A sad day in New York Yankees land, June 2, 1941, is the day Lou Gehrig was lost to amyotropic lateral sclerosis, the condition that is more famously referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Two other Yankee stalwarts passed away this day, lefty-swinging first baseman Johnny Mize (1993), and outfielder Gene Woodling (2001), who played on the team that won five straight World Series titles from 1949-1953. It is also the day that Babe Ruth announced his retirement from the game, in 1935.
In happier news, June 2 is the day both second baseman Horace Clarke (1940) and shortstop Gene Michael (1938), the double play combo in the Bronx during some frustrating years, were born.