It finally happened, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th home run tonight in the first inning off of Florida Marlins' starter Mark Hendrickson.
After numerous games in which Griffey Jr. got walked, or simply failed to make proper contact, he let loose and turned on a pitch to throw it in the orange seats of Dolphin Stadium. A man wearing a Sergio Mitre jersey was escorted out of his seat by several security officials after corralling the historic baseball.
In an era in which 500 home runs has seemed quite easy to attain, 600 is still a hallowed mark for most. Griffey Jr. is now only the sixth player in MLB history to have accomplished the feat.
Not only was Griffey Jr. the son of a great player himself, but he also grew up close to some baseball greatness in Donora, Pennsylvania: Stan Musial.
He may very well still go down as one of the best players in MLB history, but during his prime, Griffey Jr. was truly special. He was arguably not only the best player in the game, but the best hitter and defensive player, starring at center field.
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I've never found myself rooting for the Cincinnati Reds, but I can now say I am rooting for Griffey Jr. For all the flack he has gotten since joining the Reds in 2000, he deserves a little recognition. The away Marlins crowd was kind enough to execute the proper move, giving him a curtain call standing ovation.
Baseball clearly hasn't seen this very often, but with sluggers such as Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome all with over 500 HRs each, there will be more to join this exclusive club coming shortly.
Only one, Rodriguez, has a remote chance of becoming as great as Griffey Jr. was in his prime. As referenced in an earlier article this month, Junior has been flying under the radar with this chase, but he now deserves our praise.
Although I was impressed with the in-stadium reaction, the media was not as quick to come up with the breaking news. I was watching ESPN and the Reds' gamecast, only to find out what had happened approximately fifteen minutes later on ESPN.
This is an extremely small group to be in, and we are witnessing history here tonight. Well, at least attempting to. It would be nice if someone would give Griffey Jr. his props. It's quite sad his clean record has been tainted unfairly due to the Steroid Era.
In one word, according to ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, Griffey Jr.'s prime was "breathtaking". It can't be said much better than that. From web-gems to home runs aplenty, Griffey Jr. could do it all.
It will be interesting to see how history is covered tonight, because for now, it's all a blur to me, as I have witnessed history tonight.
Ken Griffey Jr., congratulations on an amazing feat, just one more accomplishment to add to your already astronomically long list.
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2 months ago
He is definitely my favorite player in the game. What he did in Seattle was simply amazing. The homers, the Gold gloves, everything, truly amazing.
Plus, his character is next to none. Never had troubles with the law, not an ounce of juice in him either. Give credit to Senior for raising him around the game and teaching him how to be a man. A true role model for anybody, sports lovers or not. Teach kids to be like Griff, not Bonds.
As much as the DH rule is debated, Junior needs to go back to the AL. I don't think he can hold up playing everyday at 40+.
2 months ago
Exactly! It's about time he got some credit...which still doesn't seem to be coming in full-force!
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