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Date of Birth
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19-June-1903
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Place of Birth
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Yorkville
(Manhattan, New York City, New York metropolitan area)
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Nationality
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United States of America
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Also know as
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The Iron Horse, Henry Louis Gehrig, Lou, Buster, Ludwig Heinrich Gehrig, Larrupin' Lou, Biscuit Pants, Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig, Henry Louis "Buster" Gehrig
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Profession
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Baseball player, Actor
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Quotes
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- Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
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Henry Louis "Lou" or "Buster" Gehrig was an American baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, a trait which earned him his nickname "The Iron Horse". He finished with a career batting average of .340, an on-base percentage of .447, and a slugging percentage of .632, and he tallied 493 home runs and 1,995 runs batted in. A seven-time All-Star and six-time World Series champion, Gehrig won the Triple Crown in 1934 and was twice named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Gehrig was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired, and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
A native of New York City and attendee of Columbia University, Gehrig signed with the Yankees in 1923. He set several major league records during his career, including the most career grand slams and most consecutive games played, a record that stood for 56 years and was long considered unbreakable until surpassed by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1995. Gehrig's streak ended in 1939 after he was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disorder now commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease in North America, which forced him to retire at age 36 and claimed his life two years later. The pathos of his farewell from baseball was capped off by his iconic "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech at the original Yankee Stadium.
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