Lou Gehrig (1939)


Date of Birth: 6/19/1903
Date of Death: 6/2/1941
Birthplace: New York, New York
College: Columbia University

Lou Gehrig, one of baseball's greatest hitters, played for seventeen years for the New York Yankees. One can only imagine the statistics Gehrig might have posted if he had not had a fatal illness at the age of only 35. When his career was tragically ended, he had a .340 batting average with 493 career home runs. In 1939, two years before his death, Gehrig had a streak of 2,130 consecutive games played that was not broken until 1995 when Cal Ripken, Jr. surpassed that number.

Gehrig played baseball in high school and right after graduating, he played minor league baseball in the Eastern League in the summer of 1921. He received a football scholarship to Columbia University and he played football in his freshman year but switched to baseball in 1923. He was both a pitcher and a first baseman for Columbia. He signed with the Yankees in April, 1923.

New York Yankees

Gehrig spent much of his first two years with the Yankees on the bench, playing primarily as a pinch hitter. In 1925, his first full season in the major leagues, Gehrig batted .295 with 129 hits, 23 doubles, 10 triples, and 20 home runs in 126 games. The following year he led the American League in triples with a career high of 20. He finished the 1926 season with 179 hits, 47 doubles, 16 home runs, 112 RBIs, 73 strikeouts to 105 walks, and a .313 batting average.

In 1927, Gehrig won the American League MVP award and he led the league in doubles and RBIs. That season he batted .373 with 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, and 175 RBIs in 155 games. A year later, he again led the league in doubles with 47, RBIs with 142, and on-base percentage with .467. He finished the 1928 season with 210 hits, 13 triples, 27 home runs, 69 strikeouts to 95 walks, a .374 batting average, and an OPS of 1.115.

Gehrig had, for him, an average season in 1929. In 154 games, he had 166 hits, 32 doubles, 35 home runs, 126 RBIs, 68 strikeouts to 122 walks, and a batting average of .300.

Gehrig led the American League in RBIs in 1930. He finished the season with a career high 220 hits, 42 doubles, 17 triples, 41 home runs, 174 RBIs, 63 strikeouts to 101 walks, and a .379 batting average.

In 1931, Gehrig was named the Sporting News MVP. He led the American League in hits with 211, home runs with 46, and RBIs with a career high of 184. He also had 31 doubles, 15 triples, a career high 17 stolen bases, 56 strikeouts to 117 walks, and a .341 batting average in 154 games.

Although Gehrig didn't lead the American League in any major statistics in 1932 and 1933, he still had excellent seasons. In 1932, he had 208 hits, 42 doubles, 34 home runs, 151 RBIs, 38 strikeouts to 108 walks, and a .349 batting average in 156 games. The next season, he had 198 hits, 41 doubles, 12 triples, 32 home runs, 139 RBIs, 42 strikeouts to 92 walks, and a .334 batting average in 152 games.

Gehrig won the American League Triple Crown in 1934, leading the league in home runs, RBIs, batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. He was named the Sporting News MVP for the second time. That season he batted .363 with 210 hits, 40 doubles, a career high 49 home runs, 165 RBIs, 31 strikeouts to 109 walks, an on-base percentage of .465, and an OPS of 1.171 in 154 games.

Gehrig led the American League in walks and on-base percentage in 1935. He finished the season with 176 hits, 26 doubles, 30 home runs, 119 RBIs, 38 strikeouts to a career high 132 walks, a .329 batting average, an on-base percentage of .466, and an OPS of 1.049 in 149 games.

In 1936, Gehrig was the AL MVP and the Sporting News MVP, and he led the league in home runs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He batted .354 with 205 hits, 37 doubles, 49 home runs, 152 RBIs, 46 strikeouts to 130 walks, a batting average of .354, an on-base percentage of .478, and an OPS of 1.174 in 155 games.

Gehrig had another strong season in 1937, when he played in a career high 157 games. He led the American League in walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had 200 hits, 37 doubles, 37 home runs, 159 RBIs, 49 strikeouts to 127 walks, a .351 batting average, an on-base percentage of .473, and an OPS of 1.116.

In 1938, Gehrig again played in 157 games, but his productivity diminished. He finished the season with 170 games, 32 doubles, 29 home runs, 114 RBIs, 75 strikeouts to 107 walks, and a .295 batting average. He played in only eight games in 1939.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL MVP in 1927 and 1936
  • AL Triple Crown in 1939
  • Sporting News MVP in 1931, 1934, and 1936
  • Led AL in batting average in 1934
  • Led AL in hits in 1931
  • Led AL in doubles (2 times)
  • Led AL in triples in 1926
  • Led AL in home runs (3 times)
  • Led AL in RBIs (5 times)
  • Led AL in walks (3 times)
  • Led AL in on-base percentage (5 times)
  • Led AL in OPS (3 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Gehrig in 14 full seasons (1925-1938) in the major leagues include:

  • 13 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 220 in 1930
  • 12 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 52 in 1927
  • 10 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 20 in 1926
  • 13 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 49 in 1934 and 1936
  • 13 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 184 in 1931

Career batting statistics for Gehrig include:

  • 2,164 games played
  • 2,721 hits
  • 534 doubles
  • 163 triples
  • 493 home runs
  • 102 stolen bases
  • 1,995 RBIs
  • 790 strikeouts to 1,508 walks
  • .340 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Gehrig at first base include:

  • 2,137 games played
  • 193 errors
  • 1,087 assists
  • 1,575 double plays
  • 19,510 putouts
  • .991 fielding percentage

Career postseason statistics for Gehrig include:

  • 7 postseasons
  • 34 games played
  • 119 at-bats
  • 43 hits
  • 8 doubles
  • 3 triples
  • 10 home runs
  • 35 RBIs
  • 17 strikeouts to 26 walks
  • .361 batting average
  • .447 on-base percentage
  • 1.079 OPS

Post Playing Years

Gehrig became ill in 1939 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, now often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease) and he died two years later from the disease.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Lou Gehrig
ESPN - Lou Gehrig
Baseball Reference - Lou Gehrig

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