Herts’ third annual Lou Gehrig Day event at Grovehill was the biggest yet – raising more than £2,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
This far outstrips even the success of previous years, and is a measure of the generosity of the Herts baseball community.
Lou Gehrig Day is held annually across MLB to raise awareness and funding to fight this devastating degenerative condition and honour Lou Gehrig, the legendary New York Yankees star whose career and life it cut short. MND is known as ‘Lou Gehrig Disease’, or ALS, in the United States.
The 2026 event at Grovehill featured a league double-header between the Herts Hawks and the Herts Ravens of Division 4. The baseball action lived up to the occasion, with the Hawks squeaking a 4-3 win in a dramatic opening game. They took Game 2 in a more comfortable 13-2 scoreline.
There were games for the kids, including pitching and hitting challenges — and the crucial element of a barbecue which also offered cold drinks and home-made cakes.
The main attraction was a raffle of fantastic prizes which had been donated by MLB Europe. There were playing jerseys of the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers, among others. Also there to be won was Boston Red Sox training gear and World Series commemorative hoodies.
The raffle helped push the final total to £2,177. This year, fundraisers were able to register as “team members” and drum up donations ahead of the day – big thanks go to the most successful campaigners Pete and Mickey Hogg, and George Thomas.
And big thanks from Herts to everyone who donated, who bought raffle tickets, or hot dogs, or sweets. Thanks also to our helpers, volunteers and photographers and to all of the families who came to Grovehill, pulled up a chair to watch the baseball, and had a great day out in the sunshine.
The funds will be shared between MNDA’s national office to fund medical research, and the Hertfordshire branch which supports locals living with the condition.
Pete Hogg of the Hawks has been the driving force of the event for Herts: “It was fantastic to see families, fans and players all pitching in to make the event a success. I’m really grateful to everyone who volunteered their time and effort”.
He added: “The MND Association is a charity that has been close to my heart for several years and as a lifelong baseball fan, I felt inspired to bring Lou Gehrig Day to the UK. I wanted to give back and create an opportunity for everyone to take part and do something fun.”
The MND Association has said: “Events like this are a very important way of increasing awareness of MND and without the funds raised, we would not be able to fund equipment for people living with this challenging disease in Hertfordshire.”
