All MLB teams playing on Lou Gehrig Day June 2
3rd annual event raises awareness, money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Today marks the third annual Major League Baseball (MLB) Lou Gehrig Day, set aside to honor the legacy of the famed New York Yankees first baseman whose career was shortened by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
For the first time since the event began, all 30 MLB teams have games scheduled for today (June 2), which also is meant to heighten awareness of the neurodegenerative disorder and collect funds to help fight it.
Supporters may check the MLB schedule for opportunities to attend a game and participate in activities that celebrate Gehrig.
Known as the “Iron Horse,” Gehrig died in 1941, two years after his retirement speech at Yankee Stadium, where he said that, ALS notwithstanding, he considered himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.” After his death, ALS became known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”
Last year, Lou Gehrig Day was marked by MLB teams and supporters on various days throughout June. Patients and their families, in addition to volunteers, advocates, and others, participated from the stands and in local fundraisers to support ALS research. There are similar ways to participate this year.
“The MLB Schedule is out, so that means the 3rd annual #LouGehrigDay schedule is out! For the first time, all 30 teams will play on Lou Gehrig Day which is Friday, June 2, 2023! Where will you attend?!?” the Lou Gehrig Day committee said in a tweet.
The organization I Am ALS will have a league-wide presence and is asking each participant to complete a form for the team in which they’re interested, stating how they’d like to join in. Patients, ALS family members, caregivers, and others also are asked to share stories about how baseball helped inspire them to support the fight against the disease.
In addition, the organization Live Like Lou, which seeks to create and connect communities to support ALS research and families, is encouraging supporters to join Lou Gehrig Day activities on these days: June 2 at San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates games; June 6 with the Atlanta Braves; June 13 with the St. Louis Cardinals; June 16 with the Arizona Diamondbacks; Aug. 8 with the Chicago White Sox; and Aug. 28 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Participating Live Like Lou partners include members of Gehrig’s fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, the Permobil Foundation, the Team Hilliard Foundation, and ALS community members.
On June 9, the ALS Association is presenting a “Chasin’ a Cure” tailgate to mark Lou Gehrig Day in the Uecker parking lot at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, prior to the Milwaukee vs. Oakland MLB game. Registration is required.
Canada included
Lou Gehrig Day is a global event. The ALS Society of Canada is asking supporters to share on social media their baseball connection and what the day means to them. They also can print Strike Out ALS “eyeblacks” and post photos of themselves wearing them, support a local Walk to End ALS, or create their own fundraising event.
“You’ve heard Lou Gehrig’s iconic “Luckiest Many Alive” speech countless times,” Lou Gehrig Day organizers said on the event webpage. “Close your eyes and you can see him wiping away tears as he bid farewell to baseball. You can feel the 62,000 fans in Yankee Stadium collectively chanting “We Want Lou” as the Iron Horse stood in front of the crowd one last time — not long before a little-known disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) would take his life.”
“But what you may not know about that speech is that it was made on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium. It’s time to bring that back, in every stadium. For every person fighting like hell for a cure just like Lou did,” they added.
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