Cal Ripken Biography and Orioles Jersey

 Cal Ripken Biography

Cal Ripken Jr.'s first two Major League Baseball seasons were like the were written in a script a Hollywood movie. In 1992 he won the Rookie of the Year award as he smacked 28 home runs and knocked in 93 RBI's, brinking the Baltimore Orioles to within a game of the MLB playoffs.

In 1983, Ripken led the league in hits, runs, and doubles.  Cal  played tremendous at shortstop and prpelled the Orioles to its first World Series title in 13 years.  At the end of the regular season, Ripken was asked to comment on the fact that he'd played every inning of every game that year. Can you guess what Cal said? He said, "I want people to think of me as an iron man!" Without being aware of it at the time, Cal Ripken had scripted his future.

For the next decade, Cal Ripken chased the MLB consecutive games played streak.  It became so important that it overshadow the rest of his amazing accomplishments.  Even though he became the most dependable shortstop in MLB, each season the God Glove award went to someone else.  At the plate, he became one of the most selective hitters in the majors, regularly drawing more walks than he struck out. Yet his critics noted that he hadn't hit .300 since 1984. The consecutive games played and all of those innings were taking their toll, and quite possibly hurting his offensive production.

But in 1990, Ca Ripken shocked everyone with an outstanding season.  He turned in the best shortstop fielding average in baseball history, committing only three errors and going 95 consecutive games without a miscue. Somehow stil he didn't win the Gold Glove. That elusive honor finaly came the next year when he won his second MVP with another great season. For the rest of Cal Ripken's career there was never a lack of appreciation for his talents.

In 1995, when Cal Ripken became Major League Baseball's all time "Iron Man", 46,272 appreciative fans turned out to congratulate him, while millions of others wished in envy to have been there.

Did you know?

Cal Ripken has always worked to make Baltimore a better place to live.  In 1990, Cal donated a quarter of a milion dollars to establish the Ripken Learning Center, a faciity where illiterate adults can learn to read.  A year later, he donated the van he won as the All Star MVP to the center.

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Cal Ripken Timeline Biography

• Born : Aug. 24, 1960
• Age 2 : Dad becomes a coach.
• Age 4 : Brother Billy is born.
• Age 10 : Takes batting practice vs. Minor eaguers while in little league.
• Age 16 : Pitches for Aberdeen High School
• Age 17 : Drafted in second round by the Baltimore Orioles
• Age 20 : Slugs 25 hrs in the Southern League.
• Age 21 : Called up to the Baltimore Orioles at the end of the 1981 season.Wins starting job the following spring.
• 1984 : Sets the American League record with 583 assists.
• 1987 : He and Billy Ripken became first brothers to play for their fathers in the Major League.
• 1991 : Becomes ninth player ever to hit 20 plus HR's in first 10 years.

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