
Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. and Ravens coach John Harbaugh sat next to each other in the first row behind home plate at Wednesday’s Orioles game, and a foul ball landed squarely between the Baltimore sports figures, narrowly missing them. Neither made a play on the ball as it bounced innocently behind them and further into the stands, and Harbaugh’s brother, Jim Harbaugh, used the moment as an opportunity to jokingly take a subtle dig at his NFL colleague.
John Harbaugh ducked forward and Ripken leaned to his right as Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman charged towards the protective netting and eventually ran out of room to make a play on the popup.
“I wasn’t going to talk about it,” Jim Harbaugh said after he initially wrapped up his Thursday media availability at Los Angeles Chargers minicamp. “That literally was a can of corn. That would be the lesson: keep your eye on the ball. But far be it from me to coach Cal Ripken, a great shortstop.”
Jim Harbaugh noted that his older brother was a “tremendous middle infielder” but did not take a glove with him to the game between the Orioles and Detroit Tigers. Wenceel Pérez’s foul ball at Camden Yards would have been within catchable range if either of the front-row spectators sought to grab it.
Ripken made countless outstanding plays at Camden Yards as a two-time Gold Glove Award winner. The first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee made 19 All-Star teams during his two decade-long career, across which he played only for the Orioles and cemented himself as the greatest player in franchise history. Ripken was a two-time AL MVP and won the 1983 World Series as a superstar on the left side of the Baltimore infield.
John Harbaugh also brought a championship to the city when he led the Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII title. The longtime Ravens coach is the winningest headman in team history with his 185-115 record.
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Author: Carter Bahns
June 12, 2025 | 6:40 pm
