*This article was first published on The Cauldron of Medium.com. Below is an excerpt. To keep reading, click here.

We’ve already got you covered on how the Orioles and Royals made it to the ALCS, so instead, let’s turn back the clock and compare each franchise’s greatest player, both of whom actually played during Baltimore’s (1997) and Kansas City’s (1985) last ALCS appearances.

Cal Ripken Jr. and George Brett are two of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history, and arguably the finest players to ever play for their teams. Both played the entirety of their careers for one franchise. Both played twenty-one seasons — Ripken from 1981–2001, Brett from 1973–1993 — with a 13-year career-overlap. Only after perusing their lifetime statistics, though, does it become clear how eerily similar the Hall of Famers were.

So, how did they stack up against one another?

OFFENSE

Categories: Sports, The Cauldron

Tags: 2014 ALCS, Baltimore Orioles, Baseball, Cal Ripken Jr., George Brett, Kansas City Royals, MLB, Sports, The Cauldron