Lou Gehrig: The Definition of a Leader By Hank Indictor
These days when you hear the name Lou Gehrig more often than not it’s in association with the horrible and debilitating disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Part of this is because he was the first known big name to have suffered from this disease but of course given the scientific name people immediately tend to just simply connect him with the name so in that case it makes some sense. But due to the passage of time, it’s easy to forget just how great of a ballplayer Lou Gehrig truly was and when it comes to baseball's GOAT debate he is very much in that conversation!
His offensive numbers are so staggering that it’s easy to overlook the fact that he was very fast for a player of his size, which was a big reason why he was an incredible fielder too. There’s no question in my mind that he was the greatest First Baseman in Major League Baseball history! And yet we can also make the case that he’s the most underrated player in baseball history and the reason for that has more to do with the fact that he was teammates with Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio than his quiet personality.
But with that said he was well respected by so many of his teammates and his managers held him in the highest regard. He was also a strong leader as evidenced by the fact that he was the first captain in Yankees history! In fact, after his death, the title of captain was considered to be so sacred that the Yankees wouldn’t name another one until Steinbrenner gave it to Thurman Munson 35 years after Gehrig’s death. In short, there is so much about this man that makes him a true legend!
Just how great of a player was Lou Gehrig? Let’s take a look at his 1927 season alone. Yes, Babe Ruth would hit a then-record 60 home runs that season and some might say he was robbed of the MVP due to a rule in place that prevented players from winning said award multiple times. But what if I were to make a case that despite the rule Lou Gehrig won that award fair and square? Sure he may have been out homered 60 to 47 but as a matter of fact, Gehrig has Ruth beaten in several other offensive categories from that season such as batting bverage (.373 compared to .356), RBIs (173 to 165 which is amazing considering Ruth had more opportunities to drive in runs than did Gehrig!) and hits (218 to 192 not to mention Gehrig had about twice as many doubles and triples as Ruth!).
But beyond just the numbers, I’m going to take this argument one step further and say that without Lou Gehrig’s mere presence in the lineup, the Babe doesn’t hit as many home runs and that’s because Gehrig was always after Ruth in the batting order. As a result, because opposing pitchers couldn’t walk Ruth (he only received 3 intentional walks that year compared to Gehrig’s 9) he was able to see a lot of great pitches because they knew they’d have to pick their poison and worry about the Iron Horse next. Yeah, they didn’t call this team Murderer’s Row for nothing! But beyond just that single season Gehrig’s career numbers were mind-boggling.
His lifetime batting average was .340 with 493 Home Runs and 1,995 RBIs. I cannot stress this enough, not much gets made out of his knack for driving in runs (he won 5 RBI titles) and an average season for him consisted of 147 RBIs. To put this in perspective only 16 players have exceeded this total since Gehrig’s retirement and a fraction of the players who have reached that total are players whose accomplishments can be questioned due to PEDs.
Other impressive offensive numbers are 23 grand slams (only A-Rod has more!), and while Babe Ruth may have the most total bases in a single season Gehrig has the most seasons that have exceeded 400 in that category with 5 (the only other players to have at least two are Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx and Chuck Klein. And the last player to reach this single season total was Barry Bonds) and not to mention he also had a Triple Crown Season in 1934. It's crazy to think that this man only won 2 MVPs despite playing for several amazing Yankees teams (winning 6 World Series in the process). Had the All-Star Game been introduced before 1933, he would likely have twice as many recognitions than what he retired with (7) and I haven’t even talked about his defense and the famous streak yet!
Gehrig retired with a .990 fielding percentage which is right on par with other exceptional first basemen such as Don Mattingly and Keith Hernandez (.996 and .997 respectively, obviously this is a blog for another day but seriously how do these guys not have plaques in Cooperstown?). A big reason for this is because he was very quick for a guy who was around 200 pounds which helped him to field ground balls with ease! Had the Gold Glove been introduced during his career then based on how consistently high his fielding numbers were perhaps he would have exceeded the total of both Hernandez and Mattingly (who won 11 and 9 respectively).
And then of course there’s the games played streak. We’ll never truly know the main reason why Wally Pipp was pulled. Some sources say it was because of an injury but regardless it was clear that Miller Huggins saw the potential in Gehrig to make him the permanent first baseman. During the streak, he played through several injuries and illnesses but through it all, he proved to be extremely reliable and it showed in his production. It’s because of the streak that many of his teammates saw him as a true leader as he led by example with his actions and the way he carried himself on and off the field and he gave it his all.
Sadly though, it was ALS that ended his record streak (surpassed only by Cal Ripken Jr.) and although his announcement and his decision to take himself out of the lineup came as a shock to the entire baseball world, he still displayed bravery and dignity while fighting for his life. And it showed on July 4, 1939, when he made his famous “Luckiest Man” speech. And while in his own words “he was given a bad break.” Who are we to argue that he had an awful lot to love for? This is a man whom we should all think about and remember every day!