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Before Cal Ripkin Jr. was dubbed "The Ironman" by playing 2,632 consecutive games in the early 1900s there was Lou Gehrig "The Iron Horse" as he played 2,130 games straight.

On this day in 1939, Gehrig would play his 2,130th consecutive game but it was bittersweet because later on he would be diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and that game would be his last.

According to the Society For American Baseball Research, after his 2,130th game, he went to New York Yankees manager at the time Joe McCarthy while they were staying at the Book-Cadillac Hotel in Detriot. During that conversation, Gehrig asked to be benched later telling reporters this regarding the meeting with McCarthy, “I haven’t been a bit of good to the team since the season started.”

After expansive testing at the Mayo Clinic, it was determined that Gehrig was suffering from ALS and his career was over.

Here's a closer look at how it all went down via the Smithsonian Channel on YouTube:

In addition, here's a look back at his famed "Luckiest Man" speech during a Homeplate ceremony between games of a doubleheader July 4th,1939 against the Washington Senators at Yankee Stadium. This also comes your way via the Smithsonian Channel on YouTube as well:

Gehrig finished his 17-year career (all with the Yankees) as a career .340 hitter with 493 home runs, 1,888 runs, 1,995 RBI's, and a .447 OBP.

 

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