George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey Jr. (born
November 21, 1969) 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
13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in
baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the sixth-most in MLB history.
Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center
field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8
games, with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).
Although popular with fans around the league, Griffey
was unable to shake reports of his petulant demeanor throughout his major league
baseball career. 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 29 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 a record 99.32 percent of the vote,
breaking pitcher Tom Seaver's record of 98.84 percent.
He is the son of former MLB player Ken Griffey Sr.
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