Share this page:

ALS Awareness Weekend

For more than 70 years, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and baseball have been connected through the dignity and grace of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig.

Known as Lou Gehrig’s disease following the diagnosis of the Yankees star first baseman seven decades ago, ALS continues to afflict about 30,000 people in the United States. Hall of Fame pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter also suffered from the disease, and more recently Boston College outfielder and captain Pete Frates became the face of ALS after being diagnosed in 2012.

Frates helped create the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014, which has raised more than $220 million worldwide for ALS research. In June, Frates donated the bucket and sunglasses he used for the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 at Fenway Park to the Hall of Fame, along with his glove and cap from his playing days with the Eagles. They are all currently on display in the Museum’s Today’s Game exhibit. The Frates Family will also donate a ball signed by Pete Frates to the Hall of Fame during ALS Awareness Weekend.

The 2017-18 Boston College varsity team will visit Cooperstown during ALS Awareness Weekend and play two intra-squad scrimmages at historic Doubleday Field, which will be open to the public.

ALS Awareness Weekend will also feature several Museum programs, including:

During a press conference held on June 10, 2017 at Fenway Park, former Boston College baseball player and ALS activist Pete Frates (center) donated artifacts to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jon Shestakofsky (far right), the Hall of Fame’s vice president of communications and education, was on hand to accept the donation. (Photo by Matthew Thomas / Boston Red Sox)

Pete Frates makes a diving catch while playing for Boston College’s baseball team on April 26, 2006. The glove he used is now preserved at the Hall of Fame. (Matthew J. Lee / Boston Globe)

Weekend Schedule

To the top

Saturday, Oct. 14

11:30 a.m. – ALS Awareness Museum Program / Book Event, featuring the Frates Family and author Casey Sherman, who will discuss the book he co-authored with David Wedge: “The Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight against ALS”, Plaque Gallery

12:30 p.m. – Book signing featuring author Casey Sherman and Frates Family members for “The Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight against ALS”, Library Atrium

1 p.m. – ALS Artifact Spotlight, Bullpen Theater

2 p.m. – ALS and Baseball Museum Tour, with specific artifacts highlighted by Museum staff, Museum

3 p.m. – Intra-squad scrimmage with the Boston College varsity baseball team, Doubleday Field

Sunday, Oct. 15

11 a.m. – ALS and Baseball Plaque Tour featuring Lou Gehrig and Catfish Hunter, Plaque Gallery

1 p.m. – Intra-squad scrimmage with the Boston College varsity baseball team, Doubleday Field

1:30 p.m. – ALS and Baseball Museum Tour, with specific artifacts highlighted by Museum staff, Museum

2:30 p.m. – Screening of the movie “The Pride of the Yankees”, Bullpen Theater

All events at the Hall of Fame are included with Museum admission. There is no admission charge for the Boston College scrimmages at Doubleday Field.

Pete Frates donated a cap and glove from his playing days at Boston College and the ice bucket and sunglasses he used for his Ice Bucket Challenge at Fenway Park in 2014. (Milo Stewart Jr. / National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)