Mariners Greatest Hits: “The Kid” Center Fielder Ken Griffey Jr

We continue our “Greatest Hits” series with the greatest player in franchise history. Ken Griffey Jr. left an undeniable mark on the fan base and was crowned an MLB Hall of Famer in 2016.

Junior also became the first Mariner to have his number retired by the organization, and on April 14th, the team will unveil its second statue outside the centerfield gates at Safeco Field.

The task of boiling down Griffey’s greatest games and moments to just three is impossible. How could we even know where to start?  Who can forget his 1995 ALDS performance against the Yankees? He hit five homers and slashed .391/.444/1.043. Wow.

Or how about that time he climbed the wall of Yankee Stadium to rob Jessie Barfield of a home run? The smile he had as Barfield stood at second, hands on his hips, in utter disbelief?

Always with a flair for the dramatics, Griffey blasted his 500th career home run on Father’s Day 2004 as Griffey Sr. looked on from the stands.

The simple truth is that in a career that included 13 All-Star games, 10 Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers, 630 home runs, and an MVP award, it is impossible to rank a top-three.

In fact, if 10 different Mariner fans were asked for their top-three Griffey moments and games, you could get 30 different answers. The real measure of the impact Junior had on Seattle transcends generations.

The Seattle Mariners wouldn’t exist without Ken Griffey Jr. Here are my three favorite Griffey moments. So let’s sit back and enjoy the career of the one, the only, Ken Griffey Jr.