Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe Dimaggio Join the Yankees
Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe Dimaggio Join the Yankees
Babe Ruth’s contract was purchased from the Boston Red Sox in 1920 and in 1921 the Yankees won their first American League pennant. Babe Ruth hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium before a crowd of 74,200 spectators in 1923 and by 1925 the Babe broke his own Major League record with his 60th home run. Lou Gehrig began his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played, pinch-hitting for Pee Wee Wanniger. The Yankees create another first when in 1929 they were the first team to make numbers a permanent part of their uniforms. By the 1930s, the Yankees had won their first six American League Pennants and three World Championships. Lou Gehrig became the first player to hit four home runs
Actual View of Reggie Jackson When he Became Only the Second Player in Baseball History to Hit Three Home Runs in a World Series Game, Game 6 of the 1977 World Series
Courtesy MLB.com
in a single game, Babe Ruth hit the 700th home run of his career and Joe DiMaggio joined the ranks. July 4th was designated “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” at Yankee Stadium and his number 4 uniform was the first to be retired in Major League baseball. On July 4th, 1939 Gehrig made his famous “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech.