MLB commemorates fourth annual Lou Gehrig Day?

By MLB.com | May 30, 2024

Major League Baseball, in coordination with all 30 MLB Clubs and various partners, on Thursday announced Baseball’s efforts to honor the fourth annual Lou Gehrig Day and raise awareness for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. On this special day, held annually on June 2, “4” decals designed in Yankee uniform color & font will be worn on player, manager and coach uniforms.

MLB’s efforts will raise awareness and funds for ALS research and celebrate the work of the groups and individuals who have led in the pursuit for cures, while also remembering the legacy of Gehrig and all who have been lost to the disease which bears his name.

On Lou Gehrig Day – Sunday, June 2 – MLB will raise awareness for ALS in the following ways:

ON-FIELD:

All players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear a special “4” decal on their uniforms (upper left chest) designed in Yankee uniform color & font to honor Lou Gehrig and acknowledge 2024 being the fourth Lou Gehrig Day.
Red “4-ALS” wristbands will be available to be worn in-game, in addition to commemorative base jewels and lineup cards.

IN-STADIUM & BROADCAST:

An illuminated “4” will be on display at all broadcast booths commemorating those in the fight against ALS and to serve as a unifying beacon of hope.
Additionally, a pregame ceremony featuring a commemorative video and graphics, in addition to localized club-specific activations will be taking place in ballparks nationwide.

MLB NETWORK & MEDIA BROADCAST PARTNERS

MLB NETWORK – MLB Network will honor Gehrig’s legacy and raise awareness for ALS through its studio programming and a special Lou Gehrig Day tribute video, which is narrated by Sarah Langs. This emotional and powerful video, which features those we have lost this past year due to ALS, including Lou Gehrig Day committee co-chair Adam Wilson, Patty Haberstroh, the mother of Lou Gehrig Day Committee co-chair Chuck Haberstroh, long-time MLB youth programs partner Matt Engleka, Matt Kurkjian (brother of ESPN baseball analyst & writer Tim Kurkjian), and former baseball writer and Calgary Flames Assistant GM Chris Snow. This video will be shown in MLB ballparks beginning on Friday, May 31st and lasting through Lou Gehrig Day, and Langs will join MLB Network’s MLB Now tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET. to discuss. All MLB Network broadcasters will also wear 4-ALS shirts on-air leading up to Lou Gehrig Day. In addition to the tribute video, Hall of Famer and Major League Baseball’s Iron Man Cal Ripken Jr. will discuss Gehrig’s monumental place in baseball history and his link to the Iron Horse across three separate MLB Network vignettes. In one of the pieces, Ripken says, “My dad loved baseball, so he would talk about the main figures in baseball history. Lou Gehrig came up. If your dad said something about a baseball player, you stood up and listened. Lou Gehrig was one of those players, he would acknowledge that he’s one of the greatest players to play the game, you should learn about him.”

DIGITAL MEDIA

MLB.com – MLB.com and all 30 club sites will have extensive editorial content and coverage of Lou Gehrig Day, with a special feature on Lou Gehrig Day activities across the league and Gehrig’s legacy in baseball and with ALS.

SOCIAL MEDIA – MLB Social Media platforms will honor Gehrig and the ALS community in a variety of ways including highlighting legends and celebrity engagement throughout the day.

MLB CLUB & PARTNER ACTIVATIONS

MLB CLUBS – A rundown of MLB Club Lou Gehrig Day activations can be seen at this link (with more to be announced leading up to June 2^nd).

MLB AUCTIONS – Beginning on June 2^nd, MLB will run a special charitable auction at http://www.mlb.com/lgdayauction to benefit The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS. The auction will feature commemorative one-of-a-kind MLB authenticated autographed Lou Gehrig Day TOPPS NOW cards (one for each MLB Club) with each player selected by Sarah Langs, MLB Researcher and Reporter battling ALS, who will spend that day being honored by the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Each player was selected by Sarah who has a connection to Lou through their passion for the game, unique statistical connection, or support for the ALS community. Also, as part of this auction, fans can bid on a Priceless? New York Yankees? experience provided by Mastercard.

ALS FACTS:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord and is most prevalent adult-onset progressive motor neuron disease, affecting approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. and an estimated 500,000 people worldwide.
Currently, there are no cures for ALS or effective treatments to stop the progression of the disease There are some treatments that slow disease progression. People get the same terminal prognosis today that Lou Gehrig did 80+ years ago.
ALS causes the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy. There is an urgent need to understand the biology of ALS and to develop effective therapies.
ALS can affect anyone of any age, gender, or race. The number of people with ALS is increasing.
The average cost of care for those with ALS often provide a significant financial burden.

History of Baseball’s Support of ALS Community:

Baseball has had a long-standing commitment to supporting the movement to end ALS. Previous efforts have included:

In 2019, MLB and all 30 MLB Clubs raised funds through the annual Winter Meetings Charity Auction to benefit five ALS organizations – ALS CURE Project, Healey Center for ALS at Mass General, The ALS Association, Project Main Street, and ALS Therapy Development Institute.
In 2017, MLB supported the ALS Association’s “Home Health Initiative” through the MLB Fights ALS campaign, which was a league-wide fundraising effort in early August of that year. Beginning with an initial contribution from Major League Baseball, the effort sought to generate additional funds for the Home Health Initiative, which helps provide in-home care to individuals and families affected by ALS.
In 2014, MLB, its Clubs and its players supported the wave of millions of dollars raised through the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which led to new discoveries that have advanced the search for cures.
In 2009, MLB formed the initial “4-ALS” charitable campaign to raise funds for four ALS organizations and to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Gehrig’s retirement speech.
Historically, MLB and Clubs have supported several ALS-focused organizations in raising funds and general awareness about the disease.

For more information on Lou Gehrig Day or MLB Charities, please visit MLB.com/mlb-together or MLBTogether.com/4ALS.