Receiving a 98.53 percent of votes in his first Hall of Fame ballot, Cal was at the time the 3rd highest in history (now 6th). He was inducted during ceremonies on July 29, 2007 in Cooperstown, NY. Cal is the 6th and latest player whose plaque shows him in an Orioles cap.
On June 19, 2001, Cal announced his retirement, effective at the season’s end. He was batting .210 at the time, but batted .256 the remainder of the season.
Following the pregame ceremonies before his last game on October 6, Cal took the field - to be joined by the starting lineup from his major league start in 1981 - at 7:38 p.m. Those three numbers are the same as those worn by the three Ripkens as Orioles: father Cal Sr. (7), younger brother Bill (3), and
Cal Jr. himself (8).
The Iron Man streak did not come without its tests. There were many close calls that presented Cal with a challenge.
With each trial, Cal was able to have the career he wanted and end it on his terms. On Sept. 20, 1998, Cal removed himself from the lineup 30 minutes before the Orioles' final home game vs. New York, ending his consecutive game streak at 2,632 games - 501 longer than Lou Gehrig’s previous record.
Tonight I stand here, overwhelmed, as my name is linked with the great and courageous Lou Gehrig. I’m truly humbled to have our names spoken in the same breath.
Some may think our strongest connection is because we both played many consecutive games.
Yet I believe in my heart that our true link is a
common motivation –
a passion for our team, and a desire to compete on the very highest level.
a love of the game of baseball
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Post-Game Speech (9/6/95)
It's one of the great achievements in the history of sports. Cal Ripken embodies all that the Orioles stand for, all that Baltimore stands for and, really, all that this country stands for in terms of his dedication and work ethic.
Peter Angelos
Baltimore Orioles Owner
He takes pride in the fact that he never bruises. He’s got this game that he likes to play called the rib game. He gets it in the ribs with your knuckles and then he does the same to you. And you come in later all bruised and he likes to show you that there’s no mark on him.
Brady Anderson
(9/6/95)
Earl Weaver
I moved him because we needed him at shortstop. It was no stroke of genius by any stretch of the imagination. I had been watching Cal and hitting him ground balls and he reminded me of Mart Marion, who I had watched growing up in St. Louis. They were similarly built, they had similar range. Those guys take two steps to Ozzie’s (Smith) three or four. The tremendous arm we knew he had. The other thing was he had grown up in a baseball family. His father had played for me in 1960, the year Cal was born. He was around baseball all the time and he grew up in the Orioles organization.
He always had great baseball instincts.
Running out to third base at Memorial Stadium in the top of the 1st inning on May 30, 1982, Cal Ripken, Jr. began the streak. Despite a lackluster performance on the field (Cal went 0-2 with a walk and the Orioles lost by six to the Blue Jays), this game would go down in history as game number 1 of 2,632.
Cal started 2,216 consecutive games at shortstop from July 1, 1982, through July 14, 1996. He made six starts in a seven-game span at third base, July 15-21, 1996, when Manny Alexander started at shortstop, before returning to shortstop for the remainder of the 1996 season.
August 11, 1981
nine days after selecting him in the second round of the First Year Player Draft. He was the fourth player taken by the Orioles and the 48th player overall. Most teams viewed him as a pitcher, as he posted a 7-2 record with a 0.70 ERA and 100 Ks in 60 innings pitched his senior year at Aberdeen High School. However, the Orioles put him at shortstop, and he hit .264 in 63 games at Rookie-level Bluefield.
Cal quickly moved up the Orioles’ minor league system. He joined Class-A Miami in 1979 and hit .303 while splitting time between shortstop and third base. In 1980, with AA Charlotte, he was named the Southern League’s All-Star third baseman, batting .276 with 25 homers. Before getting called up the following season, Cal continued his hitting success by batting .288 with 23 homers for AAA Rochester.
In 1981, Cal made his big-league debut as a pinch-runner on August 10th and his first hit, a single off Chicago’s Dennis Lamp on August 16th.
The Orioles sign Cal Ripken Jr to his first professional contract on June 13 1978
Born on August 24, 1960, to Vi and Cal Ripken, Sr., in Havre de Grace, MD, Cal Ripken, Jr. was destined to be a baseball legend.
The Susquehanna River begins in a little town known for
housing baseball legends and telling stories of hardball’s
history – Cooperstown, NY. As it flows down through
Pennsylvania and into Maryland, the mouth of the
river appears in Havre de Grace, MD. Let’s just say,
He grew up at the family home in nearby Aberdeen, MD,
the second child and first son.
Cal Ripken, Jr. was born to play. Senior managed in rural
American towns such as Tri-City and Asheville, where
Junior often followed along. Shagging fly balls, working
on his swing, and hanging around a professional
clubhouse gave the youngster an early and strong
foundation in the game.
there was something in the water.
This is the greatest place to play.
Postgame Speech (9/6/95)
Tonight, I want to make sure you know how I feel. As I grew up here, I not only had dreams of being a big league ballplayer, but of being a Baltimore Oriole. As a boy and a fan, I know how passionate we are about baseball and the Orioles here. And as a player, I have benefited from this passion.
For all of your support over the years, I want to thank you, the fans of Baltimore, from the bottom of my heart.
,
,
,
2 AL MVP Award
,
Cal Ripken, Jr.
nd
RICHIE BANCELLS about the knee sprain following the brawl with the Mariners in 1993: “I knew enough to be concerned about it because he called me the next morning and said, ‘I think we have a problem.’ He had never done that before, and I knew he was concerned. We weren’t thinking about the streak, it wasn’t a factor then. He treated it aggressively one more time and went out during BP to take ground balls. As we got closer to game time, he thought it would be alright.”
The Baseball strike almost ended the streak with replacement players. Luckily, play resumed after agreement was reached with Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association.
Chicago White Sox reliever Roberto Hernandez lost his balance during the pre-game photo session and accidently broke Cal’s nose. “The last thing you want to do is go down in the history of All-Star game competition as the only injury (his nose was broken by Roberto Hernandez) sustained during the
team picture.” - Cal
