Gehrig's 'Luckiest man' speech remembered 75 years later
Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig spent 17 seasons with the New York Yankees until a degenerative nerve disorder called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), later commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, forced him to quit the game in 1939 at the age of 36. (The disease would claim his life less than two years later.)
Gehrig, who held the record for most consecutive games played with 2,130 until Cal Ripken Jr. passed him on Sept. 6, 1985, will always be remembered for his heartbreaking "Luckiest Man" farewell speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939.
With Friday marking the 75th anniversary, MLB.com, helping to raise funds and bring awareness to ALS, produced the below video of all 30 current MLB first basemen (and a cameo by Yankee Derek Jeter) reciting Gehrig's now-iconic oration. It was played at Yankee Stadium before New York hosted the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon.
Watch it (and watch out for goosebumps) below:
