Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 straight games

For more than sixteen years, Cal Ripken Jr. never missed a game. From May 30, 1982 to September 19, 1998, the Baltimore Orioles infielder appeared in 2,632 consecutive games, an endurance record that still towers over the sport.

The streak’s defining night came on September 6, 1995, when Ripken played his 2,131st straight game and surpassed Lou Gehrig’s mark of 2,130 - a record that had stood for 56 years and that many experts thought unbreakable. At Camden Yards, fans, teammates, opponents and even umpires gave him a 22-minute standing ovation.

Ripken didn’t just break the record; he buried it, finishing 502 games beyond Gehrig.

Ripken finally chose to sit on September 20, 1998, telling his manager it was time. To grasp the scale: the 2,632 games alone exceed the entire careers of all but a handful of Hall of Fame position players. No active player has come close since.