Calvin Edwin Ripkin, Jr was born August 24th, 1960 in Harve de Grace, Maryland. His father, Cal Sr. was a veteran baseball coach and it should be noted that he coached the Baltimore Oriole baseball team in the late 1980's. Having grown up in a baseball family it was a natural transition for the younger Ripkin to follow a professional career in the sport.
In 1982 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles Cal Jr. played both third base and shortstop and received the American League's Rookie of the Year Award for his 28 home runs that season. From that first year in 1982 to 1991 Cal Jr. hit a minimum of 20 home runs each year, a record that has not been matched or beaten by any other shortstop.
Transition Coaching
In 1987 his father Cal Sr. became coach for the Baltimore Orioles and the first manager in baseball history to manage both his sons on the team, Cal Jr. and Billy Ripken. Cal Jr. was called the Iron Man because of his dedication to his team and the sport. He always showed for practices and would never leave the lineup in a game even when he was injured. Because of his steadfast performance he beat Lou Gehrig's 56 year old record for playing 2,030 consecutive games by playing his 2031st game on September 6th, 1995. His record stands today at a phenomenal 2,632.
His 20 year career with the Baltimore Orioles ended he retired in October 2001. Cal Ripkin, Jr a career batting average of.276 with 3,184 hits, 431 home runs and 1,695 runs batted in. He was also a 19 time All-Star selection, 1 time World Series champion, won the Gold Glove Award 2 times, 8 time winner of the Silver Slugger Award and a 2 time American League Most Valuable Player. Cal Jr. was also a 2 time All-Star MLB Most Valuable Player and received the Roberto Clemente and Lou Gehrig awards. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Cal Ripkin, Jr - Iron Man of Baseball
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