father and brother with the same team?" The Orioles would wind up selecting Bill in the 11th round of the draft. Ripken began his professional career that same year with the Rookie League Bluefield Orioles, where he played mostly shortstop and third base. In 27 games, in which he only totaled 45 at bats, Ripken posted a batting average of .244 with 11 hits and four runs batted in. Next season, Ripken remained at Bluefield and was used almost exclusively as a shortstop, although he also pitched the final of a game, allowing no runs. He batted .217 with 33 hits and 13 RBI in 48 games. In 1984, he was promoted to the Hagerstown Suns of the Class A Carolina League, where he appeared in 115 games. He batted .230 with 94 hits, the first two home runs of his career, and 40 RBI while posting a .948 fielding percentage at shortstop. Ripken's 1985 season would be split between three teams. He spent the bulk of the year with the Daytona Beach Admirals of the Class A Florida State League, batting .230 with 51 hits and 18 RBI. He also appeared in 14 games with Hagerstown and 18 games with the Double-A Charlotte O's of the Southern League, batting .255 and .137, respectively, with those teams. He did not hit a home run in 1985. He played the whole 1986 season for Charlotte, batting .268 with 142 hits, 20 doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 62 RBI in 141 games. In addition, he led the Southern League in four fielding categories. In 1987, he was called up to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings of the International League, where he played 74 games, batting .286. Major League Baseball career Baltimore Orioles (1987-92) In July 1987, the Orioles released Rick Burleson and called Ripken up to replace him. He debuted on July 11, creating the first instance in baseball history in which a father managed two sons on the same major league team, as his father was the Orioles' manager and his brother was their shortstop. While with the Orioles, Ripken played alongside his brother, Cal Ripken Jr.; he was managed by his father, Cal Sr., from 1987–1988. Billy did not have a hit in his debut but picked up his first hit as one of two against Charlie Leibrandt of the Kansas City Royals on July 16. Three days