On May 2, 1939, Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees, the “iron man” of baseball, removed himself from the lineup prior to the first pitch at Briggs Stadium (later Tiger Stadium) after 2,130 consecutive games. Later, it was determined that Gehrig had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable degenerative disease of the nervous system now known to many as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Source : Detroit Historical Society Facebook page