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Three decades after Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record by playing in his 2,131st consecutive game against the Angels, we remember an "organic and authentic" moment in MLB history.
BALTIMORE – Thirty years ago, Cal Ripken Jr. officially became baseball’s “Iron Man” when he broke Lou Gehrig’s streak with 2,131 consecutive games played. It almost didn’t happen.
He was a 19-time All-Star and was twice named American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP), in 1983 and 1991. Ripken holds the record for consecutive games played (2,632), having surpassed Lou Gehrig 's streak of 2,130 which had stood for 56 years and which many deemed was unbreakable.
On Saturday, September 6, Ripken's milestone will be celebrated at Camden Yards, 30 years to the day when he claimed the record for consecutive games played.
The number “2,131” doesn’t need any explanation in baseball circles. It’s how many games Ripken played in a row to break the previous AL/NL record of 2,130 set by Lou Gehrig. Ripken -- who extended his streak to 2,632 before voluntarily ending it on Sept. 20, 1998 -- now holds what might be the most unbreakable mark in the game as the “Iron Man.”
That pop out made the game official, and Cal Ripken Jr. had officially broken Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record of 2,130 games. Baseball had a new Iron Man.
Discover the legacy of baseball's Iron Men in our compelling comparison of Cal Ripken Jr. and Lou Gehrig, highlighting their unmatched durability and impact.
It was more than a baseball story: It was a story of discipline, commitment, loyalty, perseverance, toughness and greatness, attributes that also defined the amazing Lou Gehrig, whose record of ...
On Sept. 6, 1995, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., played his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking the record set in 1939 by Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees.
1989 Upper Deck Unsealing 1 and a look back at Cal Ripken Jr and Lou Gehrig's historic careers en route to each setting unfathomable records.