Iron man Ripken on disabled list

The words, in tiny type on the transaction list, had never before been written:

BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Placed 3B Cal Ripken on 15-day disabled list.

Ripken, baseball’s Iron Man, went on the disabled list Monday for the first time in his 19-year career. The move, made because Ripken has a sore back, is retroactive to Sunday.

“It’s remarkable he’s gone this long without being put on the disabled list,” Orioles general manager Frank Wren said. “The pounding he takes, the work ethic he has, it’s just amazing this had not happened before.”

While playing in a record 2,632 straight games from May 1982 to September 1998, Ripken endured all sorts of bumps and bruises — in addition to two sprained ankles and a twisted knee.

But the chink in his armor is apparently located at the base of his spine.

The third baseman missed his fourth game this season Sunday because of nerve irritation in his lower back and immediately traveled to Cleveland to receive treatment from Dr. Henry Bohlman, professor of orthopedics at Case Western University.

Ripken, 38, received a cortisone shot and was advised to stay off the field for the next couple of weeks.

“Right now we’re going with rehabilitation and therapy. He will get a few more cortisone shots, relax a little bit and take the full two weeks to work his way back,” Wren said.

Wren said that surgery is not an option at this time.

Ripken, whose father, Cal Sr., died shortly before the season started, was removed in the third inning of the Orioles’ opener on April 5 because of back pain. He then sat out Baltimore’s next game — the first game he missed because of injury since his rookie season in 1982.

Ripken also missed the Orioles’ next game and was benched in Toronto last week after committing two errors on one play the night before in New York against the Yankees. Ripken is 5-for-28 this season and has five errors in eight games.

“There’s no question his back has affected his play,” Wren said.

Early last week Ripken said his back felt fine. But after he woke up in agony Sunday, he knew it was time to get further treatment.

“He got a cortisone shot the last time he had trouble with his back, during the first week of the season,” Wren said. “He wanted to get back quickly, as one would expect. But this time he needs to go slower.”

Last Sept. 20, Ripken voluntarily ended his record consecutive games streak by sitting out the Orioles’ final home game against the New York Yankees. It was the first game he missed since beginning his record streak on May 30, 1982.

Ripken will be replaced at third base by rookie Willis Otanez.

Associated Press