Ripley spent five and a half years in the
Boston Red Sox Minor League system (1973–1978) and averaged 10
wins per season. He entered the majors in 1978 with the Red Sox, playing for them in parts of two seasons before joining the
San Francisco Giants (1980–1981) and
Chicago Cubs (1982). Primarily a starter, Ripley notched one career save, coming on July 7, 1979. Ripley pitched the last 3 innings of a Red Sox 10-8 victory over the Mariners. His most productive season came with the 1980 Giants, when he had a 9–10 mark with a 3.54
earned run average in a pitching rotation that included
Vida Blue (14–10),
Ed Whitson (11–13) and
Bob Knepper (9–16). In a five-season career, Ripley posted a 23–27 record with a 4.50 ERA in 101 pitching appearances, including 67
starts, four
complete games, one
save, 229
strikeouts and 148
walks in innings of work. Additionally, Ripley went 72–41 with a 3.28 ERA in 169 minor league games from 1973 to 1980, striking out 619 while walking 337 in 942 innings. ==Career highlights==