Heim, Rangers honor Lou Gehrig with personal ties

ARLINGTON -- A year ago, as the Rangers and MLB celebrated the third annual Lou Gehrig Day, Texas catcher Jonah Heim's mother-in-law, Hilary Prince, threw out the first pitch to Heim at Globe Life Field.

The Heim family will again be present in honor of Lou Gehrig Day. During pregame ceremonies, the Rangers will recognize Heim and his wife, Kenzie, by honoring the life of Kenzie's mother, who passed away earlier this year after her battle with ALS.

Gary Prince -- Kenzie Heim's father and Jonah Heim's father-in-law -- will throw the first pitch in honor of his late wife.

"[Kenzie's] mom threw out the last first pitch on this day," Jonah Heim said. "Obviously, we wanted more time, but it feels full circle. It's gonna be pretty special. I know it's gonna be very emotional. But it's important, and we're all looking forward to it."

The Heim family knows firsthand what it's like to watch a loved one go through ALS. They are more than happy to stand with MLB and the Rangers as they continue to raise awareness around the disease.

MLB and all 30 clubs have continued to support ALS-focused organizations, raising funds and general awareness about the disease to find a cure.

An MLB and Yankees legend, Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games during a Hall of Fame career, died of ALS -- a progressive neurodegenerative disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- on June 2, 1941.

MLB has honored him on the anniversary of his death for the last four years -- since the 80th anniversary in 2021 -- but the Rangers were out of town that day and instead are choosing to honor him on June 3 this year.

As such, Texas Rangers Families and the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation partnered to raise funds for a donation to the ALS Association, which will be presented during the pregame ceremony. The Rangers Foundation will also donate all proceeds from Monday's Texas 2 Split 50/50 Raffle to the ALS Association.

"It's one of those things where, when it doesn't affect you personally, it's kind of hard to see the full picture," Heim said. "Seeing what my mother-in-law went through and what the whole family went through is pretty tough. It's a terrible disease, and it's really cool to see what baseball has become to show their support and raise some awareness for this cause."