How many consecutive baseball games did Cal Ripken Jr. play in, setting a record for this statistic in 2018?

Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born, August 24, 1960) is nicknamed 'The Iron Man'. He is an American former baseball shortstop and 3rd baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles.

His records are multiple, but a few include his selection as an All Star 19 times and twice named the American League's (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP). Ripken also holds the record for consecutive games played- 2,632, surpassing Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 that had stood for 56 years. The new record occurred on September 6, 1995, with fans voting the event as the leagues "most memorable moment" in the history of the game in a MLB.com poll. In 2007 he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, garnering a 98.53% voting percentage.

Another unique feature of his style of play when he approached the plate was his varied batting stances during his long career, never settling on a signature batting stance. Sometimes referred to as "the man of 1,000 stances", Ripken would change his stance in response to a slump or if his current choice "didn't feel good." When asked about his propensity for experimentation during an interview, Ripken responded that a batting stance, "was only the starting point."

He debuted for the Orioles on August 10, 1981, and made his final appearance on October 6, 2001.