Homer History: Cal Ripken Jr. wowed us yet again on Iron Man night
In our Homer History series, writers re-tell the stories of memorable home runs from their perspective. Today, MLB Network’s Lauren Shehadi remembers Cal Ripken Jr.’s homer on the night he made history as MLB’s Iron Man. You can watch Lauren co-host “Hot Stove” in the offseason and “MLB Central” during the regular season on MLB Network. You can follow her on Twitter, @LaurenShehadi
I remember sitting on the couch with my dad in our suburban D.C. home watching the Baltimore Orioles play ball in the fall of 1995. I was 12 and my passion for sports was growing with each game I watched Cal Ripken Jr. play. He was the golden boy of the D.C. metro area at the time. A larger-than-life figure, who was in the spotlight for all the right reasons. He was talented, a good man and loyal to the game he loved.
On Sept. 6., the Iron Man was set to make history. He would break Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-games-played record after 13-and-a-half years with no days off. Thirteen years. Every game. Every single game.
[Previously in Homer History: The night a hobbled Kirk Gibson broke my heart]
Covering baseball for a living now, I realize what a grind that must have been for Cal – both mentally and physically. Even 162 games in one season is hard to swallow for some of these gifted athletes today.
Camden Yards was packed. Talk about a who’s who — President Bill Clinton, Vice President Gore, Henry Aaron, Joe DiMaggio; Earl Weaver threw out the first pitch. They were all there to see my first sports hero become baseball’s all-time Iron Man. Fans had secured tickets to this game at the beginning of the season hoping and praying that rain outs wouldn’t push the record-breaking night back to a later date.
I will never forget the fourth inning. Cal had a way of rising to every occasion. He was a career .336 hitter in the postseason, homered in his final All-Star Game, and that night was no exception. In the fourth inning, on a 3-0 pitch, Cal crushed it over the left-field wall. I couldn’t believe what I was watching. Cal had delivered the type of magical moment that makes sports the greatest escape for people all around the world. It was the most thrilling sports moment I had ever witnessed — magical for everyone who watched. I’ll never forget Cal Sr. biting his lip trying to hold back tears. Watching that with my dad was pretty special.
But that day wasn’t just about the history that was being made on the field. It was about attitudes changing in the stands, as well. Baseball was in a tough place following the strike that cut the 1994 season short and delayed the start of the ’95 campaign. People were fed up with the sport arguing over money. But here was a player that everyone could admire.
Despite his superstar status, he showed up every single day and did his job with a seemingly blue-collar attitude. For many casual fans, his accomplishments on the field were simply icing on the cake. It was his approach that truly resonated with the masses.
[Elsewhere: Check out the Dunk History series on Yahoo Sports]
Twenty-one years later, I had the chance to interview Cal Ripken Jr. and I labored over my questions for days. He was the guy who singlehandedly made me a sports fan. What could I possibly ask him? After stumbling through my introduction, I asked simply, “Does that night feel like yesterday, like it does for me?” He answered, “Yes, I relive it in my head and I’m so humbled to have been a part of it.”
A part of it? He was it.
At MLB Network when it’s late August and we’re covering day games that don’t have any impact on the postseason, I remember Cal. He played in those late August games, too. He did it for years.
And he never missed one.
COMING THURSDAY: Jeff Passan on Albert Pujols’ homer in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS.
PREVIOUSLY IN HOMER HISTORY
– The night a hobbled Kirk Gibson broke my heart
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
The StewPod: A baseball podcast by Yahoo Sports
Subscribe via iTunes or via RSS feed
– – – – – – –
Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
