June 14, 1933. Fenway Park, Boston. Seventh inning. A disputed call at second base, and umpire Larry Summers tossed both Lou Gehrig and manager Joe McCarthy from the game. McCarthy got a three-game suspension. Gehrig got something rarer -- a genuine scare to the longest consecutive games streak in baseball.
The streak survived. Gehrig had already played seven innings, which counted as an appearance under the rules. He walked back into the lineup the next day, his run of consecutive games intact at roughly 1,249 and climbing. But for a brief moment at Fenway, the most durable player in the sport had brushed up against one of the few things that could've stopped him: getting thrown out before he'd appeared in a game.
The Iron Horse at Midseason
By June 1933, Gehrig's consecutive games streak was already extraordinary. It had started on June 1, 1925, when he'd pinch-hit for Pee Wee Wanninger, and it hadn't stopped since -- through injuries, illness, dead legs, and the grinding schedule of Depression-era baseball. Eight straight years without missing a game. The number didn't carry the national weight it would accumulate later (that came as it approached 2,000), but inside the Yankees clubhouse, everyone understood what Gehrig was doing.
He was hitting .334 with 29 home runs and 139 RBI during the 1933 season. Thirty years old and producing at a level that made everything else on the roster feel like supporting cast -- except for Ruth, who at 38 still commanded the headlines even as his numbers declined. Gehrig didn't seek attention for the streak. He just kept playing.
The Argument
The details of the disputed call have faded. What's known is that a play at second base in the seventh inning produced a ruling that neither Gehrig nor McCarthy could accept. McCarthy was the hotter of the two -- the skipper had a reputation for calculated intensity with umpires, picking his spots to argue and making sure the crew knew when he thought they'd blown one.
Gehrig joining the argument was unusual. He was one of the most even-tempered players in baseball -- quiet, respectful of officials, content to let his bat do his talking. That he argued hard enough to get ejected tells you something about the frustration building in the Yankees' dugout during a pennant race they were losing to Washington. The Senators were pulling away, and every game felt heavier than the last.
Summers threw them both. The game continued without the Yankees' best hitter and their manager. McCarthy drew a three-game suspension for the argument. Gehrig drew nothing beyond the ejection itself.
Why the Streak Survived
The rules were clear, even in 1933: a player needed to appear in a game, not finish it. Gehrig had batted, played first base, and competed for seven full innings before Summers sent him to the clubhouse. That counted. The consecutive games streak continued without interruption.
If the ejection had happened in the first inning -- before Gehrig had come to the plate -- the math would've been different. (And baseball history might read very differently too.) The streak survived on a technicality that wasn't really a technicality at all. Gehrig had played the game. Getting tossed in the seventh didn't undo the first six-plus innings of work.
The same interpretation would remain relevant for decades. When Cal Ripken Jr. chased Gehrig's record in the 1990s, the definition of "appearance" mattered just as much. Gehrig established the precedent at Fenway Park -- a player who showed up, played, and got ejected had still played the game.
McCarthy's Suspension
McCarthy missing three games during a pennant race wasn't trivial. The Yankees were chasing the Senators, who would finish at 99-53 and win the pennant by seven games. Every mid-June decision mattered, even if the gap felt insurmountable by September. A team with Bill Dickey, Lazzeri, Gomez, and nine future Hall of Famers shouldn't have needed its manager for three games -- but McCarthy's daily presence shaped how the club played, and his absence left a small void at exactly the wrong time.
(Three games didn't cost them the pennant. But seven games separated first and second at the end, and you can trace the margins back through a whole season of moments like this one.)
The Streak in Context
Gehrig's ejection at Fenway was one of several incidents that tested the streak over its 14-year run. He played through back spasms, broken fingers that he didn't report, and stretches where he appeared as a pinch-hitter or played a single inning just to keep the number alive. X-rays taken later reportedly revealed 17 different fractures that had healed while he kept playing -- a claim that may be apocryphal but captures the reality of what the streak demanded from his body.
The streak wouldn't end until May 2, 1939, when Gehrig removed himself from the lineup in Detroit at 2,130 consecutive games. The farewell speech came two months later. The disease that would bear his name was already taking hold. But on June 14, 1933, all of that was six years and a lifetime away. Gehrig was healthy, productive, and angry enough at an umpire to get himself thrown out of a ballgame.
He showed up the next day. He always showed up.
| Date | June 14, 1933 |
| Location | Fenway Park, Boston |
| Ejected By | Umpire Larry Summers (7th inning) |
| Also Ejected | Manager Joe McCarthy (3-game suspension) |
| Streak Status | Survived (~1,249 consecutive games) |
| Gehrig's 1933 Line | .334 BA, 29 HR, 139 RBI |
The Streak Begins
Gehrig pinch-hits for Pee Wee Wanninger, starting a consecutive games streak that will last 14 years.
Ejection at Fenway
Gehrig and McCarthy are ejected in the seventh inning by umpire Larry Summers. The streak survives because Gehrig had already appeared in the game.
McCarthy Suspended
McCarthy serves a three-game suspension. Gehrig returns to the lineup immediately, his streak unbroken.
The Streak Ends
Gehrig removes himself from the lineup in Detroit after 2,130 consecutive games. The Iron Horse had played every day for 14 years.
The Record Falls
Cal Ripken Jr. plays his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Gehrig's record that had stood for 56 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Lou Gehrig ever ejected from a game?
Yes. On June 14, 1933, Gehrig was ejected from a game at Fenway Park by umpire Larry Summers, along with manager Joe McCarthy, during a seventh-inning argument over a call at second base. Because Gehrig had already played seven innings, his consecutive games streak -- then at approximately 1,249 games -- continued uninterrupted.
How did Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak survive his ejection?
The rules required a player to appear in a game, not complete it. Gehrig had batted and played first base for seven innings before being ejected, which counted as a full appearance. If the ejection had occurred before he'd appeared in the game, the streak could have been in jeopardy.
What was Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak in 1933?
By mid-1933, Gehrig's consecutive games streak had reached approximately 1,249 games, having started on June 1, 1925. The streak continued until May 2, 1939, ultimately reaching 2,130 consecutive games -- a record that stood for 56 years until Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed it in 1995.