May 31, 1938. Yankee Stadium. Lou Gehrig stepped onto the field for his 2,000th consecutive game -- a number so far beyond anyone else in baseball history that the milestone barely registered as news. Gehrig had been in the lineup every day for more than 13 years. Of course he played. That's what he did. But underneath the streak, something was going wrong. His .295 average, 29 home runs, and 114 RBI made 1938 his worst season in 13 years -- and in hindsight, the first chapter of a tragedy nobody could see coming.
The Early Warning Signs
Gehrig entered 1938 coming off a .351/37/159 season in 1937 -- production that looked completely normal for a man who'd averaged .340 with 40-plus homers across the previous five years. Nothing in the offseason suggested what was about to happen. Then the games started, and the numbers started slipping.
Through June 22, Gehrig was hitting .267. For most first basemen in the American League, that would've been unremarkable. For Gehrig, it set off quiet alarms. The bat speed looked slower. Balls that used to clear fences were dying at the warning track. Teammates noticed. Reporters noticed. Nobody said anything publicly -- you didn't question the Iron Horse -- but the whispers had started.
The physical signs were subtle enough to explain away. He was 34, turning 35 in June. Aging ballplayers slow down. That's the simplest explanation, and it's the one everyone accepted in the moment.
The 2,000th Game
The consecutive-games milestone on May 31 should've been a celebration, and in some ways it was. Two thousand straight games. Gehrig had played through broken fingers, back spasms, headaches that would've kept other men in bed for a week. The streak was a monument to durability and stubbornness in roughly equal measure.
But the milestone also highlighted the contradiction at the heart of Gehrig's 1938 season. The streak said he was indestructible. The box scores said something different. He was still in the lineup every day, but the production that had made the streak meaningful was fading. Within a year, the streak would end at 2,130 games. Within two years, Gehrig would be gone.
June 23: The Turnaround
On June 23, Gehrig went 3-for-5 with a home run. It was the kind of game that made everyone exhale -- see, he's fine, just a rough patch, happens to every hitter eventually. From that point forward, Gehrig hit .310 for the rest of the season, salvaging his final line and contributing meaningfully to the Yankees' third consecutive championship.
The late surge was real. The decline was also real. Both things could be true at the same time, and in retrospect, they were. Gehrig could still hit -- the man drove in 114 runs and cracked 29 homers -- but the gap between these numbers and his career standard was the widest it had ever been.
| 1938 Batting Average | .295 (worst since 1925) |
| Home Runs | 29 (down from 37 in 1937) |
| RBI | 114 (down from 159 in 1937) |
| Average Through June 22 | .267 |
| Average After June 23 | .310 |
| Consecutive Games Milestone | 2,000th on May 31, 1938 |
| Final Streak Total | 2,130 games (ended April 30, 1939) |
The Numbers Tell Two Stories
The year-over-year decline is the detail that sticks. In 1937, Gehrig hit .351 with 37 homers and 159 RBI. In 1938, those numbers dropped to .295, 29, and 114. A 56-point drop in batting average. Eight fewer home runs. Forty-five fewer runs driven in. For a normal player, that's an aging curve. For Gehrig, who'd been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball history for over a decade, it was a red flag the size of a pennant.
Medical historians have since debated whether the 1938 decline reflected early ALS symptoms. The disease attacks motor neurons, gradually weakening muscles -- a process that could explain diminished bat speed and power before more obvious physical symptoms appeared. The question can't be answered with certainty, but the 1938 season sits at the hinge between Gehrig's extraordinary prime and the catastrophic collapse that followed.
One More October
Gehrig still played in the 1938 World Series as the Yankees swept the Cubs. He was there for the three-peat, part of the lineup, contributing what he could. It would be his last October. The following spring, the streak ended when Gehrig took himself out of the lineup on April 30, 1939. Two months later, he stood at home plate and called himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
The 2,000th consecutive game had been a celebration. Nobody knew it was also a countdown.
I could tell something was wrong. He just didn't have the same power. But he never complained. Not once.
Season Opens
Gehrig begins the season in the lineup as always, but early production trails his career norms. Teammates and reporters notice subtle physical changes.
2,000th Consecutive Game
Gehrig reaches the milestone at Yankee Stadium, extending a streak that began on June 1, 1925. The achievement is celebrated but taken somewhat for granted -- it's simply what Gehrig does.
The Low Point
Gehrig's batting average sits at .267 through 70+ games -- a figure that would have been unthinkable a year earlier.
The Turnaround
A 3-for-5 game with a home run sparks a second-half surge. Gehrig hits .310 the rest of the way, salvaging his season and contributing to the pennant race.
Final World Series
Gehrig plays in his last Fall Classic as the Yankees sweep the Cubs for their third straight title. It's his seventh World Series championship.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were Lou Gehrig's stats in 1938?
Gehrig hit .295 with 29 home runs and 114 RBI in 1938 -- his worst season in 13 years. He struggled early, batting just .267 through June 22, before a mid-season surge brought his average up to .295. He also played his 2,000th consecutive game on May 31, 1938.
When did Lou Gehrig play his 2,000th consecutive game?
Gehrig played his 2,000th consecutive game on May 31, 1938, at Yankee Stadium. The streak had begun on June 1, 1925, and would continue until April 30, 1939, when Gehrig removed himself from the lineup after 2,130 consecutive games.
Did Lou Gehrig show signs of ALS in 1938?
Medical historians have debated whether Gehrig's 1938 decline reflected early ALS symptoms. His batting average dropped 56 points from 1937, and teammates noticed diminished bat speed and power. The question can't be answered with certainty, but the 1938 season is considered a critical data point in understanding the timeline of Gehrig's illness. He was diagnosed with ALS in June 1939.