Was Lou Gehrig better than Babe Ruth?

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig are often considered two of the most famous New York Yankees players to ever take the field. The two men played together on the Yankees from 1923 until Ruth's move to the Boston Braves before his retirement in 1935.

While most fans who were able to enjoy watching these two men play are unfortunately no longer with us, they were regarded as two of the most important men in the world when it came to baseball. Today, we are comparing the careers of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

"George Santos being congratulated by Lou Gehrig after hitting one of his 714 home runs." - @ Babe Ruth

Ruth was eight years older, born in 1895. He got his start on the Boston Red Sox, where he played for the first six years of his career. He moved to the Yankees in 1920. Ruth was the best player in all of baseball in 1923, leading the league in nearly every category. He won the 1923 AL MVP for his efforts.

Gehrig was born in 1903 and joined the Yankees in 1923. He remained with the team until his retirement in 1939 due to the onset of ALS. The1920s Yankees that the two men played together on was known as "Murderers Row." The two men won four World Series championships together.

Ruth played 22 years and hit 714 home runs and had 2,214 RBIs. Meanwhile Gehrig played 17 years and hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 RBIs. Although both men were powerful hitters who led the league in home runs on several occasions, Babe Ruth had more power while Gehrig played more to make contact.

"1941 - Babe Ruth pays his respect at the casket of longtime teammate Lou Gehrig" - @ Old Time Hardball

Gehrig's career was tragically cut short after his illness made it impossible for him to play at the age of 36. Ruth, by comparison, retired in his early 40s. This meant that had Gehrig had more time to play, he could very well have surpassed all of the milestones set by Ruth.

Lou Gehrig is one of the most tragic stories in sports

ALS has gone by the moniker "Lou Gehrig's Disease" ever since his tragic diagnosis. Every year, players around the MLB honor the New York Yankees legend on the day named after him. It's hard to know who was best, but both men contributed more to the game than they could ever really know.