The man whose headache launched a legendary baseball record
In short: In 1925, a simple request for aspirin changed baseball history forever. When Yankees first baseman Wally Pipp asked to sit out due to a headache, he inadvertently opened the door for Lou Gehrig to begin a record-breaking streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.
Wally Pipp was a premier power hitter of the dead ball era, leading the American League in home runs in both 1916 and 1917. A standout for the New York Yankees, Pipp was a key component of the lineup that secured three consecutive American League pennants from 1921 through 1923, including a World Series title in 1923. He even played a role in scouting and developing his successor, Lou Gehrig, whom he suggested the manager sign.
The circumstances surrounding Pipp's removal from the starting lineup on June 2, 1925, remain a subject of historical debate. The most popular legend suggests Pipp approached manager Miller Huggins for two aspirin to treat a severe headache. However, other accounts offer different explanations. One version suggests Pipp was experiencing double vision after being hit in the head with a hockey puck as a child, which caused lifelong headaches. Another theory posits he was benched because he struggled against left-handed pitchers, such as the Senators' George Mogridge.
Further conflicting reports suggest the benching was a strategic move by Huggins to 'shake up' a slumping Yankees team, which was in seventh place at the time. Even more controversial is a rumor that Pipp was actually at a horse racing track gambling when he was replaced. While Pipp's son, Thomas, supported the headache story, the truth remains obscured by decades of conflicting testimony. Regardless of the cause, the decision proved monumental: Gehrig's subsequent streak stood as an MLB record for 56 years.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Wally Pipp
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