Baseball great Ripken
Editorially verified for the Oct 12, 2026
23 Down
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Cal is the familiar short form of Cal Ripken Jr., the Baltimore Orioles baseball great. A shortstop and third baseman, Ripken became known as the “Iron Man” for playing 2,632 consecutive major-league games, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record in 1995. He spent his entire big-league career with Baltimore and entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. His record streak ended in 1998.
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NYT Crossword
This clue's Monday, October 12, 2026 appearance
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The answer to “Baseball great Ripken” in the New York Times crossword is CAL — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 12, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 23-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.
“Baseball great Ripken” answer
CAL (3 letters)
Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is CAL.
What does CAL mean?
Reading the plain dictionary sense of CAL is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.
(abbreviation)
- small calorie(s)
When else has “Baseball great Ripken” appeared?
New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.
October 12, 2026 (most recent) → CAL. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the answer to “Baseball great Ripken”?
The answer is CAL, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 12, 2026.
How many letters is the answer to “Baseball great Ripken”?
3 letters: CAL.
When did this clue appear?
Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 12, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 23-Down.
Can “Baseball great Ripken” have a different answer?
Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.
Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?
The full grid for October 12, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.
New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.
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