Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Ripken ya fara kakar wasa ta 1996 a hankali, amma wasan ya inganta yayin da kakar wasa ta ci gaba. A ranar 14 ga Yuni a filin wasa na Kauffman a Kansas City da Royals, Ripken ya karya tarihin duniya na wasannin da aka buga a jere ta hanyar wasa a cikin 2,216th. Sakamakon da aka yi a baya ya kasance Sachio Kinugasa na Japan. Kinugasa ya kasance a wasan don kallon Ripken ya karya rikodin sa. A ranar 15 ga Yuli, an tura Ripken zuwa na uku a matsayin gwaji, tare da Manny Alexander yana ɗaukar matsayin ɗan gajeren lokaci. An gaya masa cewa canjin zai kasance na dindindin amma an koma shi zuwa ga gajeren lokaci bayan Alexander ya sami nasara guda daya a wasanni shida a gajeren lokaci. Ripken ya bayyana a wasanni 163 a lokacin kakar wasa ta 1996, yana buga.278 tare da gidaje 26, 102 RBIs, da kuma kashi.980 a filin wasa a takaice. Ya koma wasan karshe a karon farko cikin shekaru 13 yayin da Orioles suka lashe AL Wild Card. A cikin Wasannin Division na AL, Baltimore ta doke Cleveland a wasanni huɗu, tare da Ripken batting.444 a cikin jerin. Matsakaicin sa ya sauka zuwa.250 a
ALCS kamar yadda Orioles suka ci nasara a wasanni biyar da Yankees.