In 1939, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number (4) retired by a team.Ī native of New York City and a student at Columbia University, Gehrig signed with the Yankees on April 29,1923. He still has the highest ratio of runs scored plus runs batted in per 100 plate appearances (35.08) and per 100 games (156.7) among Hall of Fame players. He hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 runs batted in (RBI). He was an All-Star seven consecutive times, a Triple Crown winner once, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice, and a member of six World Series champion teams. Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him his nickname ' The Iron Horse'. Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Hit 4 home runs in one game on June 3, 1932.