Billy Ripken is probably best known among baseball fans and collectors for one particular baseball card from the 1989 Fleer set – his infamous “Fuck Face” card. However, Ripken had a decent MLB career as a middle infielder spanning from 1983 to 2002, playing most of his career for the Baltimore Orioles. Let’s take a deeper look at Billy Ripken, the “Fuck Face” card controversy, and his baseball career.
William Joseph Ripken was born in 1964 in Aberdeen, Maryland. He grew up a Baltimore Orioles fan and dreamed of one day playing for his hometown team. Ripken began his professional baseball career in 1983 in the Orioles minor league system. He made his MLB debut with Baltimore in 1987 at age 23. While never quite reaching the superstar status of his brother Cal Ripken Jr., Billy Ripken established himself as a reliable defensive infielder and light hitter over 16 MLB seasons.
Ripken primarily played second base and shortstop for the Orioles from 1987 to 1992. He was known for his slick fielding but was never much of an offensive threat, batting around .250 with modest power numbers each year. In 1993, Ripken signed as a free agent with the Seattle Mariners but was traded midseason to the New York Yankees. He spent the 1994 season with the Yankees and had arguably his best offensive year, hitting .284 in 103 games.
It was during his time with the Yankees organization in 1994 that the infamous “Fuck Face” baseball card was produced and distributed. In the 1989 Fleer baseball card set, Ripken’s photo shows him holding a bat with something written on the knob. Upon closer examination, the letters “FUCK FACE” are clearly visible. It’s believed Ripken wrote this as a joke for his brother Cal to see, not realizing the photo would end up on a mass-produced trading card. Once fans and the media caught wind of the profanity, the card became a huge scandal and collector’s item. Fleer recalled and destroyed as many of the Ripken cards as they could. Some still remain in circulation today among collectors as one of the most notorious error cards ever produced.
After his year with the Yankees, Ripken spent 1995-96 back with the Orioles followed by stints with the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals from 1997-2000. In 2001, he made one final return to Baltimore for his final MLB season. In 16 big league campaigns, Ripken compiled a .244 batting average with 85 home runs and 487 RBIs over 1,599 games. He was a career .973 fielder mostly playing second base but also plenty of shortstop. While never a superstar like his Hall of Fame brother, Billy Ripken had a long, respectable career as a reliable infielder for several teams.
Since retiring from baseball in 2002, Ripken has stayed active in the game by coaching youth teams and working as a guest instructor at spring training camps. He also does some public speaking engagements sharing his experiences of playing baseball at the highest level. The “Fuck Face” baseball card remains one of the most infamous error cards in the history of the hobby and can still fetch big money when one surfaces for auction. It’s a hilarious oddity that is still talked about today among collectors and fans due to its accidental profane inscription.
While overshadowed by Cal’s legendary career, Billy Ripken proved to be a valuable role player and defensive specialist during his 16 seasons in the majors. He may be best remembered because of one silly mistake on a baseball card rather than his actual playing career. But Ripken provided reliable middle infield defense and occasional offense for many teams throughout the 1980s and 90s. The “Fuck Face” card lives on as one of the most notorious sports collectibles ever due to its unintended profanity. It serves as an amusing footnote to an otherwise respectable career from Billy Ripken in Major League Baseball.
