The reason for this speech is truly heartbreaking, Lou Gehrig was forced to retire from baseball due to illness. In 1938, Gehrig's batting average fell below .300 for the first time since 1925. After that it was clear that something was wrong with Lou. He began acting slow on and off the field, and during one game, when he struggled to get to first to catch a simple throw from the pitcher, he knew it was time for him to leave. On May 2, 1939, he retired from the starting lineup, ending his streak of 2,130 games played. Soon after, doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed Lou Gehrig with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and was told he could never play baseball again; According to official Lou Gehrig