Celebrating 3rd Annual Lou Gehrig Day and Major League Baseball

The Golden West Chapter is proud to have celebrated the 3rd Annual Lou Gehrig Day in partnership with Major League Baseball, which honors the legacy of Lou Gehrig and all those lost to the disease that bears his name. The goal of Lou Gehrig Day is to celebrate the ALS community and raise ALS awareness and support.

The league-wide Lou Gehrig Day is annually commemorated on June 2 because that is the day that Gehrig became the Yankees’ starting first baseman, kicking off his 2,130 consecutive games played. It also marked the date of his death from ALS, the devastating neurodegenerative disease that became known globally as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”

The San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics participated in Lou Gehrig Day on three separate dates. During the games, each home team displayed “4-ALS” logos in ballparks, commemorating Gehrig’s uniform number “4.” Additionally, all players, managers and coaches wore a special patch on uniforms during their games, with other ceremonial elements that varied by each team. The Golden West Chapter was proud to be a part of these special days along with the ALS community and other ALS organizations.

The San Francisco Giants hosted their Lou Gehrig Day on Friday, June 2. In addition to the Golden West Chapter, many ALS organizations participated, including ALS TDI, Muscular Dystrophy Association, I AM ALS, Live Like Lou Foundation, and the Permobil Foundation.

It was a truly historic event as Giants’ beloved shortstop, Brandon Crawford, was honored with the 2023 Lou Gehrig Award during the homeplate ceremony. The Golden West Chapter’s own Susie Bonotto, surviving spouse of Nicholas (Nic) Bonotto, threw the first pitch. We were also joined by many people living with ALS, their loved ones, families, and others in our ALS community. Learn more about this special day honoring Lou Gehrig and those affected by ALS.

Also, on Friday, June 2, the Los Angeles Dodgers honored the legacy of Lou Gehrig and those affected by the disease at Dodger Stadium. This was a special game as the Dodgers played against Lou Gehrig’s team, the New York Yankees. Notable ALS advocate Phil Green and his son participated in a special homeplate presentation and ceremonial first pitch. See the photos from the game. The Dodgers will also hold a separate ALS Awareness Day in August 2023.

Due to away schedules, the Oakland Athletics celebrated Lou Gehrig Day on Monday, June 12. Along with the Golden West Chapter, representatives from the MDA, ALS CURE, and ALS-TDI attended the game in support of the ALS community. Golden West Chapter families, Keith Verville and his wife Shelly, as well as Charles Howlett and his daughter, Kacie, were invited on the field. Both Keith and Charles got to throw the first pitch! View photos of the game.

The Golden West Chapter is deeply grateful to all who took part in these annual Lou Gehrig Day events for helping to raise ALS awareness and support for our mission: to discover treatments and cures for ALS, and to serve, advocate for, and empower people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest. We thank all the Major League Baseball teams for their ongoing efforts to support our ALS community and fuel the search for effective treatments and cures for ALS.