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George Kenneth Griffey Jr., nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a thirteen-time All-Star,
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George Kenneth Griffey Jr., nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a thirteen-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won ten Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (eight, with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).
Griffey signed lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo; his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute. Griffey is one of only 31 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in major league games in four different calendar decades.
Following his playing career, Griffey joined the Mariners' front office as a special consultant. He was inducted into both the Mariners' Hall of Fame and the Reds Hall of Fame. In 2016, Griffey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 99.32% of the vote, breaking pitcher Tom Seaver's record of 98.84%, a record that had stood for 24 years.
Griffey is the son of former MLB player Ken Griffey Sr. and the father of former football player Trey Griffey.
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Fired up to sit down with one of the most iconic athletes in sports, Ryan,...
Ken Griffey Jr., Iconic Athlete Talks Career, Fatherhood, Aaron Judge & Lebron | The Pivot Podcast / Fired up to sit down with one of the most iconic athletes in sports, Ryan, Channing and Fred welcome one of their long time idols, Hall of Famer and thirteen-time All-Star, The Cincinnati Kid, Ken Griffey Jr. to the Pivot Podcast for a candid conversation covering his upbringing, relationship with his father, highs and lows of his career, the game of baseball today, becoming a pilot, and much more!
Known as one of the most prolific home run hitters baseball has ever had, Griffey Jr paved the way for many young black athletes to chase their dreams and became a global icon for his elite play, charismatic attitude and approach to the sport of baseball. Starting the backwards hat trend, earning nicknames of the natural and Cincinnati Kid were all part of the larger than life persona that fans idolized about the young athlete.Â
Following in the footsteps of his father, Ken Griffey, the young Griffey knew playing professional baseball was something obtainable at a young age. Ryan asks him about his experiences with his father growing up and Griffey Jr tells the guys that his father was a ânormalâ dad. An individual who took pride in household structure and spending quality time with his children. At home, he was dad and on the field he was my teammate.Â
Itâs no secret that this father-son duo was historic.
On Sept 14, 1990, the Griffeys hit back-to-back home runs for the Mariners. They became the first, and still the only, father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs in a Major League game.
Despite the accolades, Ken struggled with understanding who he truly was as a teen. In the shadows of his fatherâs legacy and the amounting pressures to be a star at a young age, Griffey Jr attempted suicide before getting to the Major Leagues, a moment that almost robbed the world of his talent, and he shares how this moment changed him and brought him even closer to his parents.Â
Ryan asks about the lack of diversity within MLB and what Griffey believes to be one word- money. Baseball serves to be a challenging sport for minority communities due to financial obligations. They guys speak on the reason behind why he wore #42 and how Griffey Jr understands that his legacy wouldnât exist without Jackie Robinsonâs ability to withstand. Fred and Channing ask about the use of steroids in the league and the effect it has had on the game and players as well as a personal whether heâs ever been affected by not winning a World Series, Ken lets the guys know heâs content because he gets to write HOF after his name and that to him is everything.Â
Switching to baseball today, the guys talk about the play of Aaron Judge and Griffey reveals how he recently exchanged messages with the New York Yankee and makes it known that he feels Judge is the best player in the game today.
14-time MLB All-Star Johnny Bench joins Dan Patrick in-studio to talk his career, the All-Star...
Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Bench Talks Pete Rose, Mantle, Aaron & More / 14-time MLB All-Star Johnny Bench joins Dan Patrick in-studio to talk his career, the All-Star game and more.