Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. Reveals He's Cancer-Free After March Surgery

Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. revealed Thursday that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February but has made a full recovery following surgery.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. revealed Thursday that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February but has made a full recovery following surgery.

Ripken told reporters on a Zoom call that he was diagnosed after a routine checkup and underwent surgery in March.

"The surgery couldn’t have gone better," Ripken said, according to The Baltimore Sun. "The outcome couldn't have gone better, and I've resumed doing everything I did before. It's a pretty miraculous few months."

Ripken, who turns 60 on Monday, said he wasn't shocked when the levels on his PSA [prostate-specific antigen] test came back high during the initial visit. Despite the results, he went to see a urologist and later underwent a biopsy. 

After the test showed he had cancer, the longtime Oriole quickly scheduled surgery out of fear that hospitals could become overloaded during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The weird part is, when it first happens to you, I kept thinking, 'I don't want to tell anybody,'" Ripken said, per ESPN. "It's almost like there's something wrong with you. I wouldn't say the Iron Man [nickname] contributes to it, but I was the kind of person who was thinking, 'OK, I'll just keep this a secret.'

"But the longer you deal with it and you understand the outcome has been favorable and positive, the reason I'm letting it slip out now is I want to use the opportunity to help other people who struggle with that decision and encourage other people to go get their regular exams, get their tests."

Ripken, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, still holds the major league record for most consecutive games played (2,632). His cancer announcement came during a media call ahead of his upcoming 25th anniversary for passing Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak.

The Orioles initially intended to celebrate the achievement at Camden Yards on Sept. 6, but Ripken said he and the team are still discussing their plans for the day since no fans are allowed at the ballpark during the pandemic.