patience of manager Earl Weaver, who continued to write Cal Ripken’s name into
the lineup until the kid proved he belonged.
Ripken batted .128 with no RBIs in 23 games with the Orioles in 1981,
leaving his rookie status – and plenty of doubts about his readiness for the
majors – intact for the next season. But even a 4-for-55 slump didn’t deter
Weaver, who kept playing Ripken every day after sitting him for the second
game of a May 29 doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays.
It was a wise move, which led to another one. Ripken was converted from a
third baseman to a shortstop, and responded by being named the American
League’s Rookie of the Year after batting .264 with 32 doubles, five triples,
28 homers, 93 RBIs and 90 runs.
“Earl understood very early on that, instead of having to sacrifice offense
at shortstop, you could put Cal out there and, because of his agility and
athleticism and knowledge of the game, he’d figure out how to play shortstop,”
Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer said.
Ripken still was trying to figure out how to hit major-league pitching. His
first homer came on Opening Day against Kansas City’s Dennis Leonard. He also
had two other hits that afternoon, but was batting .117 on May 1. The next
day, he was beaned by Oakland rookie Mike Moore, leaving a grapefruit-sized
hole in his batting helmet, but missed only one game.
He never left the lineup after the May 29 nightcap until voluntarily ending
The Streak in September 1998. Ripken already was developing a reputation for
coming through in the clutch by leading all major-league rookies with 11
game-winning RBIs.
His first stolen base came on May 31, when he swiped home on the front end
of a double steal with infielder Lenn Sakata. The season also included
Ripken’s first grand slam, off New York’s Mike Morgan during a Sept. 14 game
at Memorial Stadium. By then, almost a month had passed since he tied the club
record with five hits against Texas.
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Thanks in large part to Ripken’s contributions – which included 44
consecutive errorless games at third base – the Orioles remained in contention
for the AL East Division crown until the final game, Weaver’s last as manager
before coming out of retirement three years later to be reunited with the
player who rewarded his faith.