Lou_Gehrig_Day_Baseball_18390

Lou Gehrig poses at a spring training game in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 16, 1935. Major League Baseball will hold its first Lou Gehrig Day on June 2. Tom Sande/Associated Press

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball will hold its first Lou Gehrig Day on June 2, adding Gehrig to Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente on the short list of players honored throughout the big leagues.

Each home team will have “4-ALS” logos in ballparks to mark Gehrig’s No. 4, and all players, managers and coaches will wear a Lou Gehrig Day patch on uniforms and may use red “4-ALS” wristbands. Teams that are off on June 2 will observe Lou Gehrig Day on June 3.

MLB said Thursday that the day will focus on finding cures and raising money for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which is known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, the legacy of Gehrig and others who died of the progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.

June 2 marks the 96th anniversary of when Gehrig started at first base for the New York Yankees in place of Willy Pipp, beginning his record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. The mark stood until September 1995, when it was broken by Baltimore’s Cal Ripken Jr., who played 2,632 consecutive games in a streak that ended in 1998.

Gehrig died of ALS at age 37 on June 2, 1941. He was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1939.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement that Gehrig’s “humility and courage continue to inspire our society” and “the pressing need to find cures remains.”

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MLB’s committee includes Oakland outfielder Stephen Piscotty, whose mother died of ALS; Colorado outfielder Sam Hillard, whose father has been diagnosed with ALS; and Milwaukee catcher Jacob Nottingham, whose family includes six people who died of ALS.

BRAVES: Left-hander Max Fried won’t make his first scheduled start of spring training Friday against the Twins because of a potential exposure to someone with COVID-19.

Braves Manager Brian Snitker said that Fried hasn’t tested positive for the virus, but the team is taking no chances.

YANKEES: Manager Aaron Boone was discharged from the hospital, a day after having a pacemaker installed.

Boone is on a leave of absence but intends to return to work in a few days.

BREWERS: Milwaukee health commissioner Kirsten Johnson has approved a plan allowing fans to fill 25% of the seating capacity at American Family Field, the stadium formerly known as Miller Park.

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That could mean 10,500 fans at the ballpark, which has a capacity of 41,900, not including group areas. The Brewers had sought to allow 35% capacity.

Rick Schlesinger, the team’s president of business operations, said in a statement that the team would “continue to communicate with the city officials and work toward increasing the capacity if the health metrics continue to improve.”

Tailgating won’t be allowed outside the stadium, a big tradition for Brewers fans, at the start of the season.

CARDINALS: The team says it has received approval from the city to fill Busch Stadium at 32% capacity starting for their April 8 home against the Milwaukee Brewers. That could mean 14,500 fans at Busch Stadium, which has a capacity of 45,538.

City health director Dr. Fredrick Echols says new COVID-19 infections have been declining and the positivity rate in St. Louis dipped below 5% for the first time since mid-September.

Season ticket holders will get the first crack at tickets for the first two homestands, then the general public if tickets remain. The Cardinals said fans will be seated in pods of four or fewer with at least 6 feet of space between pods. Masks will be required except when eating or drinking.

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