On May 2, 1939 baseball history was made as New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig ended what is still the Iron man streak of major league baseball at 2,130 consecutive games. Though baseball fans and historians credit Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. with breaking the record on September 6, 1995 a case can be made that Gehrig is still number one.
Why? Because Gehrig never missed a game from June 1, 1925 to May 2, 1939. Ripken missed 50 games in 1994 when the streak effectively came to an end on August 11, 1994.
Cal Ripken Jr. did not make baseball history and pass Lou Gehrig in September of 1995, because his streak ended at 2,009 games when major league baseball players went on strike in 1994. When Ripken and other members of the Major League Baseball Players’ Association walked off of the job they essentially quit. When an employee in any field walks off of the job then they are willingly taking a day of from work.
From May 30, 1982 to August 11, 1994, Ripken never missed a game. By August 1994 he was 130 games shy of making baseball history by tying Lou Gehrig. Then Cal Ripken, Jr. and the MLBPA decided that they did not want to work anymore. At the time of their decision, the Orioles had played 112 games and had 50 left on their schedule. It was believed that the season would resume once the strike ended.
It never did. The remainder of the 1994 season and postseason were canceled as players and owners could not come to an agreement. It would not be until April 26, 1995 that the Orioles would resume play.
During the strike, there was talk of owners using replacement players to start the 1995 season. This would have ended the streak of Cal Ripken Jr. and left Lou Gehrig at number one in baseball history. When Ripken was asked if he would play in replacement games to keep the streak alive, he said that he would not.
The question that should have been asked Ripken as far back as August 11 was how he felt now that the strike was over, because it was. There were 50 games left on the schedule when the players went on strike. Ripken did not miss just one game, he missed 50.
Though there are those who would say that Lou Gehrig had his streak padded at the end while Cal Ripken, Jr. should not be punished due to the strike facts are facts. Gehrig may not have played every inning or started every game, but he did play in 2,130 consecutive. Ripken did not play every inning of his streak either. He was once ejected in the first inning of a 1989 game against the Minnesota Twins.
The number 2,130 is greater than the number 2,009.
Despite what historians may tell us the real consecutive games streak in baseball history ended on May 2, 1939 and it is held by Lou Gehrig not Cal Ripken Jr.
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