Betty White, TV’s Golden Girl passed away on Friday just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday. And as most netizens bemoaned the loss, a curious fact came to the notice of some sports fans. Something that put into perspective just how long Betty White has been here for.

And while Betty White didn’t much have a sports resume to boast of, her appearances were memorable nonetheless.

Betty White lived through baseball history

While most of our grandparents would have lived through the dominant New York Yankees run through most of the 1920s it’s still a stark reminder. Betty White could well have seen Murder’s Row walking out to the mound at the Yankee Stadium.

In fact when she was born in 1922, Wally Pipp was still on first base for the New York Yankees. Granted she was an infant for most of the time but it’s crazy to think that Betty White was from almost the same era as Pipp.

Wally Pipp is famous or perhaps more accurately infamous for being of the most iconic players in history to lose his place on the roster because of inactivity. Pipp lost his spot on the diamond to Lou Gehrig on a fateful day in 1925.

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The Story of Wally Pipp

Wally Pipp was feeling slightly sick on the day of the game and decided to call in sick for the day. The Yankees manager Miller Huggins decided that day to let the first baseman rest up.

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Instead he would play a “fresh talent” at first base that day. That “fresh talent” was at the time an unassuming slugger who went by the name, Lou Gehrig. The Iron Horse tore it up on that day going 3 for 5. Needless to say the performance commanded a permanent spot on the roster. And Gehrig didn’t leave the lineup for another 14 years.

Pipp meanwhile, lost his place in the starting line-up and eventually lost his pinstripes. His name fast becoming synonymous with an athlete who lost his place on the roster because of inactivity.

And while Pipp has claimed on several occasions that the story is a made up media device and that 6 other starters had been dropped that day for poor performance, Betty White would certainly have loved the story. And that’s what we’re sticking with.