Cal Ripken Biography

Baseball Player

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Name at birth: Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr.

Cal Ripken earned the nickname "Iron Man" by playing in a record 2632 consecutive major league baseball games. The string ran from 30 May 1982 to 19 September 1998, when Ripken voluntarily sat out a game. The record was previously held by Lou Gehrig, who played in 2130 straight games; Ripken passed Gehrig on 7 September 1995. Ripken played his entire major league career (1981-2001) with the Baltimore Orioles, amassing 3184 hits and 431 home runs. Ripken played shortstop for many years, but moved to third base near the end of his career. He retired at the end of the 2001 season, and later gave his name to Cal Ripken Baseball, a league for kids aged 12 and under. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Extra credit: Ripken wore number 8... He batted and threw right-handed... Ripken's father Cal Sr. and brother Bill also spent time with the Orioles; at one point Bill played second while Cal played shortstop and Cal Sr. managed the team... Cal Ripken was voted the American League's rookie of the year in 1982; he played 23 games in 1981, but 1982 was his first full year in the majors... In 1995, the year Ripken broke Gehrig's streak, Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Year.

Other baseball stars of the 20th century: Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Alex Rodriguez.

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