1903–1941 · New York Yankees first baseman · Baseball Hall of Fame, 1939
Henry Louis Gehrig played seventeen seasons at first base for the New York Yankees and was nicknamed “the Iron Horse” for a consecutive-games streak that stood for more than half a century. He was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time American League MVP and a Triple Crown winner, and the first major leaguer to have his uniform number retired. Diagnosed with ALS, he gave his “luckiest man” farewell at Yankee Stadium in 1939 and died in 1941; he was also, unusually for a white star of his era, on record as having no objection to Black players in the majors.