Let’s remember when Ken Griffey Jr. retired from baseball, on this day in 2010 (June 2)
Ken Griffey Jr. might be the greatest Mariner ever (he is), but his final season in baseball was forgettable. Like three weeks before his final game, he was accused of literally sleeping on the job. But damn was he great.
On June 2, 2010, with a surprise announcement just a few hours before a game, Ken Griffey Jr. (b. 1969) retires from baseball, ending the most accomplished and celebrated career in Seattle Mariners history. He leaves at age 40 with almost legendary status. In 22 seasons, he hit 630 home runs, the fifth-most in Major League Baseball history. In his prime he was also an outstanding centerfielder, as renowned for making difficult, clutch catches as for hitting dramatically timed home runs. His retirement is not totally unexpected — he had lost his job as an every-day designated hitter — but its suddenness is a jolt to his teammates and to fans who remember him as Seattle’s best and most beloved player.
Let’s remember the good times.
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