Lou Gehrig Essay

Lou Gehrig was born in New York City on June 19, 1903. Growing up in New York Lou Gehrig was involved in many sports such as football, basketball, water sports, and baseball as well as his academics. Even though he played other sports, baseball was his main sport that he excelled in. Throughout high school and college Lou Gehrig proceeded to show that he was not the average baseball player but he was one of the best. After two years at Columbia University, he was noticed by the New York Yankees. At 20 years old he was scouted and then he began playing for the Yankees along side another baseball icon, Babe Ruth. Due to his success on the field he became inducted in the Hall of Fame, a sports hero, and a baseball icon. Lou Gehrig was also the

During his 17 seasons playing, Gehrig set many records and received many awards. One of the awards that Gehrig received included American League's Most Valuable Player for multiple seasons. At the end of his career “he had a career batting average of .340 and hit 493 home runs. Lou batted in 1,990 runs (third highest of all time) and set a major league record of 23 grand slam home runs. ” Lou Gehrig played first base but was really known for his offensive skills as each season he always put up impressive statistics. As a hitter, he was a big threat due to how many runs he batted in, how many hits he had, how many homeruns he hit, and his overall batting average. He had many nicknames throughout high school, college, and even when he made it professionally. While playing for the Yankees Gehrig received the nickname “Iron Horse” due to how many games he played in a row. Throughout his many seasons with the Yankees Lou Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games and when he was taken out of the lineup it was Gehrig who made the

Gehrig eventually started having troubles on and off the field. He wasn’t hitting as well as he usually did, he had a harder time at first base, and his offensive numbers were lower than previous seasons. In the spring of 1939, the people around him noticed that he was “exhibiting trouble with his coordination during spring training…missing a significant number of fastballs and falling while dressing in the locker room” . Most baseball fans just thought he was worn out after playing 2,130 games in a row his body was tired, he pushed himself too hard and too far; however, it was more than just pushing himself too hard and playing too much. After going to the doctor at the beginning of summer, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as ALS. After being diagnosed Lou Gehrig passed away about two years later, he was diagnosed in 1939 and later passed in