This Day In M’s History: Ken Griffey Jr. Homers in 8th Straight
On July 28, 1993 Ken Griffey Jr. tied a major league record. He hit a home run in his 8th consecutive game, tying the likes of Dale Long (1956) and Don Mattingly (1987) as the only players to reach that number.
Griffey was no stranger to hitting home runs in bunches. He hit 630 of them over his 22-year career. He hit 417 of them as a Seattle Mariner.
That day the Mariners were playing the Minnesota Twins. Willie Banks was on the mound for the Twins. Griffey led off the bottom of the 7th with a first-pitch solo home run to right field, his 30th of the year. Hitting 8 home runs in 8 days is quite impressive. It is hard enough to get an 8-game hitting streak much less an 8-game home run streak.
The closest anyone has gotten in the last 8 years is Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. He hit 6 in a row. 8 games will be tough to beat. Ken Griffey Jr.’s shared record may stand for a long time.
Next: Mariners News: A's Ship Clippard to New York, Angels Get Victorino