Griffey Jr.’s father recalls son’s love of game, celebrates his election to Hall of Fame
Wilfredo Lee
Cincinnati Reds’ Ken Griffey Jr. waves to the crowd after he hit his 600th home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Florida Marlins June 9, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.
Team USA outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., left and coach Ken Griffey, Sr., right, both natives of Donora, share a laugh during batting practice at Chase Field in Phoenix on March 6, 2006. Ken Griffey Sr. said the family was hoping to get the call on his son’s first year of eligibility for the Hall. But to get the highest vote percentage ever was a shock on Jan. 6.
Submitted photo
Ken Griffey and son Ken Griffey Jr., right, an outfielder for the Seattle Mariners, kid around next to a poster featuring both of them in their team’s uniform, June 8, 1989, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. (Photo by Rob Burns)
Associated Press
Cincinnati Reds’ Ken Griffey Jr., left, and Ken Griffey Sr. answer questions during a news conference on June 11, 2004, in Cleveland. Griffey Jr., who was born in Donora, will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
File photo - Former Cincinnati Reds great Ken Griffey Sr. throws batting practice at baseball spring training, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, in Goodyear, Ariz. Griffey manages the Reds Class A team in Bakersfield, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
File photo - Team United States manager Ken Griffey Sr. talks with members of the media during batting practice before the All-Star Futures baseball game against Team World, Sunday, July 12, 2015, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Wilfredo Lee
Cincinnati Reds’ Ken Griffey Jr. waves to the crowd after he hit his 600th home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Florida Marlins June 9, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.
Ken Griffey Sr. remembers when his son, then 12 years old, said he wanted to be a Major League baseball player.
While such conversations are repeated countless times daily across the country, when Ken Griffey Jr. revealed his career aspirations, it was in Yankee Stadium, where his father was in the midst of his MLB career.
“From that day, we worked on his skills,” Ken Griffey Sr. said of his son, Ken Griffey Jr. “He had the physical attributes. At age 12, he was already playing with 14-, 15-, 16-year-olds. It was just the mental aspects we had to work on.”
The results of that day came full circle Wednesday. Ken Griffey Sr., now living in Philadelphia, called his son in Florida as soon as he learned the news that Ken Griffey Jr. had been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“It’s hard to describe the feeling. It’s still sinking in,” said Griffey Sr., speaking from his home in Philadelphia as he prepared to travel to New York for a press conference where Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza, the class of 2016, were to be introduced.
Griffey Sr. said the family felt Griffey Jr. could be elected to the hall on his first ballot, but were still surprised that he was elected by the largest vote total ever with 437 out of 440 possible votes.
Griffey Jr. was born in Donora, Nov. 21, 1969, just five months after his father was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of Donora High School.
The younger Griffey lived in Donora until Griffey Sr. relocated the family to Cincinnati after he was promoted to the Major League club, which occurred late in the 1973 season. As a member of the “Big Red Machine,” Griffey Sr. won back-to-back World Series in 1975-76. He would play 19 seasons for the Reds, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners.
At the time, the younger Griffey looked forward each year to taking the field with his dad for the annual father-son game. Griffey Sr. never thought they would take the field together in a Major League game.
“I figured I’d be long retired by the time he made it to the Major Leagues,” Griffey Sr. said.
But on Aug. 31, 1990, the Griffeys became the first father-son pair to start a Major League game. On Sept. 14, 1990, the Griffeys hit back-to-back home runs in a game against the California Angels, the only time in Major League Baseball history this has occurred.
“I felt I was going to cover 3 square feet in left field and the rest (of the outfield) was his,” Griffey Sr. said with a laugh, recalling that first game together.
“He was natural born centerfielder. It came natural to him.”
Griffey Sr. said he taught his son to make adjustments in baseball. And how to handle the mental aspect of the game. It is a day-to-day grind that can catch up with a hitter like a split finger fastball.
Griffey Sr. retired in April after nearly 46 years in professional baseball, including playing and coaching.
But the elder Griffey did not get much of an opportunity to see his son play during his high school years because while he played at the famed Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, the elder Griffey was still in the majors.
When Griffey Jr.’s agent told the family he might be the first pick overall in the 1987 draft, even his father was surprised.
The Griffeys still get back occasionally to Donora, where they have a connection with athletic greatness. Griffey Jr. joins Stan “the Man” Musial as Donora natives who are members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Griffey Sr. said he recently spent four days in the area — dropping off baseball memorabilia from the Griffeys for the Donora Smog Museum — en route to Columbus, Ohio, to watch his wife’s grandson Khalid Lewis play for Illinois against Ohio State.
In Palmer Park, sitting on the hill overlooking Donora, a pair of baseball fields were dedicated in 1994 were dedicated to Griffey Sr. and Musial.
Griffey Sr. had played on those fields during his high school years. He still loves the game and follows players, like the Reds’ Billy Hamilton, whom he coached at Cincinnati’s Double AA affiliate in Bakersfield, California. But his best game as a Donora Dragon was football. He laughed when he recalled that “Roe” Walton broke Griffey Sr.’s wrist during a scrimmage before their first game of the 1967 season. Walton’s son Reggie, is now a federal judge in Washington, D.C. Portraits of both men, and Musial are painted on the walls inside the entrance of the former Donora Elementary Center. Griffey Sr. and Walton are members of the Ringgold hall of fame.
Griffey Sr. recalled that whenever the Reds played in St. Louis, Musial, a lifetime Cardinal, would come to visit. Musial and Robert Joseph “Buddy” Griffey played baseball together in Donora. Griffey Sr.’s father received a football scholarship to Kentucky State.
His son did not receive a football scholarship, so he left for baseball when the Reds came calling.
Watching his father play built a love for baseball in a young Griffey Jr. That love of the game came full circle this week when Griffey Jr. became the first overall draft choice elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.