In his autobiography, Joe referred to the 1939 season as the year of the end for "The Iron Man" Lou Gehrig.  This was the year Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS by doctors from the Mayo Clinic; the disease that came to be known later as "Lou Gehrig's disease".  Lou had always held a certain place of significance for Joe. He devoted an entire chapter to Lou in his autobiography.  To add insult to injury, Colonel Ruppert, the owner of the Yankees ball club, had died in January.

Joe actually made it through spring training without injury.  However, eight games into the season, he tore some muscles in his right leg, just above the ankle, while playing Washington in Yankee Stadium.  This was his worst injusry with the Yankees because he was out of the lineup for a month.

The Yankees won the pennant for the fourth straight year, which was a new record for the American League.  They also went on to win the World Series against Cincinnati.  The Yankees were the first major league team to win four straight World Championships.  Joe led the American League in batting with an average of .381.

As the perfect end to a good season, he married Dorothy at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral on November 19th, 1939 in San Francisco.

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