For George Sherrill, it’s a flat-billed cap.

Yes, the cap. It’s the fashion statement in the Orioles’ dugout these days, as teammates cock their brims skyward after one of the game’s best closers secures victory. Sherrill’s cap does not rank among the game’s most recognizable traits — at least, not yet. But it’s serving him well.

The left-hander is 3-4 this season with a 3.80 earned-run average, but 29 saves in 35 opportunities made the 31-year-old native of Memphis, Tenn., the Orioles’ lone all-star.

When “The Brim Reaper” took the mound at the Midsummer Classic, it culminated a 13-year journey for the 6-foot, 230-pounder and his unmistakable cap, which first took shape more than 1,800 miles away from Yankee Stadium’s All-Star Game.

“When I got to [Double-A] San Antonio I changed,” Sherrill said as he stood in front of his locker before a recent game. “I bent it all the way through the Independent League. But [teammates] were wearing me out because my hat was always a little crooked, because when I bent it, it was uneven. My left hand was a little stronger, and I never looked in the mirror or straightened it out because I always thought it was straight, but it was a little off.”

His solution: “Wear it the way it comes out of the box, and that’s how it started. I don’t have any of the gangsta’ in me,” he said with a laugh. “I just keep it straight and flat.”

HAVING A BALL

Sherrill’s sports career began on the basketball courts and soccer fields outside Memphis, playing with his older brother Sidney. But at Evangelical Christian School, he realized his calling was baseball.

“In high school, he was one of those kids who never said a bad thing or complained, the kind of kid any coach would want,” said Jim Heinz, the school’s former baseball coach. “But George wasn’t making all-star teams back then. And he was so quiet, sometimes you didn’t know he was around.”

Sherrill was the top pitcher and also played first base at Evangelical Christian but received little attention and struggled to find a team in a summer league, in which college and pro scouts evaluated talent.

After graduation in 1995, he joined a club team in Southaven, Miss., where he caught the attention of a scout from Jackson State Community College in Tennessee.

After talking with his parents, Lee and Susan, he opted to join the Generals., and it paid off quickly.

As a freshman, Sherrill was the No. 3 starter and helped Jackson State to its first Junior College World Series. By the end of his sophomore year, he had a scholarship to Austin Peay.

“I actually saw him when he was coming out of high school,” Austin Peay coach Gary McClure said. “But I didn’t get a chance to recruit him, because we were done at the time and didn’t have any scholarships left.”

Sherrill was a closer in 1998, then was moved into the starting rotation the next season as a senior.

“We weren’t very good, and there weren’t many leads to hold,” Sherrill said. “So I had to go into the rotation, and it was fun getting to play against teams like Vanderbilt and Memphis, bigger schools that give you exposure.”

It didn’t matter: 1,474 players were selected in 50 rounds of the 1999 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Players such as Josh Hamilton, Josh Beckett, Ben Sheets, Barry Zito and Brian Roberts.

But not George Friederich Sherrill.

“I thought he should have been drafted,” McClure said. “I talked to a lot of scouts, and people thought he had a bad body. But I always said he was a good athlete, had good feet and that kind of thing.”

MORE THAN A MINOR SUCCESS

Sherrill wasn’t ready to give up his dream.

He bounced around the minors for four years, taking the mound for the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League and the Sioux Falls Canaries and Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern League. During the offseason, Sherrill pitched in Puerto Rico and South America.

And he found time to return home.

“He would come by three days a week and lift weights and he would run; some days he would see if I could get a catcher for him,” Heinz said. “It was him trying to get to where he is now. I’d be with the assistant coaches and we’d say, ‘What is George doing? Is this just a dream?’ But then all of a sudden it just caught on.”

In July 2003, Sherrill signed a contract with the Seattle Mariners. He finished the season in Double-A San Antonio and, with his flat-billed cap, went 3-0 with a 0.33 ERA in 16 relief appearances.

After a brief stint in the Arizona Fall League, he started the 2004 season with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers — one step from the big leagues.

“I kept hearing my dad’s voice saying, “It’s finally our chance,” Sherrill said. “When Winnipeg let me go to pursue my dream [and sign with the Mariners], I finally felt like I was making some headway.”

Almost a year later, on July 16, 2004, he made his professional debut with Seattle against the Cleveland Indians when he entered with a runner on first and nobody out in seventh inning.

It wasn’t pretty.

After being called for a balk against Brian Broussard — the first hitter he faced — Sherrill gave up a run-scoring single to center to Broussard. Sherrill got out of the inning without giving up another run, recording his first strikeout by getting Travis Hafner swinging. But Sherrill was pulled with two outs in the eighth inning after giving up a two-run double that secured the Indians’ 6-5 win.

Sherrill, however, recovered from that bad start to provide stability for the bullpen.

“I spent a lot of time up in ’04, ’05 and was up [the whole season] in ’06 and ’07,” Sherrill said. “I found a niche in Seattle.”

FROM ORIOLE TO ALL-STAR

That niche was brief.

Sherrill was used as a reliever, especially against left-handed hitters, and finished the 2007 season 2-0 with a 2.36 earned-run average in 73 appearances. His success appealed to Orioles coaches, who had one of the major’s worst bullpens at the time.

On Feb. 9, just five months after solidifying his status in the major leagues, Sherrill headed 2,800 miles east to Baltimore, traded with outfielder Adam Jones and three minor-leaguers for O’s ace pitcher Erik Bedard.

“[At first] everyone here was like, “Well, he really doesn’t want to come,’” Sherrill said. “But there was a lot of stuff going on in my life. I was in the middle of moving from Phoenix to Florida and the press conference wasn’t a great time for me. But it’s been great here. I love it here.”

With Chris Ray, who had posted 33 saves in 2006, and Danys Baez out for the season because of injuries, Sherrill became the Orioles’ closer.

He hasn’t looked back, parlaying a fine first half into an invitation to the All-Star Game, in which he stood alongside Hall of Fame greats Whitey Ford, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Yogi Berra and Cal Ripken Jr.

“All of it I’ll remember, but I think that was the most special part,” Sherrill said of the pregame ceremony, which honored the living members of the Hall of Fame. “I talked to Cal for a while, so that was pretty special. I was going to the autograph room, and he called me over [and] introduced me to his family.”

More special moments followed. With the score tied at 3, the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 12th inning, Sherrill struck out San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez. He completed 2 1/3 scoreless innings, his longest appearance since 2004.

“Give this young man credit,” ESPN analyst John Kruk said. “In Seattle last year, he comes over in a trade and he just pitches his rear end off to help the American League get a win. He should be walking away with that [MVP Award and Chevy] Tahoe.”

JUST A SHORT WALK AWAY

It isn’t just stellar play that has made Sherrill popular with fans and teammates, it’s his unique personality.

Teammates initially pegged him as quiet and reserved, But they soon embraced his refreshing approach to major league life, including his habit of donning cowboy boots and a University of Oklahoma football shirt for his short walk home from the ballpark.

“We’re all pretty happy for him, and we’re all rooting for him out there,” reliever Jim Johnson said. “But his strongest attribute is guessing the crab shuffle [on the JumboTron].”

Now, his presence is acknowledged by the players who adjust their brims. It’s a bit of camaraderie missing during last year’s 69-93 season.

“Last year was a hard time with a lot of things, and [the Orioles] weren’t playing that well,” catcher Ramon Hernandez said. “But now the team is happy and everyone is relaxed.”

But how long will Sherrill remain in Baltimore? It’s unclear.

With Ray and Baez expected to return next season, Sherrill will have competition for the role of closer. He also could appeal to a contending team, meaning the Orioles could trade him — and his relatively cheap $980,000 salary — for prospects by the Thursday trade deadline.

“I want to stay here, I want to win here,” Sherrill said. “This could be the start of something special.”

Something special, just like what started nearly 15 years ago at a Memphis high school.

“There aren’t many stories,” McClure said, “better than George Sherrill’s.”

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