William Oliver Ripken (born December 16, 1964), nicknamed "Billy the Kid",[1] is an American former professional baseball infielder.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987–1998 for the Baltimore Orioles (1987–1992, 1996), Texas Rangers (1993–94, 1997), Cleveland Indians (1995), and Detroit Tigers (1998).

Though the Ripkens called Aberdeen, Maryland, their home, they were often on the move because of Cal Sr.'s coaching duties with the Baltimore Orioles organization.

[7] Ripken began his professional career that same year with the Rookie League Bluefield Orioles, where he played mostly shortstop and third base.

Next season, Ripken remained at Bluefield and was used almost exclusively as a shortstop, although he also pitched the final 2⁄3 of a game, allowing no runs.

He spent the bulk of the year with the Daytona Beach Admirals of the Class A Florida State League, batting .230 with 51 hits and 18 RBI.

He played the whole 1986 season for Charlotte, batting .268 with 142 hits, 20 doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 62 RBI in 141 games.

[11] Three days later, Ripken hit his first home run against Bud Black, helping the Orioles defeat Kansas City 5–1.

[12] Expected to be more of a fielder than a hitter, Ripken finished his inaugural season with a .308 batting average, two home runs, and 72 hits in 58 games.

A picture of Billy appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on May 2, 1988, used in an emblematic fashion to symbolize frustration at the team's struggles.

[16] In his rookie season, Billy played a career-high 150 games, batting .207 with 106 hits, two home runs, 34 RBI, and a .984 fielding percentage.

[13] A broken hand caused Ripken to miss the first two weeks of 1989, but he took over the job again on April 19, holding it until a strained right shoulder sidelined him in late August.

[18][19] On August 7, in a 9–8 win over the Boston Red Sox, Billy and Cal Combined for seven hits, the American League (AL) record for brothers in the same game.

[13] Billy and Cal committed a total of 11 errors, the fewest in major league history among second baseman-shortstop combinations that appeared in at least two-thirds of their team's games at their respective positions.

[24] While his brother won the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award, the Orioles finished an awful sixth.

[28] The Texas Rangers signed Ripken in 1993 to play second base after Jeff Frye severely injured his knee.

[37] However, he suffered a pulled left hamstring on June 20, an injury which would keep him out for the rest of the season except for a few games in September.

[citation needed] At Buffalo, Ripken made the American Association All-Star team[17] and ranked among league leaders in games (130; fifth), hits (131; eighth), and doubles (34; third, behind John Marzano's 41 and Tracy Woodson's 35).

Initially signed to a minor league contract,[17] he made the team and spent the full season on the Orioles' roster, filling in at third base for the injured B. J. Surhoff from May 21 through June 6.

[45][46] That same day, he had the first RBI in interleague history, a single against Mark Gardner in a 4–3 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

[13] The Detroit Tigers signed Ripken in December 1997 and gave him the starting shortstop job to begin the 1998 season due to a broken ankle suffered by Deivi Cruz in the offseason.

[17] While Cal Jr. set a major league record by playing in 2,632 consecutive games, Billy often found himself on the disabled list in his career.

"[17] Billy and Cal Ripken are one of only four brother combinations in major league history to play second base and shortstop on the same club.

The others are Garvin and Granny Hamner, for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945; the twins Eddie and Johnny O'Brien, with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the mid-1950s, and Frank and Milt Bolling, for the Detroit Tigers in 1958.

In 2005, he and Cal wrote Play Baseball the Ripken Way: The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Fundamentals, co-authored by Larry Burke.

[58] Along with his brother, Billy formed the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation in 2001 to give underprivileged children the opportunity to attend baseball camps around the country and learn the game.

[60] During the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Ripken served as a first base coach for the United States national team.