium but the radio and press coverage was interesting and Lou earned his place in the Hall and with the fans.
Great story. Thanks.
Nice and very interesting histories. Thanks
Great story of an amazing man who played in the sport before I was born and will live on in history.
One of the fascinating things about stamp collecting is learning about people and the history of countries. Great for people young and old.
I too love stamp collecting and learning the history of each stamp. For 20 years I held a Ben Franklin Stamp Club here at my summer camp. Now, I am a personality on Tv, who uses stamps each Friday on my http://www.RadioVisionNetwork.com television show, for “ben Franklin Stamp club” and I use the “This Day in history to help me choose a stamp of the day. Tomorrow morning at 9am I will be using Lou Gerig;s stamp. I only have the 25 cent stamp, not the $30.00 stamp which I wish I had. Tune in and see CAMP WITH MRS. WHITEBRIAR (the name of my home), but my television personality I answer to “Mrs. Whitebriar”. Join us any time. 609-871-9555 any time as we are in Burlington County NJ 08010.
I’m not a big sports fan, but the story is inspirational.
Love this feature.
Real good story.
I remember the day that Lou Gehrig passed away…..I was an 8 year old kid starting to play baseball and growing up in the Chambersburg section of Trenton, New Jersey…..a
section of mostly Italian immigrants…including my family…my father came in 1910 and
my mom in1912………the people loved the New York Yankees and Lou as well as ,of course, Joe DiMaggio!!! I remember that day when Lou gave his talk…. how the people cried……………..He became one of my heroes…..and I still, at times, think and talk about him…
Left out,,,”cried when he died and gave that beautiful talk!!!!
WHAT A ROLE MODEL THIS MAN WAS, AND WHAT A PLAYER!!! WE NEED MORE LIKE HIM TODAY IN AMERICA WITH OUR DECLINING SOCIAL MORALS THAT SEEM TO DECLINE DAILY.
Congratulations! I have been saving this series of ‘stamp of the day’ postings since July 1. This is one of the most interesting aspects of stamp collecting I have seen in my nearly 70 years of stamp collecting. Kudos to the genius that created this feature. I am hoping that you will continue this for the entire year … or longer if suitable. Even when my computer was inop for a few days, I was able to recover the missing issues, thanks to your telephone instructions. BRAVO!
Great story of a giant of a man. I am 83 years old and heard of his story and fame all my life!
I became a stamp collector in my native Cuba and following president Roosevelt. during the Second World War. I feel that,as Roosevelt stated, it helped him survive despite polio paralysis and World War Two. It has helped in many ways as a collector to understand countries worldwide. Vk
What an incredible man and great baseball player …my all-time favorite Hall of Famer. As much respect as I have for Baber Ruth as an incredibly talented baseball player, Lou Gehrig is my number one All-time favori6te !!