A road game at Navin Field in Detroit, MI marked a remarkable milestone for New York Yankees star Lou Gehrig, who suited up for his 1,000th consecutive contest. The Iron Horse had been a fixture in the Yankees lineup since 1923, and this game against the Detroit Tigers was yet another chapter in his legendary streak.
Detroit starter Earl Whitehill kept the Yankees in check across nine innings before handing the ball to relief pitcher Tommy Bridges, who worked the final two frames. It was Bridges who walked away with the victory, as the Tigers edged out a 5 to 4 decision in eleven hard-fought innings.
The top of the Yankees' batting order — including Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth — was completely stifled, combining for a dismal 0 for 19 at the plate with three strikeouts and two bases on balls. At first base, Lou Gehrig was flawless defensively, committing no errors. Still, even solid defense couldn't save the Yankees, who managed just nine hits and four runs over 11 innings. The decisive blow came in the eleventh inning when Charlie Gehringer drove in the go-ahead run, giving Detroit the win with five runs on 14 hits.
The 1931 season would ultimately see Lou Gehrig finish as the runner-up in Most Valuable Player voting, falling short of Lefty Grove of the Philadelphia Athletics. That same Philadelphia club would prove to be a thorn in New York's side all year long — despite the best efforts of Lou Gehrig and his teammates, the New York Yankees finished second in the America League Pennant race and were shut out of World Series contention.
The scorecard for this game can be found at Baseball Reference.
Attendance: 5000 at Navin Field, Detroit, MI.
Game Duration: 2:44.