By SDCNN staff

On Nov. 9, around 50 friends and family gathered at the College Avenue Center for a surprise 100th birthday party for John Kernoski.

The lunchtime celebration had guests enjoying cake, signing a giant birthday card and singing “Happy Birthday,” as well as a fitting rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

Kernoski is a former Yankees Triple-A team player and is the only man still living to have pitched to Lou Gehrig. As a pitcher in the minor leagues, he once played an exhibition game against the Cardinals where he pitched five innings with a strikeout in each.

“Everybody said that was pretty good for a kid,” he said. He was around 18 years old at the time.

His years in baseball has earned him a Major League Baseball Gold Card, which means Kernoski can attend any baseball game in the country — anywhere, anytime.

And he still has the ability to do so, as his daughter Grace pointed out that he recently got his driver’s license renewed for another five years.

“Guess I’ll just have to live that much longer,” Kernoski joked.