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MLB: Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics
New York (77WABC) – The MLB has announced that June 2 will be Lou Gehrig Day. According to the MLB, June 2, 1925 was the day Gehrig became the New York Yankee’s starting first basemen. 16 years later, on June 2, 1941, he passed away from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 37.
To honor Gehrig, the MLB has said that each ballpark that has a home game will display “4-ALS” logos. 4 was Gehrig’s jersey number. All players, managers, and coaches will wear a Lou Gehrig Day patch on their uniforms, and will have the option to wear red wristbands. Any teams that don’t play today will honor the day tomorrow.
Steve Gleason, a former New Orleans Saints safety will recite part of Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech. Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011.
Money raised today will go to various different ALS based charities and organizations.
In 2014, a college baseball star who had been diagnosed with ALS started what is now known as the Ice Bucket Challenge, where participants dumped a freezing bucket of water over their heads and posted it on social media in the hopes of raising money for ALS. The challenge raised $100 million.
A member of the Lou Gehrig Day Committee, Phil Green, hopes that “we’ll have a bigger impact than the highly successful Ice Bucket Challenge.”
On MLB's inaugural #LouGehrigDay, we celebrate the life and legacy of “The Iron Horse” and pledge to continue supporting the ongoing fight against ALS. pic.twitter.com/XTHyqBNu0r
— MLB (@MLB) June 2, 2021
