The sun is setting on Cal Ripken Jr.'s playing days. AP
Nothing lasts forever -- not even Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball's Iron Man has decided to hang up the spikes at the end of this season, his 21st with the Baltimore Orioles. A look at Ripken's career:
CNNSI.com's Donovan: A hero's moment
Ripken rides off into the All-Star sunset in style.
SI's Scorecard: What Streak? (June 26, 2001)
Looking past the Ironman's most cherished record.
SI Flashback: Endgame (Sept. 28, 1998)
The Streak comes to an end at 2,632 games.
SI Flashback: Born To Play (1995)
Ripken was drafted as a pitcher, not a shortstop.
SI Flashback: Solitary Man (June 28, 1993)
The heavy burden of The Streak got to Ripken.
SI Flashback: The Natural (April 2, 1984)
Ripken established early on that he was special.
SI's Photo Essay
A Hall of Famer in pictures.
Key dates
A chronology of Ripken's record-setting career.
Reactions: Cal's last call
Users shared their favorite Ripken memories.
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| By the Numbers |
| 2 |
| Most Valuable Player awards (1983, 1991); Gold Glove awards (1991, 1992). |
| 4 |
| Players who have won two All-Star Game MVP awards -- Ripken, Gary Carter, Steve Garvey and Willie Mays. |
| 7 |
| Members of 3,000-hit, 400-homer club, including Ripken. |
| 11 |
| Fielding records owned by Ripken.
|
| 18 |
| All-Star appearances, all consecutively. Ripken also is the current leader among AL third basemen in the 2001 All-Star balloting. |
| 345 |
| Homers hit by Ripken as a shortstop, most in major league history. |
| 2,632 |
| Games Ripken played in consecutively from 1982 to 1998, a major league record. |
| 5,045 |
| Players put on the disabled list from the time Ripken started his consecutive games streak to the time he first went on the DL in April 1999. |
| 8,243 |
| Innings Ripken played in consecutively (1982-87), also a major league record. |
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