Wally Pipp was born in Chicago on this day in 1893. He broke with Detroit in 1913 and traded to Yankees in 1915.
Pipp put up some great power numbers in the pre-home run era: .281 batting average, 1,941 hits, 311 doubles, 149 triples, 90 HR & 1,004 RBI in 1,872 games.
And then Lou Gehrig came into the picture.
On June 2, 1925, Pipp took a day off and was replaced by young Gehrig.
We know the rest of the story: Gehrig played every game until 1939!
During World War II, Pipp worked at a plant that manufactured B-24 bombers in Michigan. Later, he worked for the Rockford Screw Products Corporation, selling screws and bolts to the major automotive companies in the Detroit/Grand Rapids area.
He died in 1965.