The shadow was huge but by the late 1920s, the New York Yankees were no longer “Babe Ruth’s team”. The steady play of Lou Gehrig was beginning to stand on its own merit.
The Yankees first baseman would, of course, play in all 154 games during the 1929 season, including one on an early July afternoon. That’s when a photographer snapped one of the finest known images of a young Lou—one that sat in a newspaper archive for decades. Now, the newly uncovered full-length photo of a 26-year-old Lou Gehrig is the star attraction in RMY Auctions’ April Premier online catalog.
The 6×8” International News photo was likely taken before a Yankees game with the Boston Red Sox.
The original caption remains attached to the back of the photo, which was taken at Yankee Stadium. Some rippling is evident along the left edge, but overall, the photo is a striking image—and one of the few that show Gehrig from head-to-toe holding a bat.
At the time, Gehrig was leading the American League in homers with 21 (he’d finish with 35) and sported a .335 batting average. The Yankees wouldn’t be able to get the better of the Philadelphia A’s, however, finishing in second place. Ruth would win the home run title with 46.
The photo is one of more than 1,000 in the online catalog which opened for bidding last week. The auction closes Saturday, April 9 at RMYAuctions.com.
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