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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - A 17-year old high school kid wowed fans and major league scouts on this date in 1920 by hitting a towering grand slam out of Cubs Park (now known as Wrigley Field). The blast sealed a victory for New York's Commerce High School against Chicago's Lane Tech 12 to 6. The kid's name was Henry Louis Gehrig, later known simply as Lou.

In the not too distant future, Gehrig would be terrorizing opposing American League teams while playing for the New York Yankees. And he would hit a bunch of grand slam home runs, 23 to be exact, which remains a record. He also finished with a lifetime .340 average, 1,995 RBI and 493 home runs hitting after Babe Ruth. Gehrig would hold the record for the most consecutive games played (2,130) until broken by Cal Ripken in 1995.

Sadly, while still in his 30's the player known as the Iron Horse would succumb to the debilitating and deadly disease that carries his name.

• Chicago would have a special attraction for Gehrig. That's where he met Eleanor Grace Twitchell, whom he married in 1933.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCE:
"Luckiest Man: The life and death of Lou Gehrig," by Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post, April 3, 2005
Career grand slams

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