NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Sarah Langs tried on Lou Gehrig鈥檚 cap, a joyous moment and also a reminder of the link they share.
Langs, a beloved member of the baseball community in her role as a reporter and producer at Major League Baseball Advanced Media, revealed last October she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig鈥檚 disease or ALS. She was honored at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, the 84th anniversary of Gehrig鈥檚 famous 鈥渓uckiest man on the face of the Earth鈥 speech, along with six other women who have the disease.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e processed any of this from the day that I pressed send on that tweet to share this with the world and all of the kindness I鈥檝e received even beforehand," Langs said. 鈥淏ut, I mean, I love baseball so much. I鈥檓 so grateful for it. It鈥檚 the one thing in my life that absolutely will not change at all.鈥
ALS is a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells that control muscles throughout the body, eventually causing them to waste away. It became known as Lou Gehrig鈥檚 disease after the star baseball player was diagnosed in 1939. There is no cure.
Langs, who turned 30 on May 2, visited the Yankees Museum and watched on the field as her parents, Liise-anne Pirofski and Charles Langs, threw out ceremonial first pitches. She attended the exchange of lineup cards and posed for photos with the umpires.
alongside Yankees manager Aaron Boone and pitcher Gerrit Cole, Langs detailed her story as several of the women from the awareness group 鈥淗er ALS Story鈥 and their families watched.
鈥淚鈥檓 not used to being on this side of this. I鈥檝e been in those seats,鈥 Langs said, looking to the media. 鈥淭his is so, so important to put a spotlight on young women with ALS, to show not everyone looks like Lou Gehrig."
Cole presented Langs with a 鈥淏aseball Is the Best鈥 T-shirt with the letters 鈥淎LS鈥 highlighted in white, signed by all the Yankees as part of the team's annual HOPE week 鈥 Helping Others Persevere & Excel. A second signed shirt will be auctioned as a fundraiser.
Before the game, the videoboard played the start of Gehrig鈥檚 speech, and then the women and several Yankees took turns reading segments of the address, which was met with a standing ovation.
Langs grew up in Manhattan, went to Dalton and the University of Chicago, interned at the New York Daily News and CSN Chicago and then joined ESPN in 2015 as a sports content researcher. She was promoted to senior sports content researcher in 2018 and joined MLB the following year.
Fans and media know her for the historical facts and comparisons she comes up with at a moment鈥檚 notice.
She spoke of her baseball highlights that include attending David Cone鈥檚 perfect game in 1999 鈥 鈥淚 was young, but I鈥檓 aware of it and we talk about it as a family often鈥 鈥 and the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series Game 7 in 2016 for their first title since 1908.
She credited her perseverance to baseball.
鈥淚 think it just comes from baseball itself. I mean, baseball doesn鈥檛 stop,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 there every day, unlike any other sport. There鈥檚 a game every day and into October and November. So for me, the fact that baseball won鈥檛 stop means I鈥檓 not going to either.鈥
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