Lou Gehrig: He Played 2,130 Games in a Row… Then Called Himself the Luckiest Man
Lou Gehrig played 2,130 games in a row. Then a rare disease made him weak, but he told a huge crowd that he was the luckiest man on Earth. Learn five A2 words and how to use in a row with the true story of Lou Gehrig.
Coming 31 December 2026, 3:00 pm New York time
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
He was ill.
But he told a huge crowd he was the man on Earth.
This is the story of Lou Gehrig.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. In a means one after another.
He played game after game, in a .
. To something is to not go to it.
He did not a game for almost 14 years.
. A is a serious .
Doctors said that he had a rare called ALS.
. A is a talk to many people.
He gave a short .
. means having good things happen to you.
He said he was the man on Earth.
Now, one pattern: in a .
He played 2,130 games in a .
Ready? Let's begin.
Lou Gehrig was born in New York in 1903.
In 1923, he joined the New York Yankees.
From 1925, he played game after game, in a .
He did not a game for almost 14 years.
He played 2,130 games in a !
In 1939, he felt weak.
Doctors said that he had a rare called ALS.
It slowly makes muscles weak.
On 4 July, over 60,000 people came.
He gave a short .
He said he was the man on Earth, because of his friends, family and fans.
He died in 1941.
His record of games in a lasted 56 years.
Now, the has his name.
Let's review. He played game after game, in a .
He did not a game for almost 14 years.
Doctors said that he had a rare called ALS.
He gave a short .
He said he was the man on Earth.
And remember: he played 2,130 games in a .
Lou Gehrig's story teaches us: count the good things.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
row noun
in a row: one after another
“He played game after game, in a row.”
miss verb
to not go to or take part in something
“He did not miss a game for almost 14 years.”
disease noun
a serious illness
“Doctors said that he had a rare disease called ALS.”
speech noun
a talk to many people
“He gave a short speech.”
lucky adjective
having good things happen to you
“He said he was the luckiest man on Earth.”
illness noun
being sick
“His illness made him weak.”
streak noun
a time when the same thing happens again and again
“His streak was 2,130 games.”
retire verb
to stop working, usually because you are old or ill
“He had to retire in 1939.”
Grammar in the story
in a row
We use it for: to say that things happen one after another, with no break
- He played 2,130 games in a row.
- It rained for five days in a row.
From the story
- He played 2,130 games in a row.
- I was late three times in a row.
Find it in the story 9 times
Your turn
He played 2,130 games in a .
It rained for five days a row.
She won three games in row.
Step 4
Story Challenge
7 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: What makes you feel lucky?
After you watch: Write three sentences with in a row. For example: It rained for five days in a row. I woke up early three days in a row. Our team won four games in a row.
Think about it: Lou Gehrig was very ill, but he said he was lucky. Why do you think he said that?
