Cal Ripken Jr. played his final season of Minor League Baseball in 1981, turning out for the AAA Rochester Red Wings of the International League before the Baltimore Orioles called-up the future Hall of Famer to make his MLB debut on August 10th, 1981. Ripken raked for the Red Wings, managed by former Big League catcher Doc Edwards, to the tune of a .288 batting average, 23 homers, and 75 RBI in 114 games. It did not take Ripken long to find his footing in the Majors, with the Maryland native claiming the American League Rookie of the Year trophy and Most Valuable Player honors back-to-back in 1982 and 1983. The famously durable Ripken also won the 1991 American League MVP trophy in the midst of his unprecedented games-played streak. The second-generation MLB star accumulated 3,184 hits in his Major League career, spent entirely with the Orioles, and hit 431 home runs. Ripken was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Offered in this lot is a road Rochester Red Wings jersey, including jersey and pants, worn by Ripken in 1981. The jersey offered in this lot is a gray road pullover with “Rochester” sewn across the chest in black and white tackle twill. Ripken’s number “5” is sewn on the chest and back in black and white tackle twill. A Wilson size “42” tag and a “Jim Dalberth Sporting Goods” tag are sewn on the back inside collar. Two small black stains are present on the jersey. The pants offered in this lot are also gray, with a black-white-red waistband and black-white-red stripe on each leg. Dirt marks are present on both legs. A “79 26” tag, Wilson size “34” tag, and a “Jim Dalberth Sporting Goods” tag are sewn on the back inside waistband. “5 Rip” is handwritten in black marker inside the pants below two crossed out numbers. This uniform comes with a LOA from MEARS (308667).