The Streak

by John Eisenberg

  Dressed in a sports jacket and slacks, he was announced to the crowd, emerged from the dugout, and waved—with one arm. If any fans wondered why he stopped on the grass and made a shorter throw to Anderson, it did not stop them from cheering for Ripken and his consecutive-game achievement.

  Upon leaving the field, he mentioned his injury to the Orioles’ team doctors in the home clubhouse. They X-rayed his shoulder and told him to get an MRI. Indeed, something was not right. The MRI confirmed what the team doctors saw: Ripken had ripped two tendons from his rotator cuff when he landed on his shoulder.

  “The tendons had come clean off the bone,” Ripken recalled. “This wasn’t going to heal.”

  The irony was not lost on the Ironman: on the day he celebrated his streak, he suffered an injury that would have ended it. He underwent surgery within days.

  “There was no way I could have played through it,” he said. “It was kind of funny and painful at the same time.”

  The accident illustrated the good fortune that visited Ripken throughout his streak. He experienced his share of mishaps, but none ended his run.

  The accident also emphasized the unlikelihood of another major leaguer playing in every game for more than 16 years in a row, even if he wanted to try. Major league games were as full of physical risks as ever, and as Billy Williams said, “stuff happens” off the field.

  After Everett Scott’s playing streak ended in 1925, it was widely believed the little shortstop would always hold the consecutive-game record. Who else would want to try such a stunt? Scott’s achievement “will be equaled only through another miracle the equal of his own,” the New York Times wrote. But that “miracle” took place soon. Gehrig passed Scott eight years later.

  Like Scott’s record, Gehrig’s was also deemed unbreakable, this time for longer. “When I started playing [in the 1950s], the two records everyone saw as unbreakable were Gehrig’s and Ruth’s,” Brooks Robinson said. “How were you going to hit more than 714 home runs? And how were you going to play in more games in a row than Gehrig? That was just incredible.”

  But Hank Aaron broke Ruth’s career home run record in 1974, and Ripken passed Gehrig in 1995. Now Ripken’s streak of 2,632 straight games is widely viewed as likely to stand for as long as baseball is played.

  “That’s one record where you have to say, ‘Well, no one is going to break that.’ Because, I mean, no one is going to,” Robinson said.

  Numerous other records are deemed unbreakable. Pitcher Cy Young’s career record of 511 wins, set when arms were not treated nearly so carefully, certainly appears safe; it would take twenty-five 20-win seasons just to get close. Connie Mack’s career mark of managing 53 major league seasons surely will never be topped. On the night the Orioles celebrated the 20th anniversary of 2,131, the team’s current manager, Buck Showalter, cited Hack Wilson’s single-season record of 191 runs batted in, set in 1930, as a mark “nobody will ever touch.”

  Though set much more recently, Ripken’s record already seems similarly preposterous.

  “Trust me, nobody’s going to touch it,” Showalter said.

  “We may never see anyone get to a thousand again, much less to what Gehrig or Cal did,” Steve Garvey said. “There’s a mindset of not needing to play every day, of managers not wanting guys to play every day. You have to overcome the challenge of that philosophy to have a streak.”

  Garvey played every day, he said, because of “a philosophy, an attitude of wanting to always be there for your teammates, be dependable, uphold the terms of your contract. I’m not sure you’re going to see that anymore. Now we’re in the era of, ‘I’ll take $20 million a year, but don’t ask me to play more than 140 games.’ My response is, ‘Wait, you don’t want to play every game?’”

  When teams reported to spring training before the 2015 season, Hunter Pence, an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, had the longest active consecutive-game streak in the majors—383 straight games. Tall, curly-haired, and known as an aggressive, high-energy player, Pence possessed an old-fashioned determination to play through aches. He had missed just 24 games in seven seasons since becoming a regular in 2008.

  When he stepped to the plate in an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs in Surprise, Arizona, on March 5, 2015, it seemed certain his streak would continue when the regular season began. But a Cubs pitcher, Corey Black, threw a fastball that sailed inside and hit him on the left wrist. “I had a feeling it wasn’t good,” Pence said.

  Sure enough, his ulna was fractured. Doctors estimated he would miss two months, including the first weeks of the 2015 regular season. His streak was over.

  “Lost for words. Hope you heal fast @hunterpence. Hitting someone is never a good feeling. Hurting someone is even worse,” Black posted on Twitter.

  Pence good-naturedly responded with this tweet: “It happens, my friend. Thanks for the concern. It’s a part of the game we love. No slowing down!”

  With Pence out, the two longest active streaks belonged to Freddie Freeman, a first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, and Kyle Seagar, a third baseman for the Seattle Mariners. But several months later, within hours of each other on June 18, 2015, Freeman sat out a game because of a wrist injury, ending his streak at 234 straight games, and Seagar was a late scratch due to food poisoning, ending his run of 192 straight.

  On the day Ripken fell off his bike, Manny Machado, a young third baseman for the Orioles, had the longest active streak in the majors, having played in 132 consecutive games—exactly 2,500 fewer than Ripken. Completing even one season of games was deemed a mountain too high for most players, and the idea of doing it for a period of years had become a relic from baseball’s past, as outdated as exaggerated pitching windups and twi-night doubleheaders.

  Yes, Ripken’s Ironman record was safe, probably forever.

  Author’s Note

  Of all my books, this one took the longest to complete, making it something of an Ironman feat in itself. Fortunately, no one kept track of the days.

  As always, I had a lot of help. In the midst of the project, I took a job as a columnist at Baltimoreravens.com, the website for the National Football League team in Baltimore, where I live. I worked on the book when I wasn’t covering the Ravens, and I thank Michelle Andres, the team’s vice president of digital media, for understanding the balance I needed to strike to get my various jobs done.

  My thanks also go to Scott Waxman, my agent, who helped get the project off the ground and provided invaluable counsel at key times; Susan Canavan, my editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, who gently explained why and how an early version of the manuscript needed help and then had a terrific vision for the final version; and Barbara Jatkola, whose careful copyediting made the manuscript more accurate and polished.

  Along the way, I celebrated several wedding anniversaries, including No. 30, with Mary Wynne Eisenberg, whose patience, understanding, and support make it possible for me to undertake these (long) projects. MW, I love you so much.

  To write about the history of baseball’s consecutive-game record since the 1870s, I relied on interviews and research.

  I interviewed these people for the book, either in person or on the phone: Brady Anderson, Richie Bancells, Al Clark, Prince Fielder, Al Fultz, Steve Garvey, Pat Gillick, Art Howe, Rex Hudler, Adam Jones, Tim McCarver, Ben McDonald, Doug Melvin, Dale Murphy, Phil Regan, Bill Ripken, Cal Ripken Jr., Frank Robinson, Fred Roussey, Ron Shapiro, John Shelby, Ken Singleton, Mickey Tettleton, Dave Trembley, Fred Tyler, and Billy Williams. I thank them all for their time and memories and also thank Steve Brener, Dan Connolly, Bob Ibach, John Maroon, and Bill Stetka for helping me get in touch with some of them.

  The quotes and information from Roland Hemond, Davey Johnson, Johnny Oates, Rafael Palmeiro, and Brooks Robinson in this book are taken from interviews that occurred in 1999 during my research for From 33rd Street to Camden Yards, my oral history of the Baltimore Orioles, published in 2001 by Contemporary Books.

  As for the resear
ch, I tapped my usual suspects: old newspapers and magazines, previous books that covered the same terrain, and websites. I also used my own coverage of Cal Ripken Jr. and the Baltimore Orioles. As a Baltimore Sun sportswriter and columnist from 1984 to 2007, I was on hand for many of Ripken’s highs and lows.

  My best resource for old newspapers and magazines was the library at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, where just about every player who ever suited up in the major leagues has a file. The library’s vast collection of Lou Gehrig material, which includes Eleanor Gehrig’s scrapbooks, was especially helpful. Most of the material on Gehrig and other players was easily identifiable, but several clippings that I used lacked a date or a source. I sought to identify them as best I could in both the text and the chapter-by-chapter discursive notes that follow, using the HOF (Hall of Fame) designation in the latter when I was unable to pinpoint a source.

  To access newspapers going back to the 1800s, I used the microfilm rolls at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

  The books that I used are listed in the bibliography, but several warrant special mention. Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, by Jonathan Eig, was invaluable in helping me construct scenes from Gehrig’s life. I also could not have proceeded far without The Iron Men of Baseball, by Marty Friedrich, which contains lengthy capsules focusing on the consecutive-game streaks of every player who ever had the longest active streak in the major leagues. Marty’s painstaking research was hugely helpful.

  Another book that helped with Gehrig was Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time, by Ray Robinson. Books that helped with the Ripken sections were The Only Way I Know, by Cal Ripken Jr. and Mike Bryan, and The Ripken Way: A Manual for Baseball and Life, by Cal Ripken Sr.

  I covered baseball for many years for the Baltimore Sun, long enough to become a lifetime member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. I tended to focus on narrative more than numbers in my coverage, but this is a book about numbers as well as narrative, and taking it on convinced me to join the Society for American Baseball Research. I was in touch with a handful of its members as I reported and wrote, and they all offered encouragement and help, sometimes with the smallest of details.

  My one truly indispensable resource was Pro-baseball-reference.com, the website for scores, statistics, and records going back to the 1870s. I used it whenever I needed a stat, date, lineup, or just about anything involving a number. Information from the site is all over just about every page in this book. I’m a big fan.

  I have strived for 100 percent accuracy, knowing that is difficult to attain, if not impossible. For any mistakes, I take full responsibility.

  —JOHN EISENBERG

  Source Notes

  Introduction

  Quotes from Adam Jones and Steve Garvey from author interviews.

  Chapter 1

  Quotes from Bill Ripken, Cal Ripken Jr., Regan, Bancells, Shapiro, Hudler, Clark, Roussey, and Fultz from author interviews. Palmeiro quotes from 1999 author interview. Dugout conversations during ovation from author interview with Cal Ripken Jr. Olney comment from Bowdoin Orient, October 23, 2009. “World’s largest outdoor insane asylum” from sportswriter Cooper Rollow’s obituary, Chicago Tribune, April 1, 2013. “Devil on earth” from E. M. Swift, “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t,” Sports Illustrated, December 10, 1986. “I locked eyes” from Tim Kurkjian, “Twenty Years Later, Ripken’s Feat Remains Unforgettable,” ESPN.com, September 4, 2015. Maroon essay from Baltimore Business Journal, September 2, 2015.

  Chapter 2

  Text of DiMaggio speech from New York Times, September 8, 1995. Ripken quotes from author interview. “People were mad” from Tim Kurkjian, “Twenty Years Later, Ripken’s Feat Remains Unforgettable,” ESPN.com, September 4, 2015. Angelos quote about DiMaggio from Baltimore Sun, September 7, 1995. “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” from Eig, Luckiest Man; New York World-Telegram, August 4, 1937; New York Times, August 4, 1937; and New York Herald Tribune, August 4, 1937. Samuel Goldwyn background and The Pride of the Yankees from Berg, Goldwyn; IMDb.com; and PBS.org. Eleanor Gehrig quote about Gary Cooper from Eleanor Gehrig scrapbook, National Baseball Hall of Fame (hereafter cited as HOF). Text of Ripken’s speech from Baltimore Sun, September 7, 1995.

  Chapter 3

  Pheidippides’s background from USATF.org, Findingdulcinea.com, and Eyewitnesstohistory.com. Spyridon Louis and inaugural Olympic marathon from Olympic.org and Sports-reference.com. Boston Marathon history from History.com, Runningpast.com, and BAA.org. Matthew Webb and English Channel crossing from Kingofthechannel.com; History.com; and Express.com, December 15, 2015. Henry Sullivan from Skinnerinc.com and Montreal Gazette, August 7, 1923. Luderus “new ‘Iron Man’” from Philadelphia Inquirer, August 4, 1919. Early baseball history from Total Baseball. Early set-lineup statistics and Hornung background from Friedrich, The Iron Men of Baseball. Spalding’s Base Ball Guides from LOC.gov. Pinkney background and scenes from Friedrich, The Iron Men of Baseball; Shafer, When the Dodgers Were Bridegrooms; Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, Peoria, Illinois; Brooklyn Eagle online archives; Sporting Life archives; Peoria Journal Star, January 2005; and SABR.org.

  Chapter 4

  Quotes from Bill Ripken, Cal Ripken Jr., Hudler, Shelby, Gillick, Tyler, and Bancells from author interviews. Ripken family history from Baltimore Sun, September 4, 1995; Aberdeen Museum Review; and Cal Ripken Sr., The Ripken Way. Senior’s background from Ripken, The Ripken Way; Cal Ripken Jr. and Mike Bryan, The Only Way I Know; author interviews with Cal Ripken Jr. and Bill Ripken; and SABR.org bio. “I’m taking you out” conversation from author interview with Cal Ripken Jr. “Lack of fluid mobility” scouting report from Barry Petchesky, “Very Cool: Cal Ripken Jr.’s High School Scouting Report as a Pitcher,” Deadspin.com, January 3, 2014. Tim Norris quotes from PressBox, June 26, 2007.

  Chapter 5

  Steve Brodie background from Baltimore Sun, July 29, 2015; Roanoke Times and World-News, February 2, 1992; Brodie family presentation for consideration as a Hall of Fame inductee, Brodie file, HOF; Sporting News, December 19, 1925; “Death of Steve Brodie,” Sporting News, 1935, Brodie file, HOF; and SABR.org bio. “As fast on his feet as a Kansas grasshopper” from Roanoke Times and World-News, February 2, 1992. Al Munro Elias background and history of statistics from Schwarz, The Numbers Game; Moreland, Balldom; Lanigan, The Baseball Cyclopedia; and Jewishsports.org. Elias column referenced in Baseball Magazine, March 1918. Luderus-Elias streak-extension scene from Philadelphia Inquirer, June 4 and June 5, 1919, and New York Times, June 4, 1919. Luderus ceremony from Philadelphia Inquirer, September 25, 1919.

  Chapter 6

  Scott background from Friedrich, The Iron Men of Baseball; New York Times, April 6, 1922; “The Durable Deacon,” Yankees Magazine, December 17, 1992; and SABR.org bio. Scott ties and sets record from Boston Globe, April 26 and April 27, 1920, and Philadelphia Inquirer, April 27, 1920. Ruppert background from Appel, Pinstripe Empire, and SABR.org bio. Ruth’s standing with the Red Sox and circumstances that led to trade from Stout, The Selling of the Babe, and Appel, Pinstripe Empire.“My transfer to New York,” from Cava, Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players.

  Chapter 7

  “Look, we traded DeCinces” from author interview with Ripken. Jackson comment to Ripken from author interview with Ripken. “I’m putting you there” from author interview with Ripken. “If only I had moved” from Cal Ripken Jr. and Mike Bryan, The Only Way I Know.“That’s just how he stands” from author interview with Ripken. Ripken quotes cited as written from Ripken and Bryan, The Only Way I Know; all others from author interview. Senior quotes cited as written from Cal Ripken Sr., The Ripken Way. Story about crutches from Tim Kurkjian, “Twenty Years Later, Ripken’s Feat Remains Unforgettable,” ESPN.com, September 4, 2015. “20-run homer” from Baltimore Sun, September 15, 1987. Dugout conversation in Toronto between Senior and Junior from author interview with Ripken. Quotes from Bill Ripken, Bancells, and Singleton from author i
nterviews.

  Chapter 8

  Scott’s trip from Indiana to Comiskey Park from New York Times, September 15, 1922, and New York Sun, September 28, 1922. First game at Yankee Stadium from Sports Illustrated, April 22, 1963. Scott’s 1,000th straight game from New York Times, May 2 and May 3, 1923; New York World-Telegram, May 3, 1923; Washington Post, May 3, 1923; Washington Star, May 3, 1923; Sporting News, May 5 and May 12, 1923; and Christian Science Monitor, May 1923. Yankees dissatisfaction with Scott in 1922 World Series from unidentified clipping, October 26, 1922, Scott file, HOF. Scott background from Friedrich, The Iron Men of Baseball; New York Times, April 6, 1922; “The Durable Deacon,” Yankees Magazine, December 17, 1992; SABR.org bio; Sid Mercer clipping, April 23, 1937, Scott file, HOF; and New York Times, March 19, 1922. McGraw “beer legs” comment from New York Times, March 27, 1939. Gehrig background from Eig, Luckiest Man; Robinson, Iron Horse; Appel, Pinstripe Empire; Friedrich, The Iron Men of Baseball; SABR.org bio; and Niven Busch, “The Little Heinie,” The New Yorker, August 10, 1929. Yankees scouting of Gehrig and Yankee Stadium batting practice from Weintraub,The House That Ruth Built, and Eig, Luckiest Man. Pipp background from SABR.org bio and Bruce Anderson, “Just a Pipp of a Legend,” Sports Illustrated, June 29, 1987. End of Scott’s streak from New York Times, May 7, 1925, and New York Times 1925 Year in Review, Scott file, HOF. Yankees 1925 lineup makeover from New York World-Telegram, June 10, 1935.

  Chapter 9

  Gehrig background and scenes from Eig, Luckiest Man; Robinson, Iron Horse; Appel, Pinstripe Empire; SABR.org bio; clippings in Gehrig file and Eleanor Gehrig scrapbook, HOF; and Lougehrig.com. Statistics on playing every day in 1920s from Friedrich, The Iron Men of Baseball. Ripken quote from author interview. Ruth’s 60th home run from New York Times, October 1, 1927; Appel, Pinstripe Empire; and Creamer, Babe. Barnstorming background from Eig, Luckiest Man, and press release, n.d., Gehrig file, HOF. Huggins death from SABR.org bio and Eig, Luckiest Man.