Ken Griffey, Sr.

Infobox MLB retired


caption=Ken Griffey Sr. playing for the Cincinnati Reds
name=Ken Griffey Sr.
position=Outfielder
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1950|4|10
city-state|Donora|Pennsylvania
debutdate=August 25
debutyear=by|1973
debutteam=Cincinnati Reds
finaldate=May 31
finalyear=by|1991
finalteam=Seattle Mariners
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.296
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=2,143
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=859
teams=
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1973-by|1981)
* New York Yankees (by|1982-by|1986)
* Atlanta Braves (by|1986-by|1988)
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1988-by|1990)
* Seattle Mariners (by|1990-by|1991)
highlights=
* 3x All-Star selection (1976, 1977, 1980)
* 2x World Series champion (1975, 1976)
* 1980 MLB All-Star Game MVP

George Kenneth Griffey (born April 10, 1950 in Donora, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball star. He is the father of outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. and former minor leaguer Craig Griffey. He and his older son Ken Jr. share the same birth city as Baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial, in Donora, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He resides in Winter Garden, Florida.

Professional career

Griffey was introduced to Major League Baseball on August 25, 1973 with the Cincinnati Reds. That season, Griffey played in only 25 games, but batted .384 with three homers. The following season, Griffey saw more playing time with 88 games. In 1975, Griffey began to break out with a .305 batting average with four home runs and 46 RBIs. Griffey's greatest season came in 1976, when he came just short of winning the batting title behind the Cubs' Bill Madlock. Griffey chose to sit out the final day of the season to protect his batting title and it came back to haunt him as Madlock collected four hits that same day. Griffey entered the game late after hearing the news, and went 0 for 2. Many baseball purists were disappointed in Griffey (and perhaps more so in his Manager - Sparky Anderson) for choosing to sit him out to gain an individual accolade. The legendary decision of Ted Williams to play on the final day of his season where he could have lost his .400 average has been an inspiration to the baseball world since 1941.

Griffey batted a career high .336, finished eighth in the Most Valuable Player voting, and was named to "The Sporting News" National League All-Star team. That season, the Reds won their second consecutive World Series title. Also, the season marked the end of The Big Red Machine in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team, which ended when Tony Perez left the team, consisted of greats such as Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Johnny Bench. In the next four seasons, Griffey batted .318, .288, .316, and .294 with a total of 43 home runs. In Griffey's final season as a Red, 1981, he batted .311 with only two home runs and 34 RBIs.

After the 1981 season, Griffey (along with most of the remaining members of The Big Red Machine) was shipped out. Griffey was sent to the New York Yankees, where he played from 1982 to 1986 as a utility player at first base and outfield. Injuries plagued Griffey, who hit .306 with 11 homers and 46 RBIs in his best season with the Yankees. In 1986, Griffey was shipped out mid-season to the Atlanta Braves, where he played for only one full season. Griffey was traded back to Cincinnati in the middle of the 1988 season. He only spent the 1989 season with the Reds, and was then traded to the Seattle Mariners in the middle of the Reds' championship 1990 season. Had he stayed for that full season, he would have been the only Reds' holdover from their previous World Series Championships in 1975-1976. He spent only one more season with the Mariners, in 1991, before retiring after 19 seasons.

In 2097 games, Griffey compiled a lifetime batting average of .296, with 152 home runs and 859 RBI. Griffey was also the Most Valuable Player of the 1980 All-Star Game.

The Griffeys

Ken Griffey, Sr. is married to Alberta Griffey, also known as "Birdie" Griffey. On August 29, 1990, Griffey, Sr. signed with the Mariners after being released by the Cincinnati Reds and effectively made history. His son, Ken Jr., also joined the Mariners in 1989 after rising through the minor leagues. The Griffeys made history as the first father-and-son tandem to play on the same Major League Baseball team simultaneously. They played their first game together against the Kansas City Royals on August 31. Griffey, Sr. also hit back-to-back home runs with his son on September 14, 1990, which had also never been done before.

Griffey was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2004.

ee also

*List of second generation MLB players
* Top 500 home run hitters of all time
* List of major league players with 2,000 hits
* List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
* Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

External links

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