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MLB First Basemen Honor 75th Anniversary of Lou Gehrig's 'Luckiest Man' Speech
July 2, 2014
On July 4, 1939, the New York Yankees held "Lou Gehrig Day." That day at Yankee Stadium would turn out to be one that nobody will ever forget thanks to Lou Gehrig's powerful speech.
On June 19, Gehrig's 36th birthday, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), aka "Lou Gehrig's disease." The Yankees announced his retirement just a couple of days later and made him the first Major League Baseball player to ever have his number retired.
Less than two weeks after he retired, Gehrig gave his "Luckiest Man" speech in front of a large crowd at Yankee Stadium.
Now, New York and MLB will honor the legendary speech's 75th anniversary.
No tribute will top the video that players from around the league put together for the special day. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and first basemen from all 30 MLB teams paid tribute to Gehrig by reciting his famous speech:
The video will be played before all major league games on Friday, July 4.
The Yankees will honor Gehrig on Wednesday, which is their last home game before the actual 75th anniversary. They will wear a special uniform patch, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, and the sides of the bases will pay tribute to the Yankees legend.
New York tweeted out pictures of the bases: