Lou Gehrig, the "Iron Horse", is the best MLB athlete to ever wear the jersey number 4. Given the chance to play every day, he proved to be the model of durability and one of the best hitters that the game has ever seen, at any level.
Gehrig began playing for the Yankees in 1923, at the age of 20, but didn't get to play full time until 1925. That year, Gehrig would bat .295 in 437 plate appearances. He also put 20 balls over the outfield fence.
His breakout year as a superstar hitter came in 1927. He smacked 47 homers and batted .373 in 1927. What did he do for an encore in 1928? He batted .374. Through 1937 his batting average would not dip below .300.
Over his 17 season career, Gehrig hit 493 homers, 1,195 RBI, with a .340 career batting average. He was an AL MVP twice and finished second in the voting twice. He was in the top five vote getters for AL MVP eight times during his career.
He was a seven time All-Star and a six time World Series Champion. His number 4 jersey is retired by the New York Yankees.
Of course, Gehrig held the record for consecutive games played with 2,130 until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995.
Get your own Gehrig #4 baseball jersey here!
Get your own Gehrig #4 baseball jersey here!
Did you know.......Lou Gehrig was a unanimous selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939?
Paul Molitor... not Lou Gehrig, because nobody can be. But one of the all-time greats -- getting hit number 3000 on a triple.
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