Miguel Tejada has a new appreciation for Cal Ripken Jr. The current Orioles shortstop had the fifth-longest consecutive-games streak in major league history before an inside pitch from Padres right-hander Doug Brocail broke his left wrist June 20 in San Diego.
Tejada was put into the lineup the next night against the Padres ? a show of respect from interim manager Dave Trembey ? but was lifted for a pinch runner in the first inning. The streak was over.
Recommended Stories
The final count was 1,151 consecutive games. Pretty impressive but nowhere near Ripken?s all-time record of 2,632.
“I appreciate everything he?s done,” said Tejada, whose streak fell 1,480 games ? or about nine seasons ? short of Ripken?s. “He’s like a role model for every baseball player. To play as many games as that and never get hurt, it’s unbelievable. He’s got to be proud. I’m proud to see what he did. It makes me push harder every day.”
Other current Orioles said Ripken?s ability to remain healthy in a sport where one pitch can end a career is unbelievable.
Brian Roberts, a two-time All-Star, is one of the team?s most physically fit players, yet he lasted a little more than three seasons in the majors before suffering a career-threatening left elbow injury late in the 2005 season.
“The streak is just amazing,” said Roberts, who needed reconstructive surgery. “No one is ever going to come close to breaking that streak. It takes longevity, staying healthy. I just don’t ever see it happening again.”
But Roberts said Ripken?s streak, which lasted from May 30, 1982 to Sept. 19, 1998, was enhanced because he redefined the shortstop position and helped revive interest in baseball after a crippling labor strike in 1994.
“Cal and a few other players are credited with bringing fans back after the strike,” Roberts said. “He also revolutionized the shortstop position to where guys who are 6-3 or 6-4 are playing there now.”
Orioles utility player Brandon Fahey, who spent the 2002 season playing for the Orioles? Ripken-owned Single-A team in Aberdeen, said one of the perks for him was seeing Ripken daily.
“I?ll always remember being in high school and watching TV as Cal broke the streak,” Fahey said. “He’s one of the greatest of all time, and I don’t think people understand how hard it is to go out there and play every day. When I was at Aberdeen and I got to see him every day, it put things in perspective that he is just a human being and maybe you have a chance to make it like he did.”
Examiner staff writer Sean Welsh contributed to this story.
