Ellsworth Tenney "Babe" Dahlgren (June 15, 1912 – September 4, 1996) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

infielder. He played twelve seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

from 1935 to 1946 for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs,

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Dahlgren is perhaps best remembered for replacing

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...

in the lineup on May 2, 1939,"Retrosheet Boxscore: New York Yankees 22, Detroit Tigers 2"

Retrosheet Retrosheet is a nonprofit organization whose website features box scores of Major League Baseball (MLB) games from 1906 to the present, and play-by-play narratives for almost every contest since the 1930s. It also includes scores from every major ...

. which ended Gehrig's 14-year, 2,130 consecutive game streak. Dahlgren hit a home run and a double as the Yankees routed Detroit 22–2. He went on to hit 15 home runs and drive in 89 runs for the season for the Yankees. The Browns returned Dahlgren to the Cubs for a contract dispute once it was learned that he had become eligible for the draft in May 1942. He was sold to the Dodgers soon after. In August 1942 he sought voluntary retirement. In early 1943, Dahlgren was notified by the draft board to report for his physical, which occurred in mid-May of that year. After passing his physical, Dahlgren was to be inducted into the military in July 1943. In July 1943, he played on the National League All-star team. In October 1943, Dahlgren was rejected for military service due to a

sinus Sinus may refer to: Anatomy * Sinus (anatomy), a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue ** Paranasal sinuses, air cavities in the cranial bones, especially those near the nose, including: *** Maxillary sinus, is the largest of the paranasal sinuses, ...

condition.The New York Times, October 21, 1943

Highlights

* Had a 621 consecutive game streak with the

San Francisco Missions The Mission Reds were a minor league baseball team located in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1926 through 1937. First Missions team In early September of 1914, the failed Sacramento Solons team moved ...

of the Pacific Coast League from 1931 to 1934 * Member of the 1934 Pacific Coast League All-Star Team as a First Baseman for the

Mission Reds The Mission Reds were a minor league baseball team located in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1926 through 1937. First Missions team In early September of 1914, the failed Sacramento Solons team moved ...

* Member of the 1936 International League All-Star Team as a First Baseman for the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

* Member of the 1937 International League All-Star Team as a Third Baseman for

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...

* Member of 1938-39

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

Champions * Hit the first home run of the 1939 World Series in game 2 off of Bucky Walters * Named to 1943 National League All-Star Team as an Infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies * Presided over the first American League pension plan meeting in 1946

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dahlgren, Babe 1912 births 1996 deaths National League All-Stars Boston Braves players Boston Red Sox players Brooklyn Dodgers players Chicago Cubs players New York Yankees players Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players St. Louis Browns players Major League Baseball first basemen Baseball players from San Francisco Mission Reds players Tucson Missions players Syracuse Chiefs players Newark Bears (IL) players Sacramento Solons players Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)