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"It is awesome every time you see a milestone like that," said Reds skipper Dusty Baker, who has managed Bonds, Sosa and Griffey. Griffey is the sixth slugger to reach the 600-homer mark, joining Barry Bonds , Henry Aaron , Babe Ruth , Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa . "I'm really happy to be here and see it and I'm proud to be his teammate and to get to enjoy it," said Reds catcher Paul Bako, who homered twice in the win. After showering and dressing quickly, Griffey faced the news media with “62 text messages and 18 phone calls” on his cellphone.
Griffey homered against Florida Marlins starter Mark Hendrickson on Monday night for his 600th home run in the Cincinnati Reds’ 9-4 victory. He is only the sixth major league player to reach the milestone and did it after some encouraging words from two men ahead of him on the list. Since he did this during his age-26 season, this dinger helped him become the seventh-youngest MLB player in history to reach that number. There’s also something special about hitting a milestone home run at a historic stadium like Fenway Park. Among those in a sellout crowd watching the historic homer was Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial, born on the same day and in the same town, Donora, Pa.
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He’d hit three more that season with Chicago, with the first one being number 609, which tied him for fifth all-time with Sammy Sosa on the all-time list. Many have argued that his career has been a disappointment with his struggles in Cincinnati. Still, others have sworn that Griffey is the greatest player to don a professional baseball uniform.
"I guess people have been doing that 500 times, and it didn't work." Griffey hit a pair of high fly balls in his first two at-bats. He flied out to center near the warning track leading off the second, and hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in the first run in the Reds' five-run fourth against Morris. Griffey is the second player to hit his 500th homer in St. Louis. Mark McGwire connected for his 500th off Andy Ashby of the San Diego Padres in 1999. The ball was caught by 19-year-old Mark Crummley of Mount Carmel, Ill., who gave it back to Griffey after the game.
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The Reds erected a countdown board at Great American Ball Park, and featured him on the cover of the 2008 media guide. Griffey homered with Jerry Hairston on third and one out. The left-handed swinger launched a 3-1 pitch 413 feet into the right-field seats.
"It was a nice Father's Day present, but it's an easy way to get out of giving me something," Griffey Sr. said. Griffey then went to a box next to the Reds' dugout and hugged his father, Ken Griffey, and children. The elder Griffey said Junior told him, simply, "Happy Father's Day." You probably also love those noisy NFL wide receivers, club house divas, and those flashy athletes who leave little to be desired off the field and in the locker room. He has been a positive influence in the clubhouse, on the field, and in the community as well. In 2006, he even switched his number from "30" to "3," in honor of his three children.
thoughts on “Ken Griffey Jr. Home Runs Through the Years”
With Ken Griffey, Jr. four home runs shy of 600, his career is being scrutinized now more than ever. However, the Florida Marlins announced Major League Baseball had authenticated the home run ball for a middle-aged male fan who would only give his first name as Joe.
It seemed like a sure bet that when his nine-year, $116.5 million contract was wrapping up this year, he'd be the next home run king, or close to it. Then, the city would have two of its own atop baseball's revered lists — Pete Rose as the hits king, Junior as the home run king. Then, the city would have two of its own atop baseball's revered lists - Pete Rose as the hits king, Junior as the home run king. Unlike Bonds and Sosa, Griffey has stayed clear of questions about whether he came by all of his homers legitimately.
Griffey received a standing ovation from the sparse crowd of 16,003 at Dolphin Stadium, and showed his appreciation by stepping out of the dugout and tipping his helmet. Griffey, the first to reach 500 in a Cincinnati uniform, got a warm ovation from a sellout crowd of 45,620 on Lou Brock bobblehead day. He then received a standing ovation as he ran out to the field before the bottom of the sixth, responding with a wave of his cap. Justin Kimball, a 25-year-old from Miami, said he caught the ball, put it in a wool cap, then had the cap ripped from his hands. The police said they had found the fan with the baseball and would look at videotape to see if Kimball’s claims could be supported.
Can you imagine what it feels like to hit 300 homers in the big leagues before you turn 30 years old? Only a select few know what that feels like, and Griffey is one of them. At the time of this homer, he was the second-youngest hitter to reach the milestone. His home run total is good for sixth all-time, RBI good for 19th , and he is third among active players in runs scored. In his 20-plus seasons, Griffey has 596 home runs, 2,574 hits, 1,712 RBI, and is a career .290 hitter.
Fred McGriff needs seven homers to become the 21st player to hit 500. Who knows where Griffey could’ve landed on the all-time home run list if he didn’t miss the equivalent of two full seasons between 2002 and 2004 because of injuries. But still, finishing with 630 homers over the span of 22 years is incredible. And we can’t forget about the style/swag he brought to the game when nobody else was really doing it. The every-two-years-for-a-milestone-homer streak ended, but by the time Griffey entered the 500-homer club in 2004, he did it on what was already a memorable day.
Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "It's awesome every time you see a milestone like that," Baker said. When Perez was the Reds’ hitting coach in the late 1980s, one of his Big Red Machine teammates brought him a special assignment.
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