Appreciating The Iron Horse

by Travis G on Sep 11, 2009 3:31 PM EDT in New York Yankees Analysis

Lou Gehrig's Yankee hit record is about to be broken. So we don't forget how great he was, here are some stats to boggle the mind and illuminate the intellect:

Gehrig has the fourth highest OPS+ ever (179). He trails only Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Barry Bonds.
He has the third highest slugging percentage ever (.632).
The fifth highest on-base percentage ever (.447).
The seventh highest single season slugging percentage (.765 in 1927), trailing only Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds.
He set the (still standing) American League single season record for RBI with 184 in 1931.
He's fifth all-time in career RBI (1995).
He led the league in games played seven times, RBI five times, OBP five times, total bases four times, runs four times, OPS+ three times, SLG twice and BA once.
Won two MVPs and finished in the top five nine times.
Hit .361/.477/.731 in 34 postseason games.

He was probably the greatest first-baseman that ever lived. And just imagine if he hadn't been struck down by ALS... instead of being a top 10 all-time hitter, he'd be in the top four. He could have amassed 600 homers (he finished with 493), maybe 2500 RBI, and certainly would have topped 3000 hits.

Not only was he a great player, but, for most of his career, an incredibly healthy one. After all, he set the consecutive games played record (2130), which stood for 56 years. Only cruel fate would strike down a man known as 'The Iron Horse' with a debilitating disease.

His #4 was the first retired by the Yankees and any baseball team. No one wore #4 before Gehrig, and no one has worn it since.

I haven't even touched on his famous July 4th speech lest we forget everything he did before that.

We should be glad to have a player of Derek Jeter's caliber on the brink of breaking Gehrig's record. He is worthy of it.

Poll

What first comes to mind when you think of Lou Gehrig?

Consecutive games streak

122 votes

Incredible hitting/RBI record/Great first-baseman

174 votes

'Luckiest man' speech

275 votes

Suffered from ALS

43 votes

Other

6 votes

620 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Excellent timing for this post

And he CANNOT BE OVERLOOKED OR FORGOTTEN. (Voted Consecutive Games Streak)

-I'm the straw that stirs the drink.........Then I drink the drink too.------Your Welcome

by ReggieARodJeter on Sep 11, 2009 3:36 PM EDT reply actions

thanks for this

Helps keep this record breaking night in perpective. That man was pure class too.

by dorsal on Sep 11, 2009 3:40 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Amazing player and all time great!

Thanks for writing this little piece. Lou Gehrig has always been an idol of mine, and favorite Yankee. A classy, humble, hard working player who could play with the best of them. To me he always seems to be under appreciated compared to other Yankee greats such as Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, ect… when if you look at the stats, Gehrig probably tops many of them if he doesn’t contract that terrible disease that takes his life 2+ years later. I’m happy a player like Jeter will be the one to break his record however, he’s a classy champion just as Gehrig was.

by TheIronHorse4 on Sep 11, 2009 4:12 PM EDT reply actions

great man great player

to think about it what must have been going through his mind standing there with 65,000 people there and giving that speach, knowing that your dying. god only knows what he would have done if his life was not cut short from LAS. GOOD LUCK TO JETER

by the big stogazz on Sep 11, 2009 5:49 PM EDT reply actions

Lou Gehrig Disease

I live in the heart of Red Socks Territory but i still love the Yankees. you can’t find players like Gahrig, Mantle, and DiMggio (i’d say Ruth but he was on the Socks so….).
My dad used to say, “Isn’t it funny how Lou Gehrig had Lou Gehrig’s Disease???”
HaHa =) There WILL never be a ball player equal to Gehrig

by Meeshelle811 on Sep 11, 2009 5:53 PM EDT reply actions

No Ha Has

“My dad used to say, "Isn’t it funny how Lou Gehrig had Lou Gehrig’s Disease???"
HaHa =) "

I’m sorry, call me crazy, but how is that a HaHa?

-I'm the straw that stirs the drink.........Then I drink the drink too.------Your Welcome

by ReggieARodJeter on Sep 11, 2009 6:25 PM EDT reply actions

it was a hurmorous quote

not the fact that he HAD ALS but that his dad did not (or maybe he did and was just being tongue-in-cheek) recognize that they named the disease after him

by Brian5517209 on Sep 12, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions