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The No. 7 has a history in Baltimore. There’s a plaque in the home dugout at Camden Yards recognizing longtime Orioles coach Cal Ripken, Sr., who last wore the number. The digit has been unofficially retired since Ripken Sr. died in 1999, and the last Orioles player to wear No. 7 was Billy Ripken in 1988.
That is, until Jackson Holliday takes the field for his major league debut Wednesday at Fenway Park in Boston.
The Orioles asked the Ripken family for permission to have Holliday wear No. 7, and according to a spokesperson for the family, they were “thrilled” to have Holliday wear the jersey.
Cal Ripken, Jr., whose No. 8 is also retired, added in a post on X that he’s “excited to watch” Holliday play with “dad’s #7.″
Appearing on MLB Network, Billy Ripken also offered his support.
“My brother did touch base with me, actually this morning, and says, ‘What do you think?’” he said on air. “And I said, ‘You know what, if anybody’s going to do it, I think that family is going to honor the fact that Senior was a part of that. And it gives us another opportunity to throw Senior out there, so I’m all on board with it.’”
Ripken Sr. spent 36 years in the Orioles organization, first as a player in the team’s farm system then as a minor league manager. He became one of the leading instructors of the “Oriole Way” focused on sound fundamentals, and was eventually brought on as a major-league coach in 1976.
In 1987, he took over managerial duties after the retirement of Hall of Famer Earl Weaver, and in doing so, became the first man to manage two of his sons. The Orioles fired him after he went 67-95 and started the 1988 season with six straight losses.
He returned the following season to serve as third base coach under manager Frank Robinson. But at the end of the 1992 season, Ripken Sr. refused reassignment to a minor-league job and quit the organization.
When Ripken Sr. died in 1999, the Orioles painted an orange No. 7 in the third base coaching box and wore a number patch on their uniforms that year, according to The Baltimore Sun.
There’s special meaning to the No. 7 for Holliday, too. Holliday is the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, who wore the No. 7 during much of his time with the St. Louis Cardinals and during his last stint in 2018 with the Colorado Rockies.
When Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton informed Jackson Holliday that he was headed to The Show, Britton told Holliday to call his dad, thanking him for all the times he brought Jackson to the ballpark growing up.
“Now, it’s time for him to ask permission to be on Jackson Holliday’s pass list,” Britton quipped, “cause you’re going to the big leagues.”
Holliday got off to a roaring start in Norfolk, hitting .333 with a 1.077 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He didn’t make the opening day roster for the Orioles despite a strong spring training display, but Holliday didn’t need to wait long.
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Andy Kostka is an Orioles beat writer for The Baltimore Banner. He previously covered the Orioles for The Baltimore Sun. Kostka graduated from the University of Maryland and grew up in Rockville.
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