Facts, Figures About This Baseball Family

AGES AND POSITIONS--The 56-year-old Cal Ripken Sr. is the third base coach. Cal Jr., 31, is the shortstop and 27-year-old Bill is the second baseman.

PERSONAL DATA--Cal Jr. is a two-time American League MVP and has gone to the All-Star Game nine times, the only AL shortstop ever to start eight straight. He has won one Gold Glove and has played in more than 1,600 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in major league history begin Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130. He is one of only eight players to hit 20 or more homers in his first 10 years.

Bill enjoyed his best season in 1990, when he hit .291 with 28 doubles. He came into the 1992 season with a lifetime batting average of .247, with nine homers and 132 RBIs in 556 games.

Cal Sr. batted .253 as a minor leaguer from 1957 to 1964. He has managed baseball teams at all levels, and was the Orioles manager for the 1987 season and six games of the 1988 campaign. His lifetime record as a manager is 1,032-897, including 67-101 with the Orioles.

FAMILY FIRSTS--Cal Sr. became the first father ever to manage two sons simultaneously in the majors.

The trio hooked up professionally for the first time in spring training, 1986.

Cal Sr. began managing in 1961, with Class D Appleton, Wis. of the Midwest League; Cal Jr. played his first professional game in 1978 and his first game as an Oriole in 1981; Bill played his first professional game in 1982 and his first Oriole game in 1987.

OTHER DISTINCTIONS--The Ripkens are only the fourth trio to wear the same major league uniform at the same time. In 1973, Jose Hector and Tommy Cruz were with St. Louis; in 1963, Felipe, Matty and Jesus Alou were with Houston; and George, Sam and Larry Wright played for Boston in 1876.

Cal and Bill are the fifth set of brothers to form a second base-shortstop combination in major league history and the longest-lasting of those tandems. In 1990, they combined for only 11 errors, the fewest ever by a second base-shortstop team.

The Ripken brothers rank ninth on the all-time list for homers by a brother combination.