Baseball’s Unbreakable Record Celebrates It’s 30th Anniversary

This article will highlight some of the instances where Ripken Jr. faced adversity in the midst of the streak, as well compare recent streaks and the consecutive games record in the NPB to Ripken Jrs. milestone.

Keeping the Streak Alive

On June 6, 1993, the Orioles were taking on the Seattle Mariners in Baltimore. During the game, O’s pitcher Mike Mussina hit Mariners catcher Bill Hasselman. As a result, Hasselman charged the mound and a brawl ensued in the infield.

As one does as a teammate, Ripken Jr. rushed in from shortstop to support his pitcher. However, the two-time MVP tripped on the grass and was stuck at the bottom of the kerfuffle.

While Ripken Jr. finished the game, it was not until the next day when he realized there was a chance he was not going to be able to play.

“That was probably the closest I ever came to missing a game,” said Ripken in an interview with MLB.com’s Joe Trezza. 

Ripken was able to push through a MCL sprain to complete his 1,791st game. An average player would spend a week or two resting that knee to make sure the sprain does not worsen.

Not Ripken.

The Iron Man played through several dings and dents throughout the streak. While fans and even other MLB players called Ripken’s streak selfish and detrimental to the team, the 19-time All-Star never faltered.

Only in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Ripken Jr. has always said in interviews that he did not start playing on May 30, 1982 with the intention of breaking Lou Gehrig’s record. It took several years of consistent playing before the baseball world realized what was on the table for the future Hall of Famer.

With the growing coverage of the game, media outlets and fans are much more on top of watching for these kinds of streaks. 

However, in the past 15 years there have only been two notable streaks, Whit Merrifield played in 553 straight games between June 25, 2018 and July 10, 2022. The utilityman’s streak ended after sustaining a bone bruise in his big toe.

The most notable recent streak is actually still ongoing. Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson has the longest active streak with 760 games as of September 4.

Olson’s streak started back on May 2, 2021 when he was still a member of the Oakland Athletics. After being traded to the Braves, the streak is still going strong.

While Olson would need to play another 12 seasons straight to reach Ripken, having to still play everyday at the ripe age of 43, the slugger’s streak is close to becoming one of the longest in MLB history. 

Olson recently surpassed Braves legend Dale Murphy’s streak of 740 games as well as Pete Rose’s streak of 745 games. If Olson can keep the streak going through the 2026 season, he would pass Stan Musial’s streak of 895 games and have the eighth longest streak of all time.

If we open up the comparisons to different eras and even the NPB, the record still stands tall. If you combine the third and fourth longest streaks, held by Everett Scott, 1,307 games from June 20, 1916 to May 5, 1925, and Steve Garvey, 1,207 games from Sep 3, 1975 to July 29, 1983, you are still 118 games away from matching Ripken Jr.’s feat.

If we include NPB records, the second longest streak would belong to Sachio Kinugasa, who also shares the “Iron Man” nickname.

Kinugasa debuted in the NPB on May 16, 1965 with the Hiroshima Carp. The third baseman’s streak started on Oct 19, 1970 and ran all the way until his last career game on Oct 22, 1987, totaling 2,215 games

Had Kinugasa kept playing, who knows how close he could have gotten to Ripken’s record. However, the fact that Kinugasa would have had to have played for nearly three more years to have played more games than Ripken is a testament to Ripken’s tremendous record.

Celebrating the Iron Man

If you were to ask any Baltimore sports fan who is on their Baltimore sports Mount Rushmore, everyone would include Cal Ripken Jr.

Born and raised in Maryland, Ripken Jr. grew up watching his dad, Cal Sr., manage the O’s. Little did anyone know that he would become one of the greatest players in Orioles franchise history. 

Exactly 30 years later, after accomplishing a feat that seemed insurmountable, the Hall of Famer has shifted to conquering new goals as a partial owner of the Orioles. If you are able to make it to Orioles Park, odds are you can find Ripken Jr. sitting in his seat behind home plate.

From the Ripken Experience sports facility in Aberdeen, MD, where kids from across the world come to compete in travel baseball tournaments and watch the Orioles Single-A affiliate Aberdeen Ironbirds play, to Cal Ripken Way in Baltimore City which is a road that runs parallel directly next to the warehouse, Ripken Jr. is interwoven into Baltimore’s culture.

So, as O’s fans fill up Orioles Park on Sept 6, not only will Birdland be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ripken Jr’s. accomplishment, but also everything that Ripken Jr. has meant to Baltimore.