While the diagnosis and battle may not have been well-known, the end result is. Former Baltimore Orioles shortstop and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Cal Ripken Jr. announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer but is now cancer-free after undergoing treatment. Ripken Jr. said that he is now going public about it to encourage others to get check-ups so that early detection can save lives. The information came courtesy of a tweet from MASN reporter Roch Kubatko on Twitter.
Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. says on Zoom call he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February. Underwent surgery at Hopkins and is fully recovered. Didn’t need radiation or chemotherapy. Grateful for the early detection. Going public now to encourage others to get checkups.
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 20, 2020
Ripken Jr.’s MLB career gave him the nickname of “Iron Man,” especially after he broke Lou Gehrig’s record for playing 2131 games straight. The streak would continue but ultimately end at 2,632 games played. The 21-year career of Ripken Jr. saw him become a 19-time all-star, win Rookie of the Year, two Most Valuable Player awards, eight Silver Slugger awards, and two Gold Gloves among other accolades.
While Ripken Jr. is cancer-free, he hopes to offer encouragement to others fighting the battle, or those looking to get ahead and be cautious with early detection. Another Orioles star, a current one, Trey Mancini, is currently battling colon cancer. Mancini says he sees the light at the end of the tunnel and is continuing his fight, so hopefully, more good news will complement the announcement from Cal Rpiken Jr.
