Cal Ripken, Jr.

Cal Ripken redirects here to Cal Ripken, Jr. For the father of Cal Ripken, Jr., see Cal Ripken, Sr.

Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1993

Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960 in Havre de Grace, Maryland) is a former shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles from 1981 to 2001. Raised in Aberdeen, his father, Cal Sr., was a long-time coach in baseball who managed the Orioles in the late 1980s. His brother, Billy, played second base for various teams, including the Orioles. He has two other siblings, Ellie and Fred.

Ripken was known as the iron man of baseball, playing 2,632 straight games spanning fifteen seasons without missing a single game (May 30, 1982 – September 20, 1998). He played his 2131st consecutive game on September 6, 1995, breaking the 56-year old record set by New York Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig. During this streak, Ripken played in 8,243 straight innings from June 5, 1982, to September 14, 1987, also considered to be a record, although not an "official" one as the major leagues have not traditionally kept statistics on innings played by non-pitchers.

Cal Ripken retired on October 6, 2001 and built a new stadium in Aberdeen, where he played baseball as a boy. He is a part owner of the Aberdeen IronBirds, a minor league baseball team associated with the Orioles. Ripken has also made generous donations to charity causes, including many donations supporting research on Lou Gehrig's disease.

Ripken's first appearance on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame will be in January 2007; he is considered a virtual lock for election in his first year of eligibility. If, as expected, he is elected, he will be inducted in the summer of 2007.

Awards and records

1982: American League Rookie of the Year
1983: American League MVP
1991: American League MVP
1991: All-Star Game MVP
1991: Gold Glove Award for shortstop
1992: Gold Glove award for shortstop
1995: Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year"
2001: All-Star Game MVP
Most consecutive games played at 2,632
Most grounded into double plays at 350
Most double plays by a shortstop, American League, 1565

External links

Baseball-Reference.com – career statistics and analysis