On Sunday, MLB celebrated Lou Gehrig Day for the fourth time. That saw countless tributes covering Gehrig’s famed career, but also raising awareness and funds for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the disease the famed Yankees’ first baseman passed away from at 37 on June 2, 1941.
ALS still affects many, and a prominent voice affected in the baseball world is MLB reporter/statistician Sarah Langs, who revealed that diagnosis ahead of the 2022 postseason. Langs voiced a MLB video for Lou Gehrig Day that came out Sunday morning, and ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball brought her into the booth during their coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals – Philadelphia Phillies game Sunday night.
There, the booth showed a compilation of some of the many #fistbumpsforALS that came out of Langs’ awareness-raising idea. Analysts David Cone and Eduardo Pérez and play-by-play voice Karl Ravech then gave Langs fist bumps, and Ravech (a key figure in the Stars For Sarah campaign) asked (1:30) about what the support she’s received from the baseball community has meant to her. Langs said that’s been overwhelming:
“I had no idea what to expect when I first shared this with the world and I certainly never expected all of this.”
MLB researcher and reporter, and former ESPN researcher Sarah Langs joined the Sunday Night Baseball booth to share her journey with ALS on MLB’s Lou Gehrig Day. pic.twitter.com/wz6ikmDBgY
— ESPN (@espn) June 3, 2024
“I mean, it’s impossible to even explain. I had no idea what to expect when I first shared this with the world, and I certainly never expected all of this. And I am so, so eternally grateful for it.”
It is remarkable to see how much support there’s been for Langs. But that also speaks to her work over the years at ESPN and MLB, and to the many people she’s touched along the way. The MLB Network piece on her from Mandy Bell last year is a good illustration of just how much impact Langs has had:
“My Friend Sarah” –@MandyBell02
#LouGehrigDay pic.twitter.com/UOffl666rb— MLB (@MLB) June 2, 2023
It’s great to see ESPN continue to support and feature Langs, and to see the world continue to recognize the importance of ALS awareness and fundraising for research for a cure.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.