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

Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), best known as Cal Ripken, Jr., is an American baseball player born in Havre de Grace, Maryland and raised in nearby Aberdeen. His father, Cal Sr., was a long-time coach in baseball who managed the Baltimore Orioles in the late 1980s. His brother, Billy, played 2nd base for various teams, including the Orioles. He has two other siblings, Ellie and Fred.

He was a shortstop and later third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles who played between 1981 and 2001. He 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, considered to be a record.

Cal Ripken retired on October 6, 2001 and built a new stadium in Aberdeen, Maryland, 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 2006; 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 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

External links

• Cal Ripken, Jr.'s career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com