1997 Cal Ripken Jr. "Lights Out Game" Orioles vs. Mariners 8/14 Ticket Stub PSA 5

Cal Ripken Jr. is Baseball's Iron Man. He broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive-game streak on September 6, 1995, playing in his 2,131st consecutive game.

However, not many fans remember that this streak was almost broken on August 14, 1997, when the Orioles were scheduled to play the Mariners at 7:35 PM. However, that was the night that the "Lights Went Out in Camden Yards."

There are many conspiracy theories floating around the internet involving Ripken, his then-wife, and movie star Kevin Costner, who happened to be in Baltimore that day. We have no idea whether these rumors are true or not, but we'll link some of the articles and you can do your own "research."

There is evidence that Ripken was actually at the stadium and ready to play, but there are also stories about his wife showing up at the stadium looking worse for wear and the "men upstairs" needing to do something to usher her out of Camden Yards.

Needless to say, whatever happened that night, the game was postponed and played the next day as a day game on Friday, August 15, 1997. The second game was played at night. You could use your ticket from Thursday, August 14, 1997, to enter the following day's game.

We believe most people chose to skip the first game the next day, as it was a workday. By postponing the game, Ripken's streak remained intact. We'll link some articles below.

Offered is a ticket stub from the game on August 14, 1997, that was postponed. This was used the next day for Game 1, in which the Orioles won 4-3.

Scott Kamieniecki got the win over Randy Johnson, while Randy Myers was credited with the save. Ken Griffey Jr. scored a run after drawing a walk, and A-Rod went 2-for-4, including a double. Jeff Reboulet and Jeffrey Hammonds both hit home runs off Randy Johnson.

Ripken had an RBI and one strikeout in his two official at-bats, one of which saw him hit by a pitch. Maybe Johnson was ticked about the cancellation from the night before.

Graded by PSA a 5 EX (Pop 2).

Articles discussing the story:

Washington Post

Snopes

Knup Sports

Audacy

Sportscasting