Is Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,632 consecutive games played record the game’s most likely to remain unbroken?
Being healthy and answering a manager’s call to be in the lineup day in and day out for a 162-game schedule isn’t easy. Many variables work against a player’s ability to play every game. Weather, injuries, and the starting pitcher for the opposing club can all factor into who takes the field and who sits on the bench.
For 14 of Ripken’s 21 MLB seasons, it was a given that he would be in the Baltimore Orioles’ starting lineup. From May 30, 1982, until Sept. 6, 1995, Ripken showed up in the lineup as the third baseman or shortstop. Breaking fellow Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game record of 2,130 (June 1925–May 1939), which stood for 56 years, was no easy task.
More than three decades later, MLB has only two players with consecutive-games streaks of more than 500. Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson is at 874 consecutive games played heading into this weekend’s series with the St. Louis Cardinals, while the Baltimore Orioles’ Pete Alonso, also a first baseman, is at 511 games entering Friday’s home game with the Kansas City Royals.
Longtime MLB outfielder Gary Roenicke, who for four of his eight seasons with the Orioles (1978–1985) was a teammate of Ripken’s, understood how difficult it was to stay in the lineup daily.
“When I played, the manager made up the lineup every day,” Roenicke told The Epoch Times on Wednesday from his home in Idaho. “There was no input from upper management. Then, it was up to the player to be healthy, and play well.”
Roenicke remembers Ripken as a durable player who could be hurt in a game and play through it. In one game, he said, Baltimore had a pickoff play on, and when Ripken came over to cover second base from his shortstop position, he took the throw and sprained his ankle.
“I thought the streak had ended,” said Roenicke. “It didn’t. As a team, we were aware of his streak, even when it was in the low 400s.”
Roenicke recalled that when he suffered a similar sprain, he would sit out the next couple of games to heal. When Ripken broke Gehrig’s record in 1995, Roenicke was working as a scout for the San Diego Padres.
Alonso joined the Orioles this season as a free agent after seven seasons as the top slugger for the New York Mets. While playing for New York, Alonso amassed 416 consecutive games played. On June 27 this season, Alonso’s streak reached 500 games.
As for Olson’s pursuit of Ripken’s record, his consecutive game tally began on May 2, 2021, as a member of the Oakland Athletics. He is currently ninth on MLB’s all-time list for consecutive games played. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, by August, Olson should pass the late Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who is currently in eighth place at 895 games.
“It was easier in the 1980s, and in that era to stay in the lineup than it is today. Teams now appear to be extra precautionary when dealing with injuries. To me, it’s mind-boggling because players today earn so much money now. In my day players played hurt,” said Roenicke, who completed his 12-year career with the Braves in 1988.
Despite the wear and tear on his body from not missing a regular season game over the past four years, and logging 92 games already in 2026, Olson remains an offensive threat. He’s batting .270 with 25 home runs and 58 RBIs, and has been selected to his fourth All-Star Game, which takes place Tuesday in Philadelphia. Alonso, in 94 games played in 2026, has smacked 20 home runs, driven in 62 RBIs, and has a respectable .812 OPS.
For Roenicke, who after his playing days scouted for 15 years and also spent time in China teaching baseball to youths, his admiration for Ripken as a teammate and for what he endured to break Gehrig’s record remains strong. The two were teammates on the 1983 World Series champion Orioles, and Roenicke tells of getting together with Ripken at the 40th reunion of that club.
“We had a great time. Seeing Cal brought back many happy memories. He was telling me how sore his body is now. I reminded him of all those games he played in. There were 20 of us from the 1983 team at the reunion.”
Whether players are racking up hits, home runs, or strikeouts, the one common denominator to all records is being in the lineup. Olson and Alonso understand this well. Ripken redefined the road map to playing day in and day out.
