Washington (AFP) – Cal Ripken Jr. and the Baltimore Orioles celebrated Saturday’s 30th anniversary of his breaking the Major League Baseball record for consecutive games played with his 2,131st appearance in a row. The 65-year-old Hall of Fame shortstop and third baseman recalled memories of his “Iron Man” effort to break the old consecutive games mark of 2,130 that had belonged to New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig.
“The memories that happened that night are crystal clear,” Ripken said. “A lot of the things that you do on the baseball field, it’s amazing how that comes back to you.” Ripken, who stretched his record run to 2,632 games before voluntarily halting the streak in 1998, said it seldom seems like three decades have passed since his historical moment. “In most ways, no, but when I get up in the morning from bed, it feels like it has been 30 years,” Ripken said.
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The Orioles were playing the Los Angeles Angels when the record game became official in the fifth inning at Camden Yards. The contest was halted for what would be 22 minutes as the crowd gave Ripken a standing ovation. Ripken admitted he wasn’t sure what else to do after stepping out of the dugout and saluting the spectators but said two teammates — outfielder Bobby Bonilla and first baseman Rafael Palmeiro — urged him to take a victory lap around the out edge of the field to salute stadium fans. “I really didn’t want to do that but they kept saying, ‘We won’t get this game started,’ and I was super sensitive to that,” Ripken said.
Ripken played his entire 21-year career from 1981-2001 with the Orioles, winning a World Series crown in 1983, American League Most Valuable Player awards in 1983 and 1991, and the 1982 AL Rookie of the Year award. Ripken, who retired in 2001 and now is a part-owner of the Orioles, had never really pondered the end of his streak as it kept going. “I never, ever thought there was an end game, that there was a goal or that I was going to break the record,” Ripken said.
He revealed his streak had touched fans who adopted some of his never-give-up attitude in their own lives. “I’ve heard different stories. I’ve been amazed that people have their own streaks in whatever they’re doing in their lives,” Ripken said. “Just hearing the importance of showing up for something you love, I think that’s how people related to the streak. I think that’s cool.”
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