AN ALL-STAR CAREER
Griffey would go on to play 22 seasons for the Mariners, the Reds, the White Sox and the Mariners again.
In 1993, he homered in eight straight games to tie a MLB record. In 1994, he had 40 home runs when the season ended early because of a player’s strike.
That year, Nintendo released a game cartridge, “Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball.”
At the Kingdome on Oct. 8, 1995, Griffey sprinted around the diamond from first base on a double by teammate Edgar Martinez to score the winning run in Game 5 of the division series against the Yankees. The play — and the win — helped grow support for a new stadium for the Mariners, who were said to be looking to possibly move the club.
In 1996, Nike introduced the Nike Air Griffey Max 1 shoe, making Griffey the first baseball player to have a signature shoe line along the lines of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
On April 15, 1997, Griffey discarded his usual jersey number of 24 to wear No. 42. This would lead to a tradition that’s now common for Jackie Robinson Day. Also that year, Griffey was named most valuable player of the American League.
In 2000, Griffey signed with the Reds. Because No. 24 was retried — it was Tony Pérez’s old number — Griffey switched to his father’s old number, 30. He spent nine and a half seasons in Cincinnati, much of that time hampered by injuries. Griffey would return to the Mariners in 2009.
Griffey played there another season and a half before retiring. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.