Welcome to the Hall of Fame Kid
Ken Griffey Jr. was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today and could become the first player to represent the Mariners in Cooperstown. The 13 time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, 7-time Silver Slugger winner, and 1997 AL MVP ranks sixth in Major League Baseball history with 630 home runs. Those numbers and others put him in contention to be the first unanimous Hall of Fame inductee, but it all started with his first professional hit, a towering 387-foot opposite field home run, at Everett Memorial Stadium. Griffey smacked a double against All-Star pitcher Dave Stewart less than two years later to collect his first Major League hit, and homered on the first pitch he saw in his Kingdome debut.
22 years later Griffey walked away from the game, but not before inserting himself into the record books and the hearts of countless baseball fans. He spent his first 11 seasons in a Mariners jersey before returning to his childhood home in Cincinnati. Injuries plagued him throughout his 8 years with the Reds, but he still managed to make 3 All-Star teams and swatted 20+ home runs in six of those seasons. After a brief stint with the Chicago White Sox, Griffey returned to Seattle for a 150 game curtain-call and bonding session with future Hall of Fame candidate Ichiro Suzuki. Griffey still owns the record for home runs as a Mariner (417) despite spending 9 seasons with other Major League teams. His name can be found throughout the Mariners single game, season, and career record books.
The Everett AquaSox and Everett Memorial Stadium continue to feature the Mariners stars of the future. Felix Hernandez, Mike Zunino, and Ketel Marte are just a few of the current Mariners to spend time in the Northwest League with the AquaSox. The 2016 home opener against the Boise Hawks isn't until June 23rd, but fans are invited to come see us at Mariners FanFest on Jan. 30th-31st. Webbly, the AquaSox funky frog mascot, will be on hand to say hi to kids of all ages and our front office staff will be there with AquaSox gear and giveaways.
Baseball fans who want to see the future of the Mariners franchise in action can currently purchase multi-game or group ticket packages that are designed to fit almost any budget. More information can be found online at Aquasox.com or by calling the ticket office at (425) 258-3673.
Congratulations Ken Griffey Jr. and GO AquaSox!!!