Junior: MLB Network Announces Special on the Legendary Mariner
Ken Griffey Jr. Gets the Documentary Treatment This Week
Even though many sports haven’t been in action the past couple of months, there has been plenty of good sports content. Documentaries have taken over ESPN and other sports networks. On Sunday, the MLB Network will premiere the 90-minute documentary that will take a deep look inside the career of Ken Griffey Jr. Many people believe that he had one of the prettiest swings in the history of the sport.
Some of his most memorable games will be shown on MLB Network leading up to the documentary. This includes the Game 5 America League Division Series against the Yankees in which he hit his 500th homerun with his dad in the stands.
It’s appropriate that this will be shown on Father’s Day, as Ken Griffey Jr. and his father had a close relationship, even playing together for the Seattle Mariners. “Their joy of just being with each other, as dad and son, was something that you’ve never seen, and it was so special that you just had to appreciate it,” Reggie Jackson says in the film. “You just had to enjoy it and recognize the specialness of it between two people.”
Other athletes across sports are expected to make an appearance in the documentary to discuss what Ken Griffey Jr. meant to the sports world. Other than Reggie Jackson, these athletes include Lebron James, Bo Jackson, and Gary Payton.
“You had the greatest swing and bat drop in major-league history,” James said in an Instagram Story dispatch last August. “I know, I get it. That’s why I love you. You’re super humble. But I’m going to say it for you: You had the greatest swing and bat drop in Major League history.”
A Brief Ken Griffey Jr. Rundown
Ken Griffey Jr. grew up a baseball star in Cincinnati. He was drafted first overall in the MLB Draft by the Mariners in 1987 and went on to become the first Mariner ever accepted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This happened in 2016 after he received 99.32% of the vote.
“The best decision this organization ever made was in the June draft of 1987. The ball club was struggling in the Pacific Northwest to put together a winning team, but they really needed someone to rally around. They really needed a superstar,” Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs says in a promo for the documentary.
He made his debut as a 19-year-old and went on to win Rookie of the Year in 1989. After that, he was named to 10 straight all-star games and 10 straight Golden Glove Awards.
Just before the 2000 season, Griffey was traded back home to the Cincinnati Reds. After 8 ½ seasons with the Redlegs, he went on to be traded to the White Sox, then back to the Mariners to end his career.
The sweetest swing in sports blasted 630 career homeruns, which lands him in seventh place on the all-time list. After a short feature and discussion in the “Long Gone Summer” documentary, fans are now ready to remember the great moments that his swing created.
