On May 2, 1939, a streak to end all streaks came to an end at the Tigers’ Briggs Stadium. What began on June 1, 1925 with a pinch hit, ended officially on April 30, 1939, when baseball legend Lou Gehrig played his last game with the New York Yankees. By the time it was all said and done, Gehrig had played 2130 games. A record that would stand unbroken until Cal Ripken, Jr. surpassed him on September 6, 1995. Ripken would go on to play 2632 consecutive games.
For Tigers fans, the May 2 game was more memorable at the time for just how badly the Yankees trounced them, with a final score of 22-2
Gehrig was meant to play in the May 2 game, but he approached Yankees manager Joe McCarthy ahead of time and requested to be removed from the lineup.