I thought, "Oh god, I'm going to have to make the call." The reason kids loved him is he looked and acted like a kid. I don't remember a single pitch of that series. I put my headphones back on and let Dave go: "And the Mariners are going to play for the American League championship! That's what it was like. Cone: With George Steinbrenner as your owner, you could feel him in the clubhouse. Ken Griffey Jr. Forget about limitless pizza, that … Johnson strikes out 12 and goes the distance in a 9-1 victory that propels the Mariners into the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Here they go.". 1Y; 0:21. I had played with him on the White Sox. A lawsuit brought about by the departure of the Pilots resulted in the creation of the Seattle Mariners in 1977. Showalter: Because of his lack of breaking ball, Rivera presented himself as a relief pitcher. Boggs: It was an emotional series. George Kenneth 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). Enter McDowell, an eight-year veteran who had started 30 games in his only season with the Yankees but was making his first-ever relief appearance. 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People in Seattle were aware of how plucky they were. After playing three games on the AstroTurf in Seattle, he couldn't even sit down. If it stays down there, it deadens. I don't know what the right word is -- a double entendre metaphor? By the time he reached Moeller High School, Junior’s big league future seemed secure. Charlton: There would be no Seattle Mariners if we would not have done what we did in 1995. We ended up using him a lot -- more than a lot of people thought we should have -- but he handled it for the most part. 'Floribama Shore' Fans Are Convinced Jeremiah Is on Steroids After His Blowout With Gus, Luke Sandoe's Friend Says the Bodybuilder Took His Own Life: "He Battled With Demons", Mark McGwire Left MLB to Focus on His Sons’ Careers, A post shared by Ken Griffey Jr (@therealkengriffeyjr), YouTube Bans QAnon Content and Theorists With Updated Policies. It featured a record 13 lead changes and six future Hall of Famers. [Jeter] and those guys were coming. And gosh, that '95 Yankees team seemed so stacked. I see Williams playing a little more to the gap, because that's the kind of hitter that Edgar is. The next night we get a home run from Doug Strange. No, I'm not talking about one that had him on the cover, I'm talking about a game that was actually named after him: Ken Griffey Jr. Josh described some things that I didn't remember seeing because I was trying to keep the score sheet straight. Melissa Griffey, Ken's wife and a Seattle native: I honestly had never seen him move so fast. A lot of their guys even ended up being Yankees. Tony Fernandez bunts Kelly to second. So [Showalter] went with the guy he felt could do the job at that time. ABC flashes a graphic showing that Velarde is 18-for-39 (.462) against Johnson in his career. "Just get me [to the playoffs]," Griffey told them. 1 In Baseball Draft", "Former San Bernardino Player, Ken Griffey Jr., Hits 600th Career Homer – OurSports Central", "Ken Griffey Minor Leagues Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com", April 3, 1989 Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics Box Score and Play by Play, April 10, 1989 Chicago White Sox at Seattle Mariners Box Score and Play by Play, "Ken Griffey Jr. Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights", "August 31, 1990 Kansas City Royals at Seattle Mariners Play by Play and Box Score", "September 14, 1990 Seattle Mariners at California Angels Play by Play and Box Score". One's body needs to be at peak performance for ridiculously sustained periods of time and players are a split second away from a potentially career-ending injury. Melissa Griffey: It was so exciting. And you see, more importantly, the New York Yankees go, "Uh-oh. I actually heard one of the announcers talking about that. Everybody scored! Right now you can get a Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Upper Deck rookie card for 12.50. Born: November 21, 1969 in Donora, PA us Draft: Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1st round (1st) of the 1987 MLB June Amateur Draft from Archbishop Moeller HS (Cincinnati, OH).. High School: Archbishop Moeller HS (Cincinnati, OH) Debut: April 3, 1989 (Age 19-133d, 13,191st in MLB history)