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Lou Gehrig Facts & Worksheets

Henry Louis Gehrig, better known as Lou Gehrig, was a professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1939.

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Henry Louis Gehrig, better known as Lou Gehrig, was a professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1939.

See the fact file below for more information on the Lou Gehrig or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Lou Gehrig worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

CHILDHOOD AND EARLY CAREER

  • Henry Louis Gehrig was born in Yorkville, Manhattan, New York City, on June 19 1903, to German immigrant parents, Heinrich and Christina Gehrig. He was the only one of four children to survive past infancy.
  • Living modestly, his mother persevered to have Lou attain proper education. She cleaned houses and cooked meals for wealthy New Yorkers while his father was an occasional handyman.
  • After graduating from high school, Gehrig enrolled at Columbia University and studied engineering while playing fullback for the football team.
  • Lou also made the Columbia University’s baseball team as a pitcher and earned the nickname Columbia Lou for his solid pitching outs. In one game, Gehrig struck out 17 batters.
  • His talent caught the attention of the New York Yankees, and in April 1923, they signed Gehrig to his first professional contract.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

  • Gehrig made his major-league debut as a pinch hitter on June 15, 1923. He played 23 games that season and was left off the Yankees’ 1923 World Series.
  • He produced batting averages of .423 in 1923 and .500 in 1924 for the Yankees, but Gehrig was not given much playing time until the team’s first baseman, Wally Pipp, went on a slump.
  • Gehrig eventually earned the position in 1925.
  • That same year, he batted a .295 average, with 20 home runs and 68 runs batted in (RBIs) in over 126 games.
  • In 1926, he batted .313 with 47 doubles, 20 triples, 16 home runs, and 112 RBIs.
  • Although losing, Gehrig hit .348 with two doubles and four RBIs in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals,
  • Another sensational season broke out for Gehrig in 1927 hitting .373, with 218 hits: 101 singles, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, a then-record 175 RBIs helped the 1927 Yankees to a 110–44 record, the AL pennant (by 19 games), and a four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.
  • In 1932, Gehrig accomplished the feat of being the first player in the 20th century to hit four home runs in a game against the Philadelphia Athletics.
  • In 1934 he earned the “Triple Crown” of baseball, leading his league in batting average .363, 49 home runs, and 165 runs batted in.
  • In 1936, the New York Yankees once again reached the World Series pennant against the New York Giants, winning in six games to earn their first championship.
  • Although performing as spectacularly as he did in the previous year, physical changes began to manifest in 1938. During the World Series, he produced just four hits in 14 at-bats, all singles.
  • The decline occurred in 1939. His 2,130 consecutive game appearances were cut after a 14-year streak.
  • After the shocking news, Gehrig stayed with the Yankees as team captain for the rest of the season but never played on the field again.
  • That same season, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

RETIREMENT AND DEATH

  • As explained by the doctors, Gehrig’s ALS resulted in rapidly increasing paralysis, difficulty in swallowing and speaking, and a life expectancy of fewer than three years.
  • On June 21, 1939, Gehrig retired from baseball. He returned to Yankee Stadium on July 4 of that year so that the team could hold a day in his honor – the “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day.”
  • Lou Gehrig’s number 4 was retired that day by the New York Yankees – meaning, no other Yankee would wear a number 4 jersey.
  • He appeared at the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium as the American League team captain and reserve for the final time.
  • In October, he accepted the job as New York City Parole Commissioner – someone who determines the time of release for prisoners in the city’s penal institutions.
  • On June 2, 1941, Lou Gehrig passed away in his sleep at his home in New York City. His teammate, Babe Ruth, was among the first to attend his funeral.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND LEGACY

  • Lou Gehrig was initially offered by the Yankees to the Boston Red Sox in 1925, but the latter turned it down. This move turned out well as the Yankees enjoyed several years of outstanding performances after that.
  • During his career, Gehrig is one of only four players (with Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, and Ted Williams) to end his career with a minimum .330 batting average, 450 home runs, and 1,800 RBI.
  • Lou also set a record playing in 2,130 consecutive professional baseball games throughout his career. Only Cal Ripken, Jr. broke his record in 1995.
  • Gehrig’s regular baseball season number has left with a career batting average of .340, with 493 home runs and 1,990 runs batted in.
  • In his seven World Series appearances, he batted .361, hit 10 home runs, and drove in 35 runs in 34 games.
  • He also won several World Series Championships with the New York Yankees in 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, and 1938.
  • A World War II Liberty ship was named after Lou Gehrig in 1943. The Marine troop transport ship carried 480 men and 120 vehicles and it was part of Operation Neptune.
  • In March 2021, Major League Baseball declared June 2 to be Lou Gehrig Day, in memoriam when Gehrig became the Yankees’ starting first baseman in 1925 and his death in 1941.

Lou Gehrig Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Lou Gehrig across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Lou Gehrig worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Henry Louis Gehrig, better known as Lou Gehrig, who was a professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1939.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Lou Gehrig Facts
  • Baseball Terms
  • New York Yankees
  • Player Profile
  • A Pro-Player
  • The Luckiest Man
  • Dynamic Duo
  • Lou Gehrig’s Disease
  • Lou Gehrig Day
  • A Player’s Poem
  • Retired Number
  • Promoting an Athlete

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Link will appear as Lou Gehrig Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 21, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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