Seattle Mariners Say Goodbye to Ken Griffey Jr

Seattleites were surprised this afternoon when the Seattle Mariners announced Ken Griffey Jr.'s retirement. While Ken Griffey Jr. hadn't been getting much playing time recently, the announcement came as a surprise to Seattle area residents Wednesday afternoon. The announcement came from Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu prior to the start of Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins. At 40-years-old, Griffey Jr. has had one of the great careers in Major League Baseball.

Feeling that his career has come full circle, Ken Griffey Jr. elected to end his season early and thanked Seattle for allowing him to finish his career where he began as a 19-year-old back in 1989. Wakamatsu had been surprised by the announcement and the Mariners held an impromptu meeting in the outfield at Safeco Field prior to batting practice to inform the players of Griffey Jr.'s decision.

Ken Griffey Jr. played the first 11 seasons of his major league career in Seattle prior to signing with the Cincinnati Reds. Griffey made a brief stop in Chicago with the White Sox in 2008 before returning to the Seattle Mariners in 2009. Ken Griffey Jr.'s major league career spanned 22 seasons in which he pounded out 630 home runs. This places Griffey Jr. in fifth place on the all-time home run list behind the likes of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Barry Bonds. A career to be proud of for sure.

In spite of Griffey Jr.'s struggles in 2010, he leaves Seattle as a 13-time All-Star and a definite first ballot Hall of Fame selection-something to look forward to. Ken Griffey Jr.'s numbers speak for themselves, he is undoubtedly one of the best baseball players Seattle has ever or will ever see. Ken Griffey Jr. will be greatly missed by fans in Seattle and we thank him for all of the great memories!

Sources:

King5 News
Seattle Post Intelligencer