Ken Griffey Sr.
Ken Griffey | ||
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George Kenneth Griffey Sr. (born April 10, 1950) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1973 through 1991, most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three division titles and two World Series championships between 1973 and 1976.[1] He also played for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, and Seattle Mariners.
A three-time
Early life
Griffey was raised by a single mother of six; his father Buddy—a high school teammate of another Hall of Fame outfielder, Stan Musial—left the family when Griffey was two years old. In a 2016 interview with ESPN, he said he did not see his father again until he was 16. His contemporaries in his hometown of Donora, Pennsylvania, did not think he would become a baseball star; they considered his best sport to be football, where he was a star wide receiver. Griffey himself considered football to be his best sport, followed by basketball, track, and only then baseball. At times, he would even compete in track meets during baseball games, rushing up the hill between Donora High School's baseball field and track between at-bats when it came time for his track events.
However, as his high school graduation in 1969 neared, he discovered his girlfriend was pregnant. He would soon be chosen by the Reds in the 1969 draft, signed with the organization, and married to his girlfriend. After his first minor-league season, Ken Jr. was born. Though Griffey left Donora in 1972 as his professional career advanced, he retains close ties to the town, making frequent visits to this day.[2]
MLB career
Griffey made his MLB debut 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 best season came in 1976, when he came just short of winning the batting title behind Bill Madlock of the Chicago Cubs.
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.
After the 1981 season, the Reds traded Griffey the
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 released in the middle of the Reds' championship 1990 season, signing with the Seattle Mariners to conclude the season, joining his son Ken Jr. By becoming teammates with his son, they became the first father and son to be teammates in Major League Baseball.[7] Griffey didn't play in the 1990 World Series, but he got a ring anyway. He spent only one more season with the Mariners, in 1991, before retiring after 19 seasons. In 1,997 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. In 2014, Griffey published his memoir Big Red: Baseball, Fatherhood, and My Life in the Big Red Machine, in which he discussed his childhood, formative years, professional career with both the Reds and the Yankees, and his relationships with friends and family.[8]
The Griffeys
Joseph "Buddy" Griffey was a local athlete who was a teammate of
Griffey was inducted into the
Personal life
Griffey is married to Valarie Griffey. He is the father of Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and former minor league player Craig Griffey. The family lived in Beckett Ridge, Ohio.[12] He is the grandfather of Trey Griffey, a former wide receiver in the NFL. He and his elder son Ken Jr. share the same birth town as Baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial. Ken Jr. also shares the same birthday as Musial, November 21.
See also
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
References
- ^ a b c "Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com". mlb.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Caple, Jim (July 22, 2016). "Welcome to Donora, Pa.: The unlikely intersection of The Kid and Stan The Man". ESPN. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ "The Baseball Page". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29.
- ^ Chass, Murray (5 November 1981). "Yankees Acquire Griffey; Jackson Stunned by Deal". The New York Times.
- ISBN 0-553-07184-X.
- ^ Gaines, Scott Davis, Cork. "Ken Griffey Jr says he refused to sign with the Yankees because he felt the team discriminated against him when he was a kid". Insider. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. become the first father-son duo to ever play together". Andscape. 31 August 2016.
- ^ Eddy, Art. "Ken Griffey Sr. Chats With MANjr". manjr.com. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ SOCIETY, DONORA HISTORICAL (24 January 2013). "Stan Musial and the Donora HIgh School baseball team". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
- ^ Field Staff | Dayton Dragons Roster
- ^ Ken Griffey Sr. to Manage Blaze in 2011
- ^ Profile of a Cincinnati star Retrieved 2018-05-16.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Ken Griffey Sr. at the SABR Baseball Biography Project