Seattle Mariners Honor Team, City Icon Ken Griffey Jr. on His Birthday
There is a shortlist of players that are among the pantheon of Seattle sports royalty.
The Legion of Boom and Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks, Sue Bird of Seattle Storm, Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp of the Seattle SuperSonics and Clint Dempsey of the Seattle Sounders are just a few players that are ingrained in the history of athletic success in the Emerald City.
And one of the Seattle Mariners' members of that court of royals, Ken Griffey Jr., just celebrated his birthday.
Griffey Jr. turned 55 on Thursday, and the Mariners made a post on "X" (formerly known as Twitter) to celebrate arguably the best player in franchise history.
Hall of Famer. Legend.
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) November 21, 2024
Happy birthday to The Kid! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/ZWY8nxD2jm
Griffey Jr. played the better part of 13 of his 21-year career with Seattle. He started his career with the Mariners and played with them from 1989-1999. He wrapped up his career with a second stint in the Pacific Northwest from 2009-2010.
Griffey Jr. was half-responsible for one of the most iconic moments in baseball, arguably in all of sports. He and his father, Ken Griffey Sr., became the first father-son duo to play together in 1990.
Griffey Jr. was a 13-time All-Star, 1997 American League MVP, 10-time Gold Glove winner and a seven-time Silver Slugger. He led the AL in home runs four separate times and RBIs once. He even tacked on a National League Comeback Player of the Year Award to his list of accolades in 2005 with the Cincinnati Reds.
Griffey Jr. was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. He's one of two players in Mariners history, along with Edgar Martinez, to have his jersey retired by the organization.
Griffey Jr. also scored the winning run during Game 5 of a 1995 American League Divisional Series off a Martinez double against the New York Yankees, which sent the team to its first-ever American League Championship Series. That play has an argument to be the most iconic in franchise history.
October 8, 1995 – In Game 5 of the Divisional Series, Ken Griffey Jr. scores from first base on Edgar Martinez's double to left field to beat the New York Yankees, 6-5.
— Baseball Brew Crew (@beerbaseball_) October 9, 2023
The hit, known as "The Double,” sent the Seattle Mariners to their first American League Championship Series.… pic.twitter.com/UBUOfWVA9Y
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
ANALYSIS: SASAKI DEAL COULD SPELL DISASTER FOR MARINERS INTERNATIONAL PROSPECTS: The Seattle Mariners will reportedly make a pitch to sign the Japanese pitcher, but it could set the team back going after future international prospects. CLICK HERE
MARINERS STARTERS PROJECTED FOR DROP-OFF IN 2025: FanGraphs popular ZiPS projection model has the Seattle Mariners starting rotation taking a slight step back in 2025. CLICK HERE
POPULAR PROJECTION MODEL COMPLIMENTARY TO POTENTIAL 2025 SEATTLE OFFENSE: The Seattle Mariners lineup might be due to a bounce back season in 2025 according to FanGraphs' prediction model. CLICK HERE
Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.
