The Streak by John Eisenberg

Author:John Eisenberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Disappointed with his 1990 season, Ripken played more basketball in the off-season, lifted more weights, took hours of extra batting practice, and asked Frank Robinson for hitting advice. Robinson said he left his body in poor position to drive the ball when he lunged at pitches. Robinson also told him to focus on hitting to all fields and stop trying to carry the offense.

Like a researcher in a science lab, Ripken tinkered with different stances for hours in the batting cage. When the 1991 season began, he debuted a crouching stance. The new mechanics and new approach reenergized his bat. He hit .338 in April. On Memorial Day, he ranked among the league leaders in home runs and runs batted in. “He’s fundamentally sound and relaxed,” Robinson said. Ripken conceded he had been “stubborn” and should have changed his approach sooner. “The problem has been me,” he said.

In July, he put on a show at the All-Star Game in Toronto. In the Home Run Derby on Monday, he took 22 swings and hit 12 balls into the seats, including three in a row at one point. He hit another home run in the All-Star Game the next night. Continuing to bash the ball the rest of the season, he finished with a .323 average, 34 home runs, and 114 runs batted in, a performance that earned him the American League MVP award for a second time. He also finally won the Gold Glove at shortstop, his first.

His soaring performance eliminated any doubts about whether he belonged in the sport’s elite class of stars. Those doubts had arisen as his hitting sagged after his breathtaking early years, but now he was a two-time MVP and nine-time All-Star with a Gold Glove and 259 career home runs—an impressive record.

Meanwhile, the 1991 season unfolded with few, if any, calls for Ripken to end his streak for the good of the team, which he quietly found amusing. The task of playing a full season was the same as in the years when he hit .250. The wear on his body was identical, as was the challenge of maintaining his focus.

Ripken believed his stellar season validated his belief that his consecutive-game streak had no bearing on how he played. As he saw it, other factors impacted his hitting, for better or worse, and his defense never suffered. There was no reason for him to stop.

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