Ken Griffey Sr.

Outfielder

Born: April 10, 1950 (age 67)
Donora, Pennsylvania

Batted: Left

Threw: Left

MLB debut

August 25, 1973, for the Cincinnati Reds

Last MLB appearance

May 31, 1991, for the Seattle Mariners

MLB statistics

Batting average

.296

Home runs

152

Runs batted in

859

Teams

Career highlights and awards

George Kenneth Griffey Sr. (born April 10, 1950) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, and Seattle Mariners from 1973 through 1991. Griffey was a member of the famed Big Red Machine, and a three-time All-Star. He is the father of Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey was raised by a single mother of six; his father Buddy—a high school teammate of another Hall of Fame outfielder, Stan Musial—left the family when he was 2 years old. In a 2016 interview with ESPN, he said he did not see his father again until he was 16. His contemporaries in Donora did not think he would become a baseball star; they considered his best sport to be football, where he was a star wide receiver. Griffey himself considered football to be his best sport, followed by basketball, track, and only then baseball. At times, he would even compete in track meets during baseball games, rushing up the hill between Donora High School's baseball field and track between at-bats when it came time for his track events. However, as his high school graduation in 1969 neared, he discovered his girlfriend was pregnant. He would soon be chosen by the Reds in the 1969 draft, signed with the organization, and married his girlfriend. After his first minor-league season, Ken Jr. was born. While Ken Sr. left Donora in 1972 as his professional career advanced, he retains close ties to the town, making frequent visits to this day.

Griffey made his Major League Baseball debut on August 25, 1973 with the Cincinnati Reds. That season, Griffey played in only 25 games, but batted .384 with three homers. The following season, Griffey saw more playing time with 88 games. In 1975, Griffey began to break out with a .305 batting average with four home runs and 46 RBIs. Griffey's best season came in 1976, when he came just short of winning the batting title behind Bill Madlock of the Chicago Cubs. Griffey chose to sit out the final day of the season to protect his batting title and it came back to haunt him as Madlock collected four hits that same day. Griffey entered the game late after hearing the news, and went 0 for 2. Many baseball purists were disappointed in Griffey (and perhaps more so in his manager, Sparky Anderson, for choosing to sit him out to gain an individual accolade). Griffey finished with a career high .336. He also finished eighth in the Most Valuable Player voting, and was named to The Sporting News National League All-Star team.

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