Mariners Say Ken Griffey Jr. Is Retiring
It has been a tough season for Griffey, he had a batting average of just .184 with zero home runs, and rumors had been swirling of his impending retirement for a while.
Griffey was in his 22nd season in the big leagues. He started his career in Seattle at the age of 19 in 1989. He would play for a brief period of time with his father, Ken Griffey Sr., in the same outfield. The two would hit back to back home runs on September 4, 1990.
Griffey Jr. was soon the talk of Seattle with his beautiful swing, highlight reel catches, and easygoing nature. He would help lead the Mariners to their first playoff appearance in 1995. Griffey would win the 1997 American League Most Valuable Player Award and collect 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards while in Seattle.
Griffey would get traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 2000. His years with the Reds were injury plagued and the Reds struggled for most of his time there. His best year in Cincinnati was in 2000 when he clubbed 40 home runs and drove in 118 runs. From 2002-2004 he failed to play in even half of the Reds' games.
He would get traded to the Chicago White Sox in the midst of the 2008 season. He returned to the Mariners as a free agent prior to the 2009 season. He hit 19 home runs in 2009 and became a clubhouse leader on the team.
Griffey will finish his career as the fifth leading career home run hitter, with 630, and 14th in RBI, with 1836. Those numbers could have been even bigger if Griffey could have managed to stay off the disabled list. Either way there is no doubt that in five years the doors of the Baseball Hall of Fame will be opening for Griffey Jr.
Sources:
baseball-reference.com, Ken Griffey Jr. page
Published by Darren Pare - Featured Contributor in Sports
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1 Comments
Post a CommentThis is too bad, Griffey was a class act and a great player for many years. I wish he'd been able to get a ring.