MLB Lou Gehrig Day ’23 Celebrates Sarah Langs, Countless Others Battling ALS
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 07:20PM By Barry Janoff
UPDATED June 2, 2023: The New York Yankees said they are "proud to announce that they will honor Sarah Langs as their HOPE Week honoree on Tuesday, July 4, the 84th anniversary of Lou Gehrig making his famous “Luckiest Man” speech."
Langs and other women from the ALS community will be honored in a pre-game ceremony, which will include a video of Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech being read by Yankees players, Sarah and other women of the ALS community.
May 31, 2023: Sarah Langs, former MLB analyst at ESPN and MLB Network and current researcher and analyst at MLB, will be in the spotlight on June 2 when baseball celebrates the third annual Lou Gehrig Day.
In October 2022, Langs shared that she was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
The New York Mets will host Lou Gehrig Day in Citi Field with New York City native and long-time Mets fan Langs scheduled to participate in a special pre-game ceremony and throw the ceremonial first pitch.
The Amazin’ Mets Foundation will present Project ALS with a $10,000 grant for research in honor of Langs.
Also to honor Langs, illuminated wooden stars known as “A Langs Star (ALS)” will be displayed in each TV broadcast booth across MLB during Lou Gehrig Day games.
The stars — made possible through ESPN’s Karl Ravech, Christopher Owens (The Star Man) and Project ALS — will be available for people to purchase via Project ALS, with all proceeds benefitting the organization on Sarah’s behalf.
"A Langs Star is more than a keepsake — it’s a shining symbol of our shared commitment to end ALS,” Sage Higgins, Project ALS manager, said via the organization.
“Made of wood with a commemorative placard and LED lighting, display them on your roof, windows, or inside your home. Proceeds from sales benefit Project ALS, a leader in therapy-driven research."
Beginning on June 2, MLB will run a special charitable auction to benefit the Expanded Access Protocol program at the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS.
The auction will feature 30 autographed and authenticated Lou Gehrig Day bats, including players selected by Langs.
The players “were selected based on a personal connection to ALS, their support of the ALS Community, or a symbolic connection to Lou Gehrig by either their passion for the game, character or a unique statistical connection,” according to MLB.
The focus on 
A Langs StarLangs helps to personalize the efforts being undertaken by MLB, in coordination with MLB clubs and various partners, to commemorate Lou Gehrig and collectively raise awareness and research funds for ALS.
According to ALS organizations, an estimated 20,000 people in the U.S. may be living with ALS.
The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from time of diagnosis. Although there is no cure for ALS, with recent advances in research and improved medical care, many patients are living longer, more productive lives.
MLB said for the first time, all 30 teams are scheduled to play on Lou Gehrig Day, which began June 2, 2021.
June 2 has significance both as the date in 1925 that Gehrig became the Yankees’ starting first baseman and the date in 1941 that he passed away at the age of 37.
Through Lou Gehrig Day, MLB said it would “celebrate the groups and individuals who have led in the pursuit for cures, honor those who are bravely living with ALS, and remember all those whose lives have been lost to this disease.”
On-field, there will be commemorative base jewels and lineup cards.
Players, managers and coaches will wear a special “Lou Gehrig Day” patch on their uniforms.
Red “4-ALS” wristbands will be available to be worn in-game.
MLB Network will celebrate Lou Gehrig Day throughout its studio programming — including the 2015 documentary Iron Knight: Lou Gehrig, narrated by Martin Sheen — and air a special tribute video, which will be shared in MLB ballparks on June 2.
MLB Network broadcasters will wear 4-ALS shirts on-set to raise awareness.
MLB Network will also air the New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers (10 PM ET).
MLB.com and all 30 club sites will have extensive editorial content and coverage of Lou Gehrig Day, with a special feature on Lou Gehrig Day activities across the league and Lou Gehrig’s legacy in baseball and with ALS.
MLB social media platforms will honor Lou Gehrig and the ALS community in a variety of ways, including highlighting legend and celebrity engagement throughout the day.
Zac Brown Band member John Driskell “Hop” Hopkins, who is actively living with ALS is scheduled to be in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. The Zac Brown Band will perform a post-game concert benefiting the Hop On A Cure Foundation.
“The Reds are honored to host the Zac Brown Band on MLB’s Lou Gehrig Day in 2023,” Phil Castellini, Cincinnati Reds president and COO, said via the team.
“Zac Brown Band’s passionate support of their bandmate Hop is an inspiration, and our hope is to lift the spirits of everyone affected by ALS while supporting the Hop On A Cure Foundation.
A full list of MLB club and partner activation in each stadium — as well as ALS-related organizations that work with MLB — can be found here.
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