Major League Baseball will begin honoring the late Hall of Fame New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig league-wide, similar to how they honor Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente.
Gehrig died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS, on June 2, 1941. That day, which also represents the first game in his historic 2,130 consecutive games played streak that was a record for more than 50 years will be the day the league honors his legacy. The league will announce the plan on Thursday, according to ESPN.
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On June 2 every year from here on out, players will wear a patch celebrating Gehrig and a “4-ALS” commemorating his number, with his name displayed around stadiums. The league will also use the day to raise awareness and money for ALS research.
Bryan Wayne Galentine, diagnosed with ALS in 2017, and others, advocated for the league to take up this tribute. He and his co-chairmen, Adam Wilson, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2015, and Chuck Haberstroh, whose mother was diagnosed in 2017, first came up with the idea in 2019.
Seven teams agreed to back the plan, but they hit a dead-end until Arizona Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall, Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy, and Minnesota Twins President Dave St. Peter agreed to reach out to the nearly two dozen team executives who hadn’t signed on.
“They deserve all the credit,” St. Peter said. “The story they tell resonated with all of us. When those guys reached out, it was a no-brainer.”
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Less than a day after the Red Sox, Diamondbacks, and Twins executives reached out, all 30 teams agreed. Two days later, though, Galentine died.
“This disease chose baseball,” St. Peter said. “When you think about it, I think we have a responsibility and an obligation to continue to pay it forward. I can’t imagine there’s a franchise in the game that hasn’t been touched by ALS. For us, it’s personal. Other teams share that view. Certainly, we all share the connection to Lou Gehrig and what he stood for and represented. Finding a way to celebrate his legacy and the class and dignity he found in his darkest hours is something that’s truly worthwhile.”
ALS is an incurable disease that targets the neurons controlling muscles and leads to degeneration and eventual death. It became known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the famed baseball player was diagnosed.
