Broken nose fails to break Ripken's run

Cal Ripken, who has played 2,239 successive games without breaking a bone, broke his nose during a team photo session before the major league All-Star game in Philadelphia yesterday.

"I don't think it was ever that straight, but it's straighter than it was a half-hour ago," Ripken joked after having it reset before taking part in his 13th straight All-Star game, playing for the American League against the National League.

The Baltimore Orioles' short-stop was posing for the photo when Roberto Hernandez of the Chicago White Sox slipped on the platform and struck Ripken in the nose.

Ripken was bleeding profusely before undergoing treatment. "It was out of place and they twisted it and popped it back in," he said.

Ripken has not missed a regular-season game since 30 May 1982. Last season he set the major league record by playing in his 2,130th consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehring's record. This year, Ripken broke the world record of 2,215 games, held by Sachio Kinugasa of Japan. Ripken's American League team were beaten 6-0.