The Luckiest Man

The drama has a working title of The Luckiest Man, which is a nod to the Hall of Famer’s iconic 1939 retirement speech that came two months after he was diagnosed with ALS, which is now known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

Gehrig, a first baseman, played 17 seasons for the New York Yankees and earned the nickname of the Iron Horse for his incredible streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games. (The streak, which many thought would never be broken, was eventually topped by Baltimore’s Cal Ripken Jr.) Gehrig ultimately pulled himself out of the Yankees lineup when the effects of ALS began to impact his play on the field. He died two years later. The perennial All-Star won the Triple Crown, two AL MVP awards and was a member of six World Series championship teams. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939, the same year he retired. Major League Baseball in 2021 declared June 2 to be known as Lou Gehrig Day across the league, in tribute to one of the game’s greatest players and to help raise awareness of ALS.