Who Was The Iron Horse In Baseball?

Lou Gehrig was nicknamed the “Iron Horse” for his consistency and longevity in playing baseball. He set many records during his career with the New York Yankees.

Lou Gehrig

Widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Lou Gehrig was nicknamed the “Iron Horse” for his durability. Gehrig played in 2,130 consecutive games over the course of his 14-year career with the New York Yankees. He was a six-time World Series champion and was named the American League MVP twice. Gehrig’s career came to an abrupt end in 1939 when he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease that would eventually claim his life.

Born in New York City

Born in New York City on June 19, 1903, Henry Louis Gehrig was the first child of Swiss immigrant parents. Growing up on Manhattan’s tough Lower East Side, Gehrig honed his athletic skills playing sandlot baseball. After attending Columbia University for one year, Gehrig quit school to play minor league baseball for Hartford, Connecticut. In 1923, he was called up to play with the New York Yankees and became one of baseball’s biggest stars.

Family life

Lou Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903, in New York City. His father, Heinrich Gehrig, had emigrated from Germany in 1886. His mother, Christina Focht, had emigrated from Germany in 1888. Heinrich and Christina were married in New York City in 1902. Lou was their only child.

Heinrich worked as a grand opera singer and then as a liquor salesman; Christina worked as a maid. The family lived in an apartment on Amsterdam Avenue and 106th Street in Manhattan. When Lou was growing up, his parents spoke German at home; he didn’t learn English until he went to school.

As a boy, Lou loved baseball and wanted to be a professional player when he grew up. He played sandlot ball with kids in his neighborhood and also played organized baseball on school teams and in youth leagues.

Education

Lou Gehrig was born in New York City on June 19, 1903. He was the first son of German immigrants Heinrich and Christina Gehrig. Growing up, Lou spoke German at home and English outside the house. He attended public schools in New York City, graduating from Commerce High School in 1920. After graduation, he enrolled at Columbia University on a baseball scholarship.

During his time at Columbia, Gehrig played first base for the school’s varsity team. He was a good player, but not great. In fact, he was only drafted by the New York Yankees because one of their scouts saw him play and thought he had potential to be a good utility player – someone who could fill in at any position on the field.

Gehrig made his major league debut with the Yankees on June 15, 1923. He didn’t get to play much that season, but he made the most of his opportunity when he did get on the field. The following year, Gehrig became the team’s starting first baseman and he quickly proved that he deserved to be in the big leagues.

From 1924-1938, Gehrig was one of the best players in baseball. He was selected to six All-Star teams and won two American League MVP Awards (1927 & 1936). In addition to his individual accomplishments, Gehrig was also a key member of Yankees teams that won six World Series championships (1927-1928 & 1932-1938).

Early baseball career

Lou Gehrig played in the Major Leagues for 17 seasons, all with the New York Yankees. He was born in New York City in 1903 and grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood. His parents had emigrated from Germany and his father worked as a bartender and a janitor. Gehrig was a natural athlete and excelled at baseball, basketball, and football in high school. In 1923, he enrolled at Columbia University on a scholarship to play football. However, he soon gave up football to focus on baseball.

In recognition of his exceptional talents, the Yankees signed Gehrig to a minor league contract in 1923. He made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 1925 at the age of 21. Gehrig quickly established himself as one of the best players in baseball. He was an exceptionally powerful hitter and an excellent fielder. In 1927, he was part of the Yankees team that won the World Series. The following year, he helped lead the team to another World Series victory.

Gehrig became known as “the Iron Horse” for his durability and consistency. He played in 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood for more than 50 years until it was broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995. In 1938, Gehrig’s streak came to an end when he took himself out of the lineup because he was feeling ill. The diagnosis was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease that damages nerve cells and leads to paralysis. Gehrig died two years later at the age of 37.

Major League career

Gehrig began his major league career with the New York Yankees in 1923. He quickly established himself as one of the best players in baseball, winning the American League (AL) batting title in his rookie season. He also slugged a then-record 29 home runs that year. Gehrig continued to be one of the best hitters in the game over the next decade, winning multiple AL MVP awards and leading the Yankees to several World Series titles. In 1939, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative neuromuscular disease. He continued to play for two more years before retiring in 1941 due to declining health. He died from the disease in 1941 at the age of 37.

Retirement and death

In 1939 Gehrig began to experience the first symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more widely known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The degenerative neurological disorder gradually robbed him of the use of his muscles, and on May 2, 1939, he took himself out of the lineup, ending his record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. His retirement from baseball was marked by an emotional speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4; in it he said he considered himself “the luckiest man on the face of this earth” because of his friends, teammates, and loving wife. Gehrig died two years later, on June 2, 1941.

Babe Ruth

On April 14, 1929, in Cincinnati, Ohio, George Herman “Babe” Ruth hits his 500th career home run offhriss second pitch from Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Clair Bengel in the first inning of the game at Crosley Field. With the homer, Ruth becomes the first player in major league history to reach the 500-homer mark.

Born in Baltimore

George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Babe was one of eight children born to Kate Schamberger Ruth and George Herman Ruth Sr. His parents ran a tavern called “Ruth’s Saloon” where young George spent much of his time. In 1900, the family moved to 343 Emory Street in the Pigtown section of Baltimore. Young George began attending public school at nearby St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys in 1903.

Family life

Babe Ruth was born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the first of eight children born to George and Kate Ruth. George Ruth worked as a barkeeper and later as a saloon owner. He was a strict father who gave his children little free time.

Kate Ruth was a loving mother who tried to balance her husband’s disciplinarian ways. The family lived in poverty, and Babe Ruth later said that he never owned a pair of shoes that fit until he was 14 years old.

Ruth’s parents sent him to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys when he was seven years old. The school was a reformatory and orphanage run by Catholic priests. Ruth remained there until he was 19 years old.

Education

Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 6, 1895. He was one of eight children born to Kate Schamberger-Ruth and George Herman Ruth Sr. His parents were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in one of Baltimore’s working-class German neighborhoods.

Ruth started school at the traditional age of six. He attended St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, a Catholic institution that took in wayward youth and trained them for careers in manual labor. Ruth stayed at St. Mary’s for 12 years, from 1901 until 1913. The school instilled in him a strong work ethic and discipline, which served him well throughout his life.

Early baseball career

Babe Ruth began his baseball career in 1914 with the Baltimore Orioles, a minor league team. He played so well that he was soon bought by the Boston Red Sox, one of the best teams in baseball. He became a regular player on the team, and helped them to win the World Series in 1916 and 1917.

In 1918, Ruth’s career was interrupted when he was drafted into the army to fight in World War I. When he returned from the war, he resumed playing for the Red Sox and helped them to win another World Series in 1919. It was around this time that Ruth started to gain a reputation for hitting home runs. In 1920, he set a new record by hitting 29 home runs in a single season.

Major League career

Ruth was signed to play minor league baseball for the Baltimore Orioles in 1914. He was soon sold to the Boston Red Sox, where he played from 1915 to 1918. Ruth led the Sox to victory in the 1918 World Series, and he became one of the most popular players in baseball.

In 1920, Ruth was traded to the New York Yankees, where he played for the next decade. Ruth helped lead the Yankees to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles. He set numerous records during his time with the Yankees, including career home runs (714), slugging percentage (.690), and walks (2,056). Ruth retired from baseball in 1935 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

Retirement and death

Ruth played his final season in 1935 with the Boston Braves. He retired from baseball that August, after hitting .181 in 28 games. In May 1948, Ruth was diagnosed with cancer of the nasopharynx. On June 13, he underwent surgery at Memorial Hospital in New York City to remove a tumor from his neck; the operation was not a success. Seven weeks later, Ruth entered another hospital for further treatment and testing. On August 16, he underwent a second operation, which was again unsuccessful; the cancer had spread to other parts of his neck and chest. Ruth left the hospital on October 2 and returned to his home in Rye, where he died on August 16, 1948, at the age of 53.