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Cal Sr. finally made the majors in 1976 as one of Weaver's coaches. And in 1978 the Orioles made the star shortstop and pitcher for Aberdeen High School, Cal Jr., their fourth pick in the draft. His talent was so obvious that nepotism was never an issue. In 1982 the Orioles traded third-baseman DeCinces to the California Angels to make room for the kid he once carried to safety. Ripken missed only two games in his Rookie of the Year season, becoming the Orioles' shortstop on a permanent basis on July 1. In '83 Ripken was named the American League MVP, helping lead the Orioles to victory in the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies.
After '83, though, the Orioles went through a rough period. Cal Sr. was given the club to manage in '87, and in July of that season, his youngest son Billy became the Orioles' regular second baseman, making Cal Sr. the first major league manager to have two sons on his team at the same time. But not even that tender story line could save the O's, or Cal Sr.'s job. When the team lost the first six games of the '88 season, he was fired, although Billy remained Cal Jr.'s double-play partner until 1992.
AS THE ORIOLES CONTINUED TO struggle, and Ripken's consecutive-game string grew longer and longer, the talk about resting him grew louder and louder. "I never understood the reasoning behind it," he says. "O.K., my statistics weren't as good as they were in '83, but sitting down would only be running away from the problem. You don't get out of a slump by not playing. And if I wasn't hitting, I could help the team in other ways." Indeed, in 1990 Ripken set a major league record for fewest errors by a shortstop in a season, an amazingly low three. Then in 1991 he won his second mvp award with a .323 average, 34 homers and 114 rbis. "That season proved a lot to me and other people," says Ripken. "I admit I had my doubts, wondering maybe if I was past my prime. But after that I felt, 'So what if I get older? I'll just work a little harder.'"
The Streak has had two close calls. The first came during game No. 444 in April 1985, when Ripken sprained his ankle on a pick-off play in the third inning. Although he continued playing, his ankle was badly swollen and discolored after the game. Fortunately, the Orioles had scheduled an exhibition game against the Naval Academy the next day. The second near-miss came as a result of a bench-clearing melee with the Seattle Mariners during game No. 1,790 in June of '93. Ripken twisted his knee, and when he woke up the next morning, he couldn't put his weight on it. He told his wife Kelly he might not be able to play that night. According to Kelly, "Just before he left for the ball park, I said, 'Maybe you could just play one inning and then come out.' He snapped, 'No! Either I play the whole game or I don't play at all.' I told him, 'Just checking, dear.'"
Ripken did play the full nine innings that night. In fact, he has played in 99.2% of every Orioles game since the Streak began. The percentage would be even higher had Ripken not been ejected from two games in the first inning. After umpire Drew Coble threw him out on Aug. 7, 1989, for arguing, Coble said, "I felt like I was throwing God out of church."