Lou Gehrig Chewing Gum Wrapper - Goudey Gum Co. - Baseball Americana

Big League Chewing Gum wrapper depicting Lou Gehrig. Measures 5" x 6 1/2".

Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig; June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons with the New York Yankees (1923–1939) in Major League Baseball (MLB). Known for his exceptional hitting ability and remarkable durability, Gehrig earned the nickname "The Iron Horse." He was a seven-time consecutive All-Star, won the Triple Crown once, and was named American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice. Gehrig was also a key contributor to six World Series championship teams. Throughout his career, he maintained a .340 batting average, a .632 slugging percentage, and a .447 on-base percentage, hitting 493 home runs and collecting 1,995 RBIs. Gehrig still holds the highest combined ratio of runs scored and RBIs per 100 plate appearances (35.08) and per 100 games (156.7) among Hall of Fame players. In 1939, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and became the first MLB player to have his uniform number (4) retired.

A New York City native and a student at Columbia University, Gehrig signed with the Yankees on April 29, 1923. Throughout his career, he established numerous major-league records, including the highest number of career grand slams (23; a record later surpassed by Alex Rodriguez) and the most consecutive games played (2,130). This latter record remained unbroken for 56 years and was widely regarded as insurmountable until Cal Ripken Jr. exceeded it in 1995. Gehrig's streak of consecutive games concluded on May 2, 1939, when he made the surprising decision to remove himself from the lineup, leaving both teammates and fans in shock, as his on-field performance had been affected by an undiagnosed condition that was later identified as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable neuromuscular disease now commonly known in North America as "Lou Gehrig's disease."

The illness compelled him to retire at the age of 36, ultimately leading to his death two years later. The emotional weight of his departure from baseball was poignantly encapsulated in his famous "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech delivered at Yankee Stadium in 1939. In 1969, the Baseball Writers' Association of America recognized Gehrig as the greatest first baseman in history, and he was the top vote recipient on the MLB All-Century Team selected by fans in 1999. A monument honoring Gehrig, initially dedicated by the Yankees in 1941, is currently located in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is presented annually to the MLB player who exemplifies Gehrig's integrity and character.

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