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* FILE ** Cal Ripken reacts as he answers a question during an interview in Baltimore. Gail Burton/AP/Press Association Images

Baseball legend Cal Ripken's mother abducted, released

Police said that early yesterday, a man approached the 74-year-old with a gun, forced her into her car and drove away.

THE MOTHER OF baseball great Cal Ripken, Jr was abducted at gunpoint from her home and held before being found unharmed almost 24 hours later, police said tonight.

Police said that early yesterday, a man approached Violet Ripken, 74, with a gun, forced her into her car and drove away. In the evening, police were called about a suspicious vehicle in another neighborhood. Information from that call led police to start looking for Ripken.

The missing woman was found in the car at 6:15 this morning. She was not injured. Police are still searching for Ripken’s abductor, who has not yet been identified.

Cal Ripken, Jr, 51, was one of baseball’s biggest stars and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007. Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s 56-year-old record of 2,130 consecutive games in 1995 and his pursuit of the streak — a night after night testimony to endurance and stamina — helped Major League Baseball recover after a labor fight wiped out the 1994 World Series.

Ripken was a two-timer Most Valuable Player and 19-time all-star in 21 major league seasons. He finished with 3,184 hits in 3,001 games, 431 home runs and 1,695 runs batted in.

- © AFP, 2012

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