season, he became a free agent. Return to Texas Rangers (1997) Ripken again returned to a team in 1997 when he signed with the Rangers. Initially used as a utility man, he took over at shortstop from Benji Gil on June 12 after batting .314 to start the season. That same day, he had the first RBI in interleague history, a single against Mark Gardner in a 4–3 loss to the San Francisco Giants. His stay as starter did not last long, though; he suffered a herniated disk in his back on June 17. Though he would return to play several more games that season for the Rangers, he failed to remain the starting shortstop. In 71 games, he batted .276 with 56 hits, three home runs, and 24 RBI. After the season, he again became a free agent. Detroit Tigers (1998) The Detroit Tigers signed Ripken in December 1997 and gave him the starting shortstop job to begin the 1998 season due to a broken ankle suffered by Deivi Cruz in the offseason. However, after 27 games, in which he hit .276, Ripken was placed on the disabled list with a knee injury. He went on a rehab assignment in June, but the Tigers opted to release him instead of reinstating him from the disabled list. This would be Ripken's last major league tenure; he chose to retire. Legacy While Cal Jr. set a major league record by playing in 2,632 consecutive games, Billy often found himself on the disabled list in his career. This, however, was due to his all-out style of play. Jimmy Keenan of the Society for American Baseball Research wrote, "Infielder Billy Ripken attacked the game of baseball with reckless abandon and paid the price, sustaining an inordinate number of injuries during his career. He never changed his all-out, hustling style of play, earning the reputation of a player who left it all on the field." Billy and Cal Ripken are one of only four brother combinations in major league history to play second base and shortstop on the same club. The others are Garvin and Granny Hamner, for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945; the twins Eddie and Johnny O'Brien, with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the mid-1950s, and Frank and Milt Bolling, for the Detroit Tigers in 1958. Billy also holds some records of his own. In addition to having the first RBI in interleague