Major League Baseball will begin holding an annual Lou Gehrig this season 82 years after the New York Yankees star and hall of famer announced his retirement from America’s favorite pass time. The first baseman, whose retirement came after his Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis will be honored on June 2.
June 2 will forever be known as Lou Gehrig Day.
Each year, we will celebrate his legacy and honor those we've lost to ALS. Together, we will help in the fight against this disease. #4ALS pic.twitter.com/jFP0Z7ym6L
— MLB (@MLB) March 4, 2021
June 2 is an important day in Gehrig history, marking the day he lost his battle to ALS and the day he started his record-breaking 2,130 consecutive game streak. The day will not only honor Gehrig, but it will also serve as a reminder of the disease that took Gehring from the game too early. The league will use this opportunity to spread awareness and raise money for ALS research.
During the announcement MLB commissioner Rob Manfred  showed his excitement for the new annual celebration:
“Major League Baseball is thrilled to celebrate the legacy of Lou Gehrig, whose humility and courage continue to inspire our society. While ALS has been closely identified with our game since Lou’s legendary career, the pressing need to find cures remains. We look forward to honoring all the individuals and families, in baseball and beyond, who have been affected by ALS and hope Lou Gehrig Day advances efforts to end this disease.”
The annual tribute will include Jersey patches for all uniformed personnel, as well as, a “4-ALS” logo displayed around ballparks.
MLB took the big step of giving the “Iron Horse” his own day alongside greats like Jackie Robinson but it doesn’t come without the hard work and dedication of groups like the LG4Day committee who over the last year slowly but surely gathered support from individual teams and players to bring an annual ALS awareness day to ballparks across the Country.
