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In 1939, Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame [4] and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired by a team when his number 4 was retired by the Yankees. A native of New York City and a student at Columbia University , Gehrig signed with the Yankees on April 29, 1923.
Hence, Babe Ruth wore number 3 and Lou Gehrig number 4. The first major leaguer whose number was retired was Gehrig, in July 1939, following his retirement due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which became popularly known in the United States as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
In 1929, the New York Yankees became the first team to make numbers a permanent part of the uniform. Numbers were handed out based on the batting order in the lineup. In 1929, Earle Combs wore #1, Mark Koenig #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Bob Meusel #5, Tony Lazzeri #6, Leo Durocher #7, Johnny Grabowski #8, Benny Bengough #9, and Bill Dickey ...
The Yankee duo reunited – Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth (r) on Lou Gehrig Day (July 4, 1939). Lou Gehrig's number 4 was retired by the New York Yankees in 1939.. The 1939 season would be the final time Yankees fans saw the team's starting veteran first baseman Lou Gehrig in action and in the uniform of the team he played for many years, given his declining health.
The purpose of numerals in baseball is to allow for easy identification of players. Some players have been so associated with specific numbers that their jersey number has been officially "retired". The first team to retire a number was the New York Yankees, which retired Lou Gehrig's No. 4 in 1939.
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On this day in 1933, Lou Gehrig became baseball's Iron Man, breaking the record for most consecutive games played with 1,308. Ripken broke the record in 1995, and will likely hold it for decades ...
The first jersey number retired by a team was #4 by the New York Yankees to honor Lou Gehrig. In 1997, MLB retired Jackie Robinson's #42 league wide, the first and only number that no player is allowed to wear anymore. As of April 15, 1997 #42 was retired except for players wearing the number prior to it being retired.