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Cal Ripken acknowledging the Camden Yards crowd on September 6, 1995. (Doug Pensinger/Allsport)

• Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig's consecutive games record: 56k | 300k

Following baseball's work stoppage in 1994, which led to the first canceled World Series in 90 years, fans were looking for a reason to come back to the game. Cal Ripken gave them one. Or rather, 2,131. On Sept. 6, 1995, he broke Lou Gehrig's 56-year-old consecutive-game streak in one of the most magical and touching nights in the history of the sport.

Once considered as unreachable as Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, Ripken's path to the record was 13 years in the making. It began on May 30, 1982.

Called up in 1981 originally as a third baseman, then-Orioles manager Earl Weaver moved Ripken to shortstop.

"A lot of people said he was too big, too slow for shortstop, but his range was good," Weaver said of the position switch that received some criticism at the time. "But let me keep him in there until I satisfy myself."