The year was 1987 and the Seattle Mariners were anonymous. The team had little talent to go around and just as little fans willing to watch them. There was no legitimate reason to care about the Mariners. Finishing with a horrible record yields a failing franchise one silver lining: a high draft pick the next season. The Mariners “earned” the first overall pick following the 1986 season; that is where the legend of Ken Griffey Jr. begins.
The name Ken Griffey was already familiar to the ears of baseball fans when Junior was drafted by Seattle. You see, Junior had a famous father. Ken Griffey Sr. was a great baseball player with the Cincinnati Reds during the days of the famous “Big Red Machine”. That Reds team dominated Major League Baseball between 1970 and 1976 in which they won 5 division titles and 2 World Series. So needless to say, baseball knew of Griffey’s accomplishments but no one knew his son would surpass his father’s legacy so quickly and so gracefully.
Junior was called up to the big leagues in 1989 and hit a double in his first career at-bat on the road. When the Mariners came back from that road trip, Junior delivered a ‘welcome to the future’ homerun in his first at-bat in the Kingdome. Mariners fans fell in love.
The fairytale continued when the Mariners acquired Griffey Sr. in 1990 to play alongside his son. The two became the first father-son duo to hit homeruns back-to-back in a baseball game. That feat was so unique that I doubt baseball will ever see it again. Griffey Sr. played 51 games with his son and then retired in 1991.
The spotlight was all Junior’s now, not just in Seattle but across America. Junior earned the reputation of best centerfielder real quick by chasing down everything hit remotely close to him. He won the Gold Glove from 1990 to 1999; an award given to the best defender at each position. No one has matched that streak of defensive dominance since. Griffey’s highlights consisted of homerun saving, Spiderman-esque wall climbs and fearless dives for balls with no regard for self-preservation.
Did I mention “The Kid” could hit? Try 1,752 hits, 398 home runs, 1,152 RBIs, and 167 stolen bases between 1989-1999. He led the American League in home runs four seasons (1994, 1997, 1998, and 1999), was voted the A.L. MVP in 1997, and maintained a .297 batting average. Seattle fans enjoyed the greatest modern day baseball player for a whole decade. In fact, Junior was so dominant in his time with Seattle that he was named to the All-Century Team. In a sport that spans 100 years, Griffey Jr. became the youngest player named to a list of baseball gods. Not bad.
After the 1999 season Junior wasn’t satisfied with the Mariners’ consistent playoff failures. He also was dealing with personal problems which made him want to move back closer to his father and family back in Cincinnati. Much to the Mariners’ chagrin, the team traded their beloved franchise player to the Reds for incomparable players in return.
The move sent shockwaves through Seattle and baseball as a whole. Radio jockeys whined. Sports writers expressed their unfiltered disdain. Mariner fans felt baron and cold, myself included. From a fans perspective you feel betrayed by the one you love because they had brought you so much joy. Sports stars leaving Seattle is a trend fans can’t seem to avoid.
Junior enjoyed some good seasons with the Reds over the next 8 years but his time in Cincinnati was littered with stints on the disabled list. There was a definite fall from grace upon leaving Seattle but Mariner fans still adored him from afar. Many fans held out hope for a return to Seattle before he retired.
During the 2009 spring training, the Mariners brought back Griffey for one last stand. The team was coming off a horrible season and they needed a PR boost. Wish granted. Griffey blasted a homerun in his first game back with the M’s. Fans were in nostalgic heaven. Too bad the team still sucked.
The last home game of 2009 brought smiles and tears to Mariner fans when Griffey’s teammates carried him off the field on their shoulders while he waved to fans. That would have been a great ending if he had retired then. Instead, Griffey announced he was coming back for one more year. Even though he was producing like a below-average hitter, how could M’s say no?
Griffey came out of spring training one last time with high hopes of the team finishing strong. The team was supposed to succeed this year but instead they flopped. Griffey wasn’t producing in a lineup that shared the same problem. Fans began to wonder how far the team would fall until making a move on the struggling Griffey. Junior beat the team to the punch. On June 2nd, 2010 ‘The Kid’ said goodbye.
Griffey finished fifth all-time on the homerun list with 630, behind icons like Babe Ruth and Willie Mays. It wasn’t the prettiest goodbye but that will soon be forgotten. Look at the numbers. Look at the cultural impact. Feel the love of a city and tell me Ken Griffey Jr. wasn’t the greatest thing to ever happen to Seattle sports.
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