Seventy years ago today, Lou Gehrig pinch hit for Pee Wee Wanninger and started his 2,130-game playing streak. On September 6th, Cal Ripken Jr. will set the new mark, if he stays healthy, by playing in his 2,131st consecutive game.
Sure, this record is notable. Not many players have been able, for whatever reasons, to play in every game over a period of a half-dozen or more years. A player has to not-only avoid injuries and suspensions, but he has to be good enough to stay in the lineup over a period of time. The top ten streaks are below.
2,130 Lou Gehrig
2,041 Cal Ripken (through May 31, 1995)
1,307 Everett Scott
1,207 Steve Garvey
1,117 Billy Williams
1,103 Joe Sewell
895 Stan Musial
829 Eddie Yost
822 Gus Suhr
798 Nellie Fox
But what does it really mean? If Gehrig had missed one game in 1933 (about half way through the streak), would the feat have been less impressive? Take Pete Rose for example. Rose had played in 678 straight games before sitting out the final game of the 1978 season. It was Rose's last season in Cincinnati before he signed with the Phillies as a free-agent. Rose wasn't injured, and the game was meaningless since the pennant race had already been decided. After joining the Phillies, Rose played in 745 straight games before sitting down. Add them together and Rose's total is 1,423 games, longer than anyone's stretch except Gehrig's and now Ripken's.
In my opinion, the streak detracts from both Ripken and Gehrig. In just less than 14 seasons as a starter, Gehrig averaged 35 homeruns and 152 RBI per season. He won a triple-crown, a couple of MVP awards, and several world championships with the Yankees. Had he not been struck down by disease, Lou Gehrig career totals of 493 HR and 1995 RBI would have approached the top five all-time in each category.
Cal Ripken is a great player even without the streak. He has a couple of MVP awards and has also been recognized three times for his fielding excellence with the Gold Glove award. Good shortstops are hard to find, and Ripken's longevity is a tribute to how good of an all-around player he is.
So, whether he breaks the record or not, let us make sure to remember Cal Ripken for what he is: a great shortstop who was good for 25 homers a year. And let us remember Gehrig not for the second-longest streak, but for being one of the greatest power hitters ever to play. For both, the consecutive-game streak should be just a footnote.
