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Baltimore Orioles Greats: The Mount Rushmore of Birdland

ByKristen Bentley|
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 06: Hall of fame player and former Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripken Jr. stands next to the statue of him that was unvieled before the start of the Orioles and New York Yankees game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 6, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 06: Hall of fame player and former Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripken Jr. stands next to the statue of him that was unvieled before the start of the Orioles and New York Yankees game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 6, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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6 Sep 1995: Shortstop Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles shakes hands with fans at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland to acknowledge congratulations for breaking Lou Gehrig”s record for consecutive games played. The game was against the California Angels and the Orioles won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport
6 Sep 1995: Shortstop Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles shakes hands with fans at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland to acknowledge congratulations for breaking Lou Gehrig”s record for consecutive games played. The game was against the California Angels and the Orioles won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport

The easiest choice of all is Cal Ripken. Other than pitching, Ripken leads in nearly every statistic. He has more hits and runs than any other Orioles player in the history of the team. Of course, it is due to his 3001 games played. Within those 3001 games, he played 2632 consecutive games which beat Lou Gehrig‘s record of 2130 games that stood for more than 50 years.

The best part of Ripken’s 3001 games is that he played every single one in an Orioles uniform. Interestingly, Ripken does not have the most games played by an Orioles player. That honor belongs to Ripken’s contemporary, Eddie Murray. But, not all of Murray’s 3026 games were played in an Orioles uniform.

Cal Ripken: First face of Baltimore Orioles Mount Birdmore

  • Position: Shortstop and Third Baseman
  • Seasons with Orioles: 1981-2001
  • Batted/threw: Right/right
  • Born: Aug. 24, 1960 in Havre de Grace, Maryland
  • MLB debut: Aug. 10, 1981 with Orioles
  • Last MLB appearance: Oct. 6, 2001 with Orioles
  • Nickname: “Iron Man” or “Rip”
  • All-Star Game appearances: 19
  • World Series rings: 1 
  • Gold Glove awards: 2
  • Silver Slugger awards: 8
  • MVP awards: 1
  • Rookie of the Year:  Yes
  • BBWAA Hall of Fame: Yes. Class of 2007.

Ripken’s career stats

  • Games: 3,001
  • Batting average: .276
  • Hits: 3184
  • At bats: 11,551
  • Home runs: 431
  • RBIs: 1695
  • Runs: 1647
  • Doubles: 603
  • Stolen bases: 36
  • OBP: .340
  • SLG: .447
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