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| | MSN Encarta - Cal Ripken Jr. |
 | | Ripken's streak of 2,632 consecutive games over nearly 17 seasons ended on September 20, 1998, when he asked to be taken out of the starting lineup. |
 | | By 1983 he was considered one of the best shortstops in the major leagues, leading the American League (AL) that year in hits (211), doubles (47), runs (121), and assists (534; an assist is recorded when a player fields a ball and throws it to a teammate to put out a batter or runner). |
 | | On September 6, 1995, in the 14th season of his streak, Ripken surpassed the previous record of 2,130 consecutive games played, which had been set by Lou Gehrig in 1939 and which for many years had been considered unbreakable. |
| encarta.msn.com /encyclopedia_761580528/Cal_Ripken_Jr.html (856 words) |
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