The High-A Aberdeen IronBirds will operate under different ownership in 2025.

Cal Ripken Jr., 64. has sold his majority stake in the Orioles’ affiliate. However, the Hall of Famer and brother Bill, a former major league infielder and current MLB Network analyst, will remain part of the ownership group.

Attain Sports, led by minor league baseball operator and business leader Greg Baroni, is partnering with the Ripkens by acquiring controlling interest in IB Professional Holdings. The company also owns the Double-A Bowie Baysox and MLB Draft League Frederick Keys.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Attain Sports sent out a press release.

“Bill and I are proud of what we have been able to bring to our hometown,” Ripken said in a statement. “Since 2002, through the IronBirds and our Ripken Experience Aberdeen youth baseball complex, we have been able to provide wonderful experiences for baseball fans of all ages. At this stage of my life, I thought the timing was right to turn over the day-to-day management of the IronBirds to Greg. I am thrilled that we can partner with such well-respected operators like Greg and Attain Sports.”

The 29^th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-games record arrives on Sept. 6, with time seeming to fly at warp speed.

The best way to celebrate the occasion? By sending baseball’s Iron Man into the Bird Bath.

The club posted a video earlier today on the former Twitter announcing that Ripken, one of the minority owners in David Rubenstein’s group, will serve as guest splasher for the Sept. 6 game against the Rays at Camden Yards.

Ripken is shown receiving the news at his desk inside the B&O warehouse, with “Mr. Splash” informing the Hall of Famer that his new office is in Section 86 next to the bullpen area where fans get drenched after an extra-base hit, or sometimes just on a whim.

“Finally,” Ripken says before pulling out an inflatable pink flamingo and floppy hat from his desk.

BOSTON – Cal Ripken Sr. would have loved this.

The man who created The Oriole Way, who breathed life into it through the years and the many ups and downs, was made for the 2024 team. Or it was made for him.

The last two lineups had seven homegrown players, and an eighth, right fielder Anthony Santander, who was plucked out of A ball in the Rule 5 draft. Also a baseball baby who needed care and nurturing.

“I saw a connection to the spirit of Dad right from the beginning,” said Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. “I don’t know that Dad would have taken his uniform off and given it to somebody, but he might have. If it’s that important to you, here.”

Having Senior’s No. 7 on the shelf since 1992 never seemed that important to the family. The time for reflection came a few days ago, after the club sought approval to pass it along to Jackson Holliday, the sport’s top prospect who debuted last night at Fenway Park.

Cal Ripken Jr. sat in the first row this morning during the introductory press conference for new Orioles control person David Rubenstein, watching a video chronicling the team’s history, including the numbers 2,131 dropping from the warehouse on the night that he set baseball’s consecutive-games record, and catching a glimpse of his future.

The Hall of Famer is back in the organization in an official role as a member of the ownership group. He’s become more visible at the ballpark over the last few seasons, but the organization is making its boldest move to embrace him in post-retirement.

“It’s a different Opening Day for me, for sure,” he said. “I had all those wonderful years as a player, then as a fan for the next so many years. I always had that feeling right around Opening Day that things were starting, baseball’s coming back. But this is slightly different. It feels really good to be back in a formal capacity.

“Many times in life, it’s a matter of timing, and the timing feels really good right now to come back and be able to contribute.”

Ripken has known Rubenstein for a long time and they’d talk occasionally about their friendship progressing to a baseball relationship.

Just a short entry today to wish all the readers at Steve’s blog and all of Birdland a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season. Enjoy your time with family and friends and I hope it’s your best Christmas yet.

A few quick thoughts on things in the news the last few days ...

Yamamoto signs: The Dodgers signed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year deal for $325 million. It will also cost them the nearly $51 million posting fee that goes to the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball.

The rich get richer (in talent) here as Los Angeles wins the bidding war over several other big-market teams, even though the finalists reportedly made impressive bids. He pitched to an ERA of 1.21 (yep, not a misprint) over 168 innings and gave up just two home runs all season in 2023. His ERAs the previous two years were 1.39 and 1.68.

Kodai Senga came from Japan and pitched for the Mets. After posting an ERA of 1.89 in 2022 in Japan, he pitched to a 2.98 ERA for the Mets. That ranked fifth-best in all of MLB, one spot behind Kyle Bradish of the Orioles.

The Orioles are holding their first workout this evening at Camden Yards in preparation for Saturday’s Division Series opener. The opponent to be named later. Game 1 to be played in Baltimore, the first time that the city has hosted in the postseason since Oct. 11, 2014.

The Royals scored twice in the top of the ninth against Darren O’Day and Zack Britton to win 6-4 and take a 2-0 lead in the Championship Series. They swept it by posting back-to-back 2-1 victories at Kauffman Stadium. The “We Won’t Stop” Orioles were grounded.

You know what happened in 2016. The wild card game in Toronto, the Edwin Encarnación three-run, walk-off homer against Ubaldo Jiménez in the 11^th inning, Britton warmed but never used. The window for contention slamming shut and shattering.

One of the most vivid images is catcher Matt Wieters bolting from his crouch as soon as Encarnacion made contact and turning toward the visiting dugout. His own walk-off.

Anyway, that’s in the past.

The Orioles trailed by a run twice last night – in the third and seventh innings against Pittsburgh – but as they have done many times this year, they found ways to win a game late. They did it this time by scoring two runs in the seventh, and three on a huge swing in the eighth.

The 6-3 win over Pittsburgh moved the Orioles to 12 games over .500 at 25-13 and to within four games of first-place Tampa Bay, which lost to the Yankees. The Orioles improved to 12-1 in series-opening games and to 5-1 when the opener was a home game.

But center fielder Cedric Mullins entertained us and grabbed the headlines with his three-run homer in the eighth. It came at such a big time and turned a 3-2 lead into a 6-2 edge. And it meant that Mullins had hit for the cycle. He flied out in the first inning, but then singled in the third, tripled in the fifth, doubled in the seventh and homered in the eighth.

Mullins is now batting .268/.365/.478/.843 with eight doubles, three triples, five homers and 31 RBIs. He has scored 19 runs and is 12-for-12 on stolen bases. He is on a pace to finish with 21 homers, 51 steals and 132 RBIs.

The cycle produced a special kind of curtain call for Mullins last night. Not one where he comes to the top step of the dugout and tips his cap, but a moment when he is the only one running out of the dugout. The Orioles stayed back, and Mullins ran by himself to center field to start the top of the ninth, soaking in every cheer from a crowd providing a standing ovation.