On August 20, 1938, Lou Gehrig launched the 23rd grand slam of his career—a towering shot against the Philadelphia Athletics that set a major league record which would stand unbroken for seventy‑five years. It was the last great offensive explosion of his legendary tenure with the New York Yankees.
Behind the roar of the Bronx crowd, Gehrig was already fighting the early, mysterious symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Muscle weakness, fatigue, and coordination loss had quietly stalked him throughout the summer. His final grand slam therefore stands as a poignant monument to his resilience: even as his body betrayed him, his disciplined left‑handed swing still produced a moment of pure athletic brilliance before he stepped away from the game forever the following April.
Image via Alamy
