Calvin Edwin "
Cal"
Ripken, Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed "
The Iron Man", is an American former
baseball shortstop and
third baseman who played 21 seasons in
Major League Baseball (MLB) for the
Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his position's most offensively productive players, Ripken compiled 3,184
hits, 431
home runs, and 1,695
runs batted in during his career, and he won two
Gold Glove Awards for his defense. He was a 19-time
All-Star and was twice named
American League (AL)
Most Valuable Player (MVP). Ripken is best known for holding the
record for consecutive games played, 2,632, surpassing
Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 that had stood for 56 years and that many deemed
unbreakable. In
2007, he was elected into the
National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, and currently has the fourth highest voting percentage of all-time (98.53%).