Thirty years after he passed Lou Gehrig to set Major League Baseball’s consecutive games record, Cal Ripken Jr. returned to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to reflect on the legacy of that historic night.
Speaking with Orioles broadcaster Brett Hollander, Ripken Jr. reminisced about the night he broke the all-time consecutive games record at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, recalling personal moments and the atmosphere of the event
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In his conversation with Hollander, Ripken recalled several moments that he says remain as clear today as they were three decades ago.
Among them was a silent but powerful exchange with his father, Cal Sr., who watched from a nearby skybox.
“There was no words that were said,” Ripken remembered.
“It was just body language. It was pointing at each other, acknowledging the record… it felt like there was like a thousand ‘I love you’s’ coming through that.”
Other standout memories included his children throwing the first pitch, teammates Rafael Palmeiro and Bobby Bonilla pushing him out of the dugout for the curtain call and, above all, playing well on the field.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 06: Cal Ripken Jr. hugs his son Ryan after a ceremonial first pitch during his 2131 ceremony ahead of the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 06, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)
Ripken hit two home runs over the course of the series, emphasizing that his performance, and his team’s, mattered as much as the celebration.
“If I was going to choreograph how that night would have gone, we’d be battling for the playoffs,” Ripken said.
“But we played a nice spoiler role… the reason you get to play every day is that you’re deserving of playing. So I wanted to do well personally, and I wanted our team to do well, and we both did it.”
“There were a lot of moments that you get in a flashback sort of way. I mean, coming in the dugout—you’ve got Dad’s plaque over there now. So, I mean, you stand right above here and point up to the skybox that was right behind us. And that memory was pretty… there were no words that were said. It was just body language. It was pointing at each other, acknowledging the record, and he was there.
But it felt like there were a thousand ‘I love you’s’ or something coming through that. So that one. Rafi and Bo pushing me out the corner of the dugout—that was cool. My kids throwing out the first pitch and then showing them the shirt, I thought that was really cool. Playing really well and winning was super important for me.
If I was going to choreograph how that night would have gone, we’d be battling for the playoffs. We’d be first place in the tough series with California. In the end, California was battling for the playoffs, and we were kind of back a little too far. But we played a nice spoiler role. So if we’re going to celebrate it, you’re celebrating the reason you get to play every day is that you’re deserving of playing.
So I wanted to do well personally, and I wanted our team to do well, and we both did it.”
Ripken also reflected on the presence of Joe DiMaggio, who attended the record-setting game and offered a rare comment: “All records can be broken.”
“There’s something really majestic about Joe DiMaggio,” Ripken said.
“One last image I have from 2131 was DiMaggio, who did not speak a lot. But you want to talk about the magic of baseball—someone connecting the dots between his former teammate, whose record you just broke.
Oh, by the way, DiMaggio might be the only other guy who has an unbreakable record. Maybe, maybe not. He said that night, ‘All records can be broken.’ But you want to talk about the magic of baseball, and kind of this connection between Lou Gehrig, DiMaggio, and a great night in Baltimore with you.”
“There was this eerie connection… and the atmosphere that year was really unique. We just came off a strike, the cancellation of the World Series, and I think the fans were still trying to find something they really liked. A lot of them attached to the concept that I was going after this old record.”
Ripken likened the environment to a “festive World Series-type atmosphere,” with baseball icons like Hank Aaron and even President Bill Clinton in attendance.
But the durability of Ripken’s streak, 2,632 consecutive games, wasn’t without critics with some questioning whether his pursuit of the record came at the expense of the team.
“And I think in some ways—and maybe I’m getting way too philosophical on this—but the atmosphere during that year was, we just came off a strike, the cancellation of the World Series, and a lockout. And I think the fans were still trying to find something that they really liked.
And I think a lot of them sort of attached to the concept that I was going after this old record when baseball was a sport, you know, not this big form of entertainment or not this big form of business. And it seemed like Joe DiMaggio made that work with his presence.
I think Hank Aaron was here. I can’t remember all the people that were here. I mean, obviously, Bill Clinton was here both nights—2130 and 2131. It did have a really festive, World Series–type, Opening Day–type atmosphere. And it felt really good to compete under that environment, but also do really well.”
On the 2012 night the Orioles unveiled his statue, Ripken’s brother Bill delivered what Cal called “the best speech” defending him.
“Billy articulated pretty well… it’s actually the opposite,” Ripken said.
“You show up each and every day to try to meet the challenges of today. And Dad made sure that you came to the ballpark each and every day ready to play. The managers created the streak. That’s who did it.”
And I never heard it laid out so firmly and so succinctly. And to paraphrase, he said: ‘The selfish ballplayer takes off when they’re in a slump, day game after a night game, and Roger Clemens is on the mound, and he’s okay and doesn’t want to go 0-for-5 with three punchouts. The selfless player, the good teammate, says: I’m still the best option. If I am, I can still help this team in some way.’
I thought that was the most well-articulated point to any critic of the streak.”
Hollander closed by asking Ripken, “are you really Iron Man?”
“Last one, and to me, Ben McDonald’s told so many stories about this over the years.
The big question I have—obviously there’s a huge amount of determination and work ethic within you—but are you, in fact, an Ironman?
Because Big Ben says that you were hit with fastballs that didn’t leave bruises, that you would go and do things that didn’t actually physically affect you as it would other players.”
Ripken credited genetics and a family trait of resilience.
“Dad was like that,” Ripken explained.
“He got hit in the face with a line drive… went to the hospital… came back and you couldn’t tell whether he got hit or not. I was blessed with good genetics. Sometimes you couldn’t see a mark [from an injury]. I was blessed with being able to heal really well and maybe endure some of those nagging injuries that would take other people out.”
Thirty years later, Ripken’s record still stands, a testament not only to his durability, but to his daily commitment to the game.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 06: Cal Ripken Jr. prepares to catch a ceremonial first pitch from his son Ryan during his 2131 ceremony ahead of the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 06, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)