Ken Griffey Jr spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox.
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71 Facts About Ken Griffey Jr
2.
Ken Griffey Jr was an exceptional defender and won ten Gold Glove Awards in center field.
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3.
Ken Griffey Jr is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run.
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4.
Ken Griffey Jr signed lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo; his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute.
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5.
Ken Griffey Jr is one of only 31 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in major league games in four different calendar decades.
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6.
Ken Griffey Jr was inducted into both the Mariners' Hall of Fame and the Reds Hall of Fame.
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7.
In 2016, Ken Griffey Jr was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 99.
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9.
Ken Griffey Jr's family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where his father, Ken Griffey Sr.
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11.
Ken Griffey Jr was the number one overall selection by the Seattle Mariners during the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft held on June 2,1987.
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12.
Ken Griffey Jr received a signing bonus of $160,000 from the Mariners.
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13.
On June 11,1987, Ken Griffey Jr joined the Bellingham Mariners of the Northwest League, a Class A Short Season minor league.
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14.
Ken Griffey Jr led the team with 14 home runs, 40 RBI and 13 steals.
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15.
In 1988, Ken Griffey Jr joined the San Bernardino Spirit of the Class A-Advanced California League.
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16.
Late in the season, Ken Griffey Jr was promoted to the Vermont Mariners of the Class AA Eastern League.
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17.
Ken Griffey Jr was featured on the Wheaties cereal box and had his own signature sneaker line from Nike, Inc.
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18.
Ken Griffey Jr was a frequent participant in the All-Star Game during the 1990s.
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19.
Ken Griffey Jr led his league multiple times in different hitting categories.
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21.
Ken Griffey Jr would go on to have 4 multi-home run games that year.
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22.
Ken Griffey Jr raced around the bases, slid into home with the winning run, and popped up into the waiting arms of the entire team.
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23.
Also, when Ken Griffey Jr was a kid visiting his dad in the Yankee clubhouse, Yankee manager Billy Martin would, believing that children did not belong in the clubhouse, kick him out of there.
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24.
In 1997, Ken Griffey Jr led the Mariners to the AL West crown and captured the American League Most Valuable Player Award, hitting.
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25.
Ken Griffey Jr fell out of the spotlight due to some nagging injuries and was surpassed by Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa, who finished with 66 home runs, himself falling short of McGwire's then record 70.
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26.
That same year, Ken Griffey Jr was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
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27.
Ken Griffey Jr formerly lived in the same neighborhood in Orlando as golfer Payne Stewart.
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28.
Not only did Ken Griffey Jr want to live closer, but he wanted to be able to raise his kids, Trey and Taryn.
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29.
On February 10,2000, Ken Griffey Jr was traded to the Reds for pitcher Brett Tomko, outfielder Mike Cameron, and minor leaguers Antonio Perez and Jake Meyer.
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30.
In 2000, Ken Griffey Jr changed his number from 24 to 30, the number his father wore while playing in both Cincinnati and Seattle; the number 24 was already retired in honor of Tony Perez.
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31.
Additionally, from 2001 through 2004, Ken Griffey Jr was plagued by a string of injuries, including season-ending injuries in 2002,2003, and 2004.
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32.
In 2004, Ken Griffey Jr avoided major injury during the first half of the season, and on June 20 became the 20th player to hit 500 career home runs.
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33.
Ken Griffey Jr finished the 2004 season on the disabled list after suffering a rupture of his right hamstring in San Francisco.
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34.
Ken Griffey Jr was starting in right field for the first time in his 16-year Major League career when he raced toward the gap to try to cut off a ball before it got to the wall.
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35.
Ken Griffey Jr slid as he got to the ball, but in the process hyper-extended his right leg, tearing the hamstring completely off the bone.
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36.
Ken Griffey Jr later came out of the game, complaining of "tightness" in the hamstring exacerbated by chilly conditions in San Francisco.
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37.
Ken Griffey Jr ended the season tied with Mickey Mantle, after having passed Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Willie McCovey, Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott, and Eddie Murray.
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38.
Ken Griffey Jr's resurgence was recognized when he was named National League Comeback Player of the Year.
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39.
Ken Griffey Jr played in the World Baseball Classic for the American team that off-season with his father as a coach.
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40.
On September 25,2006, Ken Griffey Jr hit his 27th home run of the season against Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Scott Eyre to tie Reggie Jackson for tenth on the all-time home run list.
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41.
Ken Griffey Jr said his hand felt fine and he expected to be ready to go for 2007 spring training.
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42.
On May 10,2007, Ken Griffey Jr hit his sixth home run of the season and the 569th of his career, tying Rafael Palmeiro for ninth place on the career home runs list.
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43.
On June 22,2007, Ken Griffey Jr made his first return to Seattle after his trade to the Reds.
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44.
Ken Griffey Jr did not expect such a welcome or a turnout by fans when he came back, and a short but emotional speech was given by Ken Griffey Jr afterwards.
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45.
Ken Griffey Jr received the most votes of any player in the National League for the 2007 All-Star balloting and on the July 10 game, he went on to drive in two runs for the National League.
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46.
On July 18,2007, Ken Griffey Jr hit his 2,500th hit, a first-inning single off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher John Smoltz.
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47.
On September 19,2007, in a game against the Chicago Cubs, Ken Griffey Jr fielded a Derrek Lee single in right field, then suddenly went down in pain.
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48.
Ken Griffey Jr was criticized by some for his effort during his stint with the Reds.
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49.
Gregg Doyel had this to say of the years Ken Griffey Jr was with the Reds in comparison to the 2010 Reds team.
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50.
On July 31,2008, at the MLB trade deadline, Ken Griffey Jr was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for pitcher Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar, ending his nine-year tenure in Cincinnati.
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52.
Ken Griffey Jr indicated he was motivated by sentimental reasons toward Seattle, where he received an overwhelmingly positive reception when he last played there as a Cincinnati Red in June 2007, but was inclined towards the Braves for its proximity to his home in Orlando, Florida, and his desire to be with his family during the season.
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53.
On June 23,2009, at Safeco Field, Ken Griffey Jr hit the 5,000th home run in franchise history, off San Diego Padres pitcher Chad Gaudin.
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54.
Ken Griffey Jr's agent stated Larue's initial report had been posted in error and that Larue had asked his employer to remove it, both of which they refuted.
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55.
On June 2,2010, with the clubhouse still in turmoil, Ken Griffey Jr left the Mariners after the second game of a 4-game series with the Minnesota Twins, leaving in the middle of the night for a cross-country drive to his home in Florida.
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56.
Ken Griffey Jr released a statement through the Seattle Mariners organization announcing his retirement effective immediately.
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57.
Ken Griffey Jr's retirement was announced at Safeco Field before the Mariners played the Twins.
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58.
Ken Griffey Jr is involved with the Mariners at spring training and the regular season, along with visiting most of the Mariners minor-league affiliates.
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59.
On January 22,2013, the Mariners announced Ken Griffey Jr would be the seventh person inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame.
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60.
Ken Griffey Jr joined Alvin Davis, Dave Niehaus, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson and Dan Wilson.
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61.
Writer Bill Simmons pointed out the prevalent belief that Ken Griffey Jr was the best home run hitter of the 1990s who everyone was convinced never used PEDs.
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62.
Therefore, Simmons stated Ken Griffey Jr was the one player who would be the most devastating to "an entire generation of American men" should he ever be linked to steroids.
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63.
On October 25,2021, Ken Griffey Jr joined the Mariners ownership group, become the first former player to hold partnership interest in the Mariners.
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64.
On January 6,2016, Ken Griffey Jr was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 99.
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66.
On July 29,2021, Ken Griffey Jr was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame's Board of Directors.
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67.
Ken Griffey Jr is an honorary co-chairman of the AOPA Foundation's Hat in the Ring Society, a charitable organization that promotes aviation safety and education.
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68.
Ken Griffey Jr was named an American Public Diplomacy Envoy by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on November 18,2008.
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69.
Ken Griffey Jr has a private pilot certificate and owns a Cirrus SR22.
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70.
Ken Griffey Jr family joined as a minority owner in the Seattle Sounders FC on November 17,2020.
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71.
In January 1988, Ken Griffey Jr attempted suicide by swallowing 277 aspirin pills but wound up in intensive care at Providence Hospital in Mount Airy, Ohio.
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