Table of Content
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.
After numerous injuries and inconsistent play, Ken Griffey, Jr. is now on the verge of hitting 600 home runs. He brought 398 home runs, 1,742 hits, and 10 gold gloves with him. He has 20 seasons under his belt, and little left for debate. The 38-year-old outfielder hasn't enjoyed many golden moments since the Reds got him from Seattle in 2000. This will rank as one of his best with Cincinnati and, possibly, one of his last, given that he's in the final year of his contract. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Griffey Hits 600th Career Home Run
Musial played high school baseball with Griffey's grandfather. During a pregame visit, Griffey told Musial he wanted to play until he's 40. Griffey is averaging .260 this season with seven homers, 29 runs batted in and 30 runs scored in 61 games.
"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.
Ken Griffey Jr. hits 600th homer
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.
He mentioned he had received recent phone calls from Mays and Aaron, who offered encouragement. But it was not all celebration for the Reds, who lost Hairston for two to four weeks with a fractured left thumb. He left the game in the middle of the first breaking his left thumb when stealing second. But unfortunately, that’s when the injury bug started to bite, as he played in just 158 games between 2002 and 2004.
Ken Griffey Jr. Hits 600th Home Run
The 13-time all-star is a lifetime .289 hitter with 600 HRs, 1,730 RBIs and 1,575 runs in 2,439 games over 20 MLB seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Reds. Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 600th home run of his major-league career during the first inning of Monday's 9-4 victory over the Florida Marlins. Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 600th home run of his major-league career in Monday's 9-4 victory over the Florida Marlins. Griffey hit a 2-2 fastball fromMatt Morris into the right-field stands to lead off the sixth inning Sunday, securing a spot in the record books as the 20th player with 500 homers.
The game was the last one of an eight-game road trip for the Reds, who will return home Tuesday night to play St. Louis. The Cincinnati outfielder homered off Florida lefty Mark Hendrickson in the first inning of the Reds' 9-4 victory against the Marlins. Griffey joined Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa. With the sparse crowd anticipating the moment, Griffey turned on Hendrickson’s 3-and-1 pitch with his familiar, fluid swing.
Griffey reached 600 home runs in 2,439 games, the third-fewest all time. With Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa unsigned this season, Griffey, in his 20th season, is the only active player with at least 600 home runs. MIAMI -- Certain privileges come along with Ken Griffey’s stature in baseball, like pep talks from Hall of Fame players. "I have been swinging the bat a lot better the last 10 days or so," he said. "I stayed away with breaking balls until on a 2-2 count I tried to slip a fastball by him," Morris said.
Morris (7-6), who had won his previous three starts, gave up six runs on six hits in six innings. He has allowed a major league-high 23 homers in 15 starts and wasn't overly perturbed about being a footnote to history. He ended up hitting 15 dingers for Cincinnati in 425 plate appearances prior to being dealt at the non-waiver trade deadline.
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.
His name has never come up in baseball's steroids scandal. Unlike Sosa, he's never been caught using a doctored bat. He went another 29 at-bats, and even got a day off during the week to work on his swing, before hitting No. 599. The game was the last one of an eight-game road trip for the Reds, who will return home Tuesday night to play the St. Louis Cardinals. Griffey received a standing ovation from the crowd of 16,003 and responded by coming out of the Reds dugout and waving his helmet to the fans.
Ken Griffey Jr. became the sixth major leaguer to reach 600 career home runs and then got a big hug from Cincinnati Reds Manager Dusty Baker. He homered for the Cincinnati Reds off the Florida left-hander Mark Hendrickson in the first inning of the Reds’ 9-4 victory over the Marlins. Griffey joined Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa on the list. Thanks to an incredibly powerful few years in the late ‘90s, The Kid put himself in what seemed to be a favorable position to challenge Hank Aaron’s career homer record of 755.
Until then, his personal homer list would have to speak for itself. While he closed in on the prominent power number, Griffey gave it little thought. He's never spent much time thinking about his statistics. He preferred to wait and talk about No. 600 when he got it.
Ken Griffey Jr. Home Runs Through the Years
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment