Baltimore Orioles History: Ripken Injury During Memorable Brawl

In Baltimore Orioles history, June 6 marks the anniversary of a fight for ages. It also marks the day that an iconic streak was broken.

The Baltimore Orioles won the battle on this day in 1993, but they almost lost the war.

On this day in 1993, Cal Ripken Jr.almost ended his record-setting streak thanks to a twisted right knee. If he had sat out the next game, his streak would have ended at 1,790, leaving him 340 games shy of Lou Gehrig‘s streak.

The injury occurred during a brawl against the Seattle Mariners at Camden Yards. Ripken’s cleats got stuck in the grass and the result was a twisted right knee. The fight started after Mike Mussina plunked the Mariner’s catcher Bill Haselman. The original incident sparked several smaller brawls that went on for several minutes.

Mussina wasn’t the only pitcher to throw a questionable pitch that day. The two teams were in an ugly state of mind after Chris Bosio threw two wild pitches behind Orioles hitters, including the one against Harold Baines in the fourth. That pitch resulted in Mark McLemore being able to score from third.

Haselman hit a home run off of Mussina in the top of the 5th. In his next at-bat in the 7th, Mussina hit him in the shoulder on the first pitch. Haselman barely had time to take a breath before he was off the plate storming the mound. The dugouts and bullpens cleared and the result was a melee on the mound. Jeff Tackett was right behind him, and after Haselman tackled Mussina, Tackett began working to get the two separated.

You can relive the moment thanks to MLB’s video:

But Tackett’s work was pointless as both teams met on the mound and a brawl-for-the-age ensued. Because so many men were involved, it was tough to see if Haselman and Mussina ever threw punches at each other. However, you can see Paul Carey get a few punches in as soon as he gets to the foray; he wasn’t ejected.

More from Orioles History

• Baltimore Orioles: 2023 Hall of Fame BBWAA Ballot Features J.J. Hardy
• Baltimore Orioles: Five Treats from the 2022 Season
• Former Orioles Players on Playoff Teams this October
• On This Day: 2012 Ragtag Orioles Win Wild Card Game
• The April Orioles Seem Like a Completely Different Team

Haselman was ejected, but Mussina was not. The Mariners manager Lou Pinella was also ejected. Mussina went on to earn the win and pitch into the 8th inning. The Orioles won by a score of 5-2. In fact, the Orioles swept the Mariners in that three-game series with the fight culminating in the final game.

Despite the twisted knee, Ripken went on to finish the game. He went 1-4 that day. Most importantly, on June 7 against the Oakland A’s at Camden Yards, he played a complete game going 1-2 despite barely being able to walk that morning. Despite his .218 batting average, the A’s intentionally walked him in the 7th. After his single in the third, Harold Baines knocked him in on a two-run homer.

The Iron Man lived up to his name that day, proving that baseball players (at least some of them) are a resilient group. It’s difficult to imagine history would have changed if he chose not to play on June 7, 1993.