On July 4, 1939, the New York Yankees retired the uniform #4 of future Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig in emotional ceremonies at Yankee Stadium. It will be the first ever to be retired. After emcee Sid Mercer informs the sell-out crowd the man of the hour is too moved to speak. For over 40 minutes, current and former Yankee greats, including Hall of Famer Babe Ruth, parade onto the field to honor the “Iron Horse.” Other former Yankee greats, such as pitcher Waite Hoyt, second baseman Tony Lazzeri, and outfielder Bob Meusel, also attend. Yankee manager Joe McCarthy presents Gehrig with a special silver trophy.
Gehrig changes his mind when Skipper Joe McCarthy encourages him, and he delivers one of the most memorable speeches in baseball history describing himself as “the luckiest man on the face of the earth”.”Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.” – LOU GEHRIG. Gehrig, who is stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, will die from the muscular disease in 1941.
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