From the time Cal Ripken Jr. played his last game for the Baltimore Orioles on Oct. 6, 2001, the countdown began for Cooperstown?s call.
That day has finally arrived. Ripken, who played in a record 2,632 consecutive games, is expected to receive word at 2 p.m. today that he is officially going to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The question, it seems, is not whether baseball?s “Iron Man” will get in, but by how many votes.
Ripken, along with fellow likely inductee Tony Gwynn could both challenge pitcher Tom Seaver?s record for highest percentage of votes for the Hall of Fame. Seaver received 98.84 percent of the votes when he got inducted in 1992.
In an interview last summer with The Examiner, Ripken said that while getting inducted into the Hall of Fame is a great honor, he has tried not to get too excited about it, a tact he also took in 1995 in the months leading up to him breaking Lou Gehrig?s consecutive-games streak.
“Just go with the flow and when the time is right, then that is how you will deal with it,” Ripken said on “The Streak.” “And the same way with the Hall of Fame. If it were to happen, just as the record with the consecutive-game streak were to happen, then it is going to happen and I will deal with it when the time is right.”
Today?s likely announcement is the culmination of Ripken?s stellar 21-year career, which included 3,184 hits, 431 home runs and 1,695 RBI. He also won a World Series, two Most Valuable Player awards and appeared in 19 straight All-Star games.
Ripken and Gwynn are part of a dying breed of professional athletes who played their entire careers with one team. Gwynn spent his entire 20 years in the major leagues with the San Diego Padres.
Despite growing up in Aberdeen and coming up through the Orioles system, Ripken said the thought of going elsewhere crossed his mind following the 1988 season. That year, the Orioles lost a record 21 straight games to start the season and fired his father, Cal Sr., who was then the manager, six games into the season.
“We all have to dig down deep and figure out what is most important in your life,” Ripken said. “Playing for the Orioles with the hopes of returning to the playoffs was something I chose. I am glad that I was able to come to that decision, and it worked out because that is really where I wanted to play.”
As he reviews his career, Ripken said he realizes how lucky he is ? a perspective he didn?t enjoy early in his playing days after winning both a world championship and an MVP award in 1983.
“I think going through the ups and downs of going 0-21 and losing and also feeling the glory and fulfillment of winning makes you understand the differences in the two,” Ripken said. “So you learn to appreciate how special it is and how hard it is to get back to the World Series.”
RIPKEN NOTE
» WJZ-13 has special live coverage as Cal Ripken learns he?s headed for the Baseball of Hall Fame, at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Plus, see his first live televised reaction to the announcement at 4:30 p. m. on WJZ-13 and wjz.com.
