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Why Are MLB Players Wearing Number 4 Patch on Their Jerseys? Find Out
Players across the MLB are wearing the number 4 patch on their jerseys for a noble cause. Here’s what you need to know about Lou Gehrig Day.
Major League Baseball celebrated Lou Gehring Day on Sunday. This day marks both the anniversary of Gehrig's streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games and his death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The ALS disease damages nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. People usually live about two to five years after diagnosis, although this time period can vary.
Teams across the league honored the day by raising awareness and funds for research on Lou Gehrig's disease, and the Arizona Diamondbacks will continue the celebrations on Monday.
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How did the teams celebrate Lou Gehrig Day?
The Diamondbacks wore "4 ALS" armbands along with patches to honor Gehrig during their game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on Sunday. Arizona's No. 4, Ketel Marte, hit two home runs, leading to a 5-4 victory.
The Diamondbacks will also donate $5 from each special event ticket sold to organizations focused on Lou Gehrig’s disease, including ALS Arizona, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Barrow Neurological Institute.
Gabe Tapia, a patient with ALS who is actively supporting the cause from ALS Arizona, will throw the ceremonial first pitch. Doug Clough, an ambassador from the Muscular Dystrophy Association, will read Gehrig’s famous “Luckiest Man” speech.
Sunday marked the fourth annual Lou Gehrig Day in MLB.
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Who was Lou Gehrig?
Lou Gehrig started as the first baseman for the New York Yankees on June 2, 1925, at age 21, taking over from veteran Wally Pipp. Pipp, unfortunately, did not have the honor to play first base for the Yankees again.
Gehrig, on the other hand, became one of the greatest players known in baseball history, monikered as the Iron Horse. What’s even more impressive is the fact that during his 2,130 consecutive-game streak, starting the day before he took over the first base job, Gehrig never missed a game.
Fate spares none. Sadly, the very disease that’d later be coined after his own name, took his life on June 2, 1941. This disease, ALS, which later became known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, progressively destroys the motor neurons that control voluntary muscle movement.
On the 80th anniversary of his death, MLB commemorated the first Lou Gehrig Day across baseball on June 2, 2021.
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History of the celebration of Lou Gehrig Day in MLB
In 2014, MLB and all 30 clubs supported the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, raising millions of dollars and leading to breakthroughs in the search for a cure. In 2017, MLB backed the ALS Association's "Home Health Initiative," providing in-home care to those affected by ALS, through the MLB Fights ALS campaign. This was a league-wide fundraising effort in early August of that year.
In 2019, MLB and all 30 clubs raised funds for five ALS organizations through the annual Winter Meetings Charity Auction. These organizations included the Healey Center for ALS (Massachusetts General Hospital), the ALS CURE Project, Project Main Street, the ALS Association, and the ALS Therapy Development Institute.
In 2021, MLB officially established Lou Gehrig Day. As 2nd June marked the 4th Lou Gehrig day, players, managers, coaches, and umpires wore decals featuring the number "4", Gehrig's number, in the style of the Yankees' uniform. Red "4-ALS" wristbands, commemorative base jewels, and lineup cards were also used during the games.
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