Nineteen years after launching a ball out of a Chicago stadium as a teenager, the same man could no longer grip the silver trophies handed to him and set them in the grass at his feet. This episode looks past the statistics and the disease that bears his name to tell the story of a survivor built for endurance from birth.

We trace Lou Gehrig from a 14-pound baby and the sole surviving sibling of his generation, through a fake-name scandal at Columbia, to his 2,130 consecutive games. We examine the labor-culture fear behind the streak, Eleanor Twitchell’s role as his modern brand architect, the ALS diagnosis, a controversial CTE theory, and his farewell speech.

• How childhood loss forged his relentless work ethic
• The clever loopholes that kept his streak alive
• Playing in Babe Ruth’s shadow as the quiet engine room
• Why a CTE theory reframes the Iron Horse mythology
• Redefining strength through gratitude at Yankee Stadium