1939 Lou Gehrig Day Farewell Original Photo with Babe Ruth. PSA Type 2

The Iron Horse and The Babe!
This extraordinary photograph captures one of baseball’s most poignant and enduring moments: the emotional embrace between Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth on Lou Gehrig Day, the farewell ceremony held at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. In a moment forever etched in American sports history, Gehrig delivered his iconic farewell speech, declaring himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth”—despite the devastating diagnosis that brought his playing days to an end. In this frame, two giants of the game reunite in a quiet, profoundly human moment. Years after their playing days together, Ruth stepped forward to offer Gehrig one last embrace - a gesture of solidarity, respect, and shared history.

Together, Ruth and Gehrig had formed the most formidable one-two punch baseball has ever seen. From the early 1920s through the early '30s, they powered the New York Yankees to new heights, combining for over 850 home runs during their time as teammates (1923-1934). Their partnership helped usher in the Yankees’ first true dynasty, winning six American League pennants and three World Series championships together. But while Ruth commanded headlines with his flair and bravado, Gehrig quietly built one of the most consistent and admired careers in baseball history. That contrast made this moment in 1939 all the more powerful - two legends, once side by side on the diamond, reunited not in triumph, but in farewell.

This particular 8x10" photograph captures their embraced hug perfectly. It is a visual eulogy of sorts, not just for Gehrig’s career, but for a golden era of Yankee baseball.

Classified by PSA as a Type 2 Original Photograph, this image was developed in the 1950s from the original negative. A Type 2 photo is defined as a photograph developed from the original negative during the period (more than approximately two years after the picture was taken). This classification distinguishes it from modern reproductions and affirms its authenticity and historical value.

A moving tribute to friendship, legacy, and the fleeting nature of greatness, this image stands as a museum-worthy piece. It’s an enduring reminder of what Ruth and Gehrig meant not only to the Yankees, but to the soul of Major League Baseball itself.

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