Life couldn’t have been much better for Lou Gehrig in 1937. He was having another spectacular season while keeping his consecutive games played streak alive and the Yankees were on their way to another World Series title.
Now, an original news photograph of one of the great moments from that season is at auction. Captured August 3, 1937, the 
image shows Gehrig, with a big smile, crossing home plate after belting a three-run homer during Game 1 of a doubleheader against Detroit. The blast came in Gehrig’s 1900th consecutive game (he’d play 230 more before the ALS diagnosis) and that fact is broadly noted on the back of the 7×9” Acme News glossy. Red Rolfe and a Yankee batboy are there to greet Gehrig as he turns toward the dugout after one of his 37 homers in ’37.
Gehrig had come to the plate in the first inning after singles by Frankie Crosetti and Rolfe and blasted Thornton Lee’s pitch over the wall. Lee was the father of Don Lee, who also reached the majors as a pitcher.
The homer was Gehrig’s only hit in fo
ur at-bats that day, “lowering” his average to .375. He ended the year with a .351 mark and 159 RBI.
The photo is one of more than 400 in RMY Auctions’ January online catalog. Bidding closes Sunday night.
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