Cal Ripken Jr., Orioles’ Hall of Famer, reveals he had prostate cancer

Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and now has fully recovered. Ripken disclosed the news in a video conference call with reporters on Thursday.

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

“Got the surgery, got out, recovered,” Ripken said during a Zoom call.

The 59-year-old Aberdeen, Maryland, native told reporters he didn’t have any symptoms and that the cancer was discovered during a routine checkup. Ripken had a biopsy, which detected the cancer, and it was removed in March at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is now cancer-free.

Ripken told reporters he barely told anyone of his diagnosis initially except his brother and former major leaguer Billy Ripken, but wanted to come forward with his story now in the hopes that others would get checkups to help detect the cancer early.

“I thought maybe my story - as great as it is because it has a happy ending - could encourage and maybe bring the awareness that you should get checked, you should go to the doctor, do all the things necessary so can you catch something like this early,” Ripken said. “Because when you do, you have a lot of options and it’s a good outcome.”

Major League Baseball has long had a history with increasing prostate cancer awareness, as it annually uses games played on Father’s Day to join with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to promote early detection, with players wearing and using light blue gear.

Ripken, baseball’s ’Iron Man’ with a record 2,632 consecutive games played, spent 21 seasons in Baltimore. He was the 1982 American League Rookie of the Year, a World Series champion in 1983, a two-time AL Most Valuable Player, and a 19-time All-Star Games. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2007.

“We all know people that have had different cancers, and you wonder how it would feel if it happened to you,” Ripken said. “I know what that feels like now.”

This story is based in part on wire service reports.