There Will Never Be Another Ken Griffey Jr.

[@HoopsMR22]

No one ever looked cooler playing baseball than Ken Griffey Jr. The sweet swing, the backwards hat, the ear-to-ear smile, the moonshot homeruns and diving catches in the outfield. Growing up in the '90s, Griffey was my generation's Mickey Mantle. He was the best, most exciting player I ever saw.

[@sanperchannel9560]

Yep he was all that and more dude was an absolute sensation It was so awesome growing up on baseball in the 90s 💯

[@gregpenismith1248]

Not only did Barry Bonds look just as cool as little Kenny Jr, but was exceptionally more talented.

[@scottd7222]

I'd say he was best left hand hitter of that era and Manny Ramirez from the right side

[@gregpenismith1248]

@@scottd7222 Tony Gwynn was better than both of them. Between Barry and Tony, no one is even close in talent.

[@italianmiltyfriedman6264]

well said

[@gilgamarsh]

How could you not include the 500th home run ON FATHER'S DAY, hugging his dad afterwards who was in the crowd? Seriously, one of the most unlikely and mythological moments in MLB history

[@mikesnow4735]

I watched this game griffy is my favorite player as mariners fan since the 90's to me he is top 10 players all time

[@-DarkKnight-]

He hit his 400th on his dad’s birthday also. Kinda cool.

[@pokepook5388]

I'm 38 years old and he is still my idol . I played ball for 15 years and I always wanted to be like him . He is GOAT status in my eyes

[@Nfnf889]

Ken Griffey jr baseball was the best game ever. No one can convince me otherwise. Forget “mlb the show”

[@therealbs2000]

RAULLLLLLL IBANEZ

[@dereckvineyard5792]

I loved that game!!!!

[@WBCHelpSaint]

His swing will forever be the smoothest power swing in the game.

[@lovelessissimo]

Matt Kemp came close.

[@gregpenismith1248]

Barry Bonds had a better swing than both of them.

[@Stackitupmetal]

Darryl Strawberry

[@fromdeathtolife1993]

FOR SOME REASON THE 90'S WAS THE BEST TIME TO BE A LIVE FOR EVERYTHING... MLB,NFL,NBA, COLLEGE FOOTBALL, HIP HOP, POP MUSIC, R&B... LOOKING BACK ON THAT ERA IS SO AMAZING TO LIVE IN THAT ERA... AN TO SEE SOME OF BEST LEFT HANDED HITTERS..IN MLB PLAYING...SO BLESS OF A TIME... THANK YOU JESUS..FOR THE 90'S

[@CuervoCat305]

Ken Griffey Jr. was an amazing 5-tool player. Contact, power, base running, fielding, and arm. He had it all. My favorite baseball player growing up in the 1990s. Sweetest most effortless swing I’ve ever seen to this day.

[@TiagoGomez-hb9te]

Griffey was not that good of a baserunner.

[@sarcasmatwork]

Base running is not considered a tool. Speed is. I agree that the writer of that comment may have misspoke, Griffey Jr. had well above average speed. Base running ability is hard to quantify. Do You have facts to back this up? Not trying to be a dick. Just curious…

[@10k-Noodles]

@@sarcasmatwork His speed could be seen when he was tracking down balls in center field like no one else. Was he aggressive on the base paths? No. Could he score from first on a double to win a game? Yes.

[@Andy_Babb]

I was a kid growing up when Junior came up, got to watch him when he came into Fenway a couple times… that dude was just fun to watch and that swing. Looked so sweet, so effortless and so freaking good - especially in his early days.

[@landmarkcreations1183]

It was so much fun growing up in the Seattle area during this time. There was so much excitement during his first run here in seattle

[@bochafish]

Every baseball fan loves Ken Griffey Jr., doesn't matter which team you root for. I enjoyed watching him at the end with the White Sox. Ended his career with an awesome outfield assist.

[@sKarr6988]

I love baseball and I dont like him

[@jacobjensen1380]

@@sKarr6988why not?

[@DrewMalidore]

​@@jacobjensen1380lol

[@potentially__9445]

@@sKarr6988you just want to be different! 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@tatertots0046]

I don't love him because he's VERY OVERRATED. He's not the most talented player even in his own era(A-Rod & Pujols)

[@bigwigglystyleyadigg]

I hate when people accuse Griffey of steroids. Dude was half the size of the mongaloids. He was the best all around player for a decade. Injuries costed him goat status. He had that much potential

[@bigmoist1946]

Bonds was probably better all around before steroids

[@VigilanteWilliamson]

If he used he needs a refund. His body broke down completely in his 30s but still one of the best ever.

[@ericdiaz3501]

Agree, he got thick, but not from roids!

[@roland7584]

He's the only human ever to be able to keep up with the steroid users without using steroids.

[@roland7584]

Howard Johnson in the late 80s somehow had a few years where all of a sudden he was popping balls out of the park. It wasn't corked bats since they checked him for that. He didn't get big by any means but everyone knew what was up. Not all steroids just balloon you up. Most of them though allowed someone to compete with the others who were doing them in the same exact window in the golden time of the steroid era.

[@ryanpenrod1859]

I was a kid in Seattle during this time, and he was almost a demigod for us small baseball players/fans. I remember trying to swing like him while playing backyard baseball with my best friend. Wish I knew back then how much I should have treasured those rare times.

[@m.o.5291]

you did us wrong. You needed to add at least 24hours of that swing replaying😂 the sweetest swing ever

[@chrisschaeffer9661]

Best Junior Doc ever. As a Mariner Fan since 79 Thank You. Ypu Honoured Our Greatest Player Ever who has a Great GOAT Case!!! And you explained Exactly Why!!!

[@Kr8zyVids]

Growing up in Seattle during his reign was amazing and you could feel the electricity when he came to the plate. Every hit to centerfield was also something he made memorable

[@Coach_Brian]

I can hear "hip hop hurray" playing in my head, envisioning him walking ro the plate. Good times.

[@fredhenrick]

Thank you for the memories Griffey

[@85mcarnold]

My favorite team ever is the 1995 Mariners. Griffey, Randy, and Edgar all in their primes.

[@Swole_Geek]

Nice! Wasn’t Arod on that squad too? I think he was if I recall.

[@85mcarnold]

@@Swole_Geek yes, 1995 was his rookie year but he was just getting his feet wet. So you can certainly list him as a member of the team, he just wasn’t in his prime.

[@gilgamarsh]

I couldn't click this video fast enough, only player to hit back to back homers with his own father on the same team (will almost certainly never happen again) and then hit his 500th on Father's Day with his dad in the stands - MYTHOLOGICAL

[@mikesnow4735]

I watched that game as mariners fan I fallowed him all his career

[@DrewMalidore]

Can't forget about ripken Sr and junior

[@jonnyblayze5149]

​@@DrewMalidoreor the Boones

[@brandocalrissian3294]

My favorite player of all time but that aside i truly believe had he not been injured he would be the all time home run king.

[@thatguyronwaiters6485]

Easily

[@jimtruscott5670]

Without many injuries 800 homers.

[@S_Over_Street]

Playing on that hard Kingdome astroturf took a toll on Griffey Jr on both his knees in his years with the Reds. Same thing happened to Andre Dawson too playing in Montreal on the hard astroturf with the Expos.

[@cjjames1455]

My brother and uncle always used to tell me Ken Griffey jr if he stayed healthy would have been far and away the best player to ever live. Right there with Willie Mays, Babe Ruth.

[@arthurkorff]

I'll never forget Griffey's home-run robbing catch of Lou Collins' opposite field shot in the 1994 playoffs.

[@winser21]

The Twins always choke in the playoffs. It didn’t get any better when Heywood was replaced by Macnally either!

[@arthurkorff]

@winser21 wish heywood would buy the A's

[@emmitbrown5631]

Saved The Units A$$. 😂

[@JazzyJeff910]

KGJ was the reason I played and still love baseball today. I still remember the first time I ever heard about who he was. My coach would always say things like Good hit Ken Griffey. Nice catch Ken Griffey. I would ask, who’s Ken Griffey Jr with absolute seriousness. lol Being a 6 year old lefty CF’r in the mid-90s, he was everything I modeled my game after up until I was 14. Even wore 24. Griffey should easily be recognized as top 5 of all time. Clean, pure talent, and wasn’t full of drama. A pure baseball icon and idol.

[@jtothed81]

He inspired me to wear my cap backwards. Sweetest swing of all time.

[@Figwumberton]

11:00 anddd Tony Gwynn's shot at becoming the second player in history to end the season with BA of over .400. Man how the 1994 season would've turned out is truly one of biggest "what if" moments in baseball.

[@thegrandoti00]

Yeah! We crowned Tony Gywnn "Contact Supreme."

[@jakegilpin1145]

Esp Montreal should’ve had a team

[@jonnyblayze5149]

What? You need to learn the game before you flap your lips, there have been plenty of guys who hit 400

[@JohnnyChimpo907]

I don’t even like baseball, but when Griff was playing I absolutely loved to watch him. Dude was one of those all around incredible athletes, just like Bo Jackson.

[@olliemac32]

Griffey was a human highlight reel. A truly complete player.

[@Reese8531]

Imagine if he didn’t get hurt all those times? I think he could’ve caught Ruth and Aaron

[@geraldrobertson7871]

For me, growing in the Era, that I did. He is the Greatest Of All Time. Still my favorite player, all ways will be.

[@Gitfiddle]

The best baseball player I’ve ever seen play. KG Jr did everything better than everyone.

[@DUCKDONKEY]

Grew up in Seattle in the 90’s. Saw Griffey Jr. in person 20 times a season. Amazing!! Imagine if he actually trained?!

[@ShackCrewInc310]

He didn’t train? I wasn’t aware of that.

[@weirdbeard1980]

Had alot of fun watching jr as a kid and going to the kingdome to see the M's play. Even got to go to game 4 of the ALDS in 95' which was when Edgar hit two homers and drove in 7 rbi's

[@bigtay522]

Let us not forget how great his snes game is. It sits in my entertainment center to this day, 30 years later.

[@justinstilwell7841]

Wasn’t it on N64

[@Jacktarts]

@@justinstilwell7841 Ken Griffey JR's Slugfest. Such a fun game, Griffey would chime in would you hit a home run. N64

[@HolySpicoli]

@@Jacktarts @justinstilwell7841 Griffey had 4 titles, 2 on SNES and 2 on N64. Slugfest was the last of them, Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball was the first, released in 1994.

[@ninji5226]

That swing was perfection with a side of cool. Also Ken Griffey Jr baseball is still one of the best baseball video games of all time. Sucks how many great players, and players that were going to be great, were taken out by injury, cant out train genetics.

[@donduchiee6923]

My oldest cousin still has that game on N64 .. home run derby mode still 🔥 to this day !!

[@HeikkiPaanki]

Favorite player of all time. I'm thankful to have been able to watch him as a kid. Sweetest swing in the game...perfection 👌

[@warp9pk767]

i sacrificed my swing for a solid year trying to mimic griffy... lmaooooo i went from a .542 batting avg to like .3something just pretending im ken griffy jr... as a kid... hahahah it cracks me up nowadays... but griffy was the shit to watch live when u were a kid...... truly....

[@jonnyblayze5149]

Because it's not really that good of a swing

[@chrisramsden3114]

Same. I used to have a crouched, mcguire like stance and decided to be like kg2 and stand up tall.

[@warp9pk767]

@@jonnyblayze5149 of course its not.... lol................................

[@jonnyblayze5149]

@@warp9pk767 it's an uppercut, junior is just so talented he made it work. I mean 630 is awesome, but he batted under 285 for a career , didnt have 3000 hits. Like I said though the kid had so much unbelievable natural baseball skill/talent he made it work

[@jkilla3651]

@@jonnyblayze5149that’s not the reason he had a batting average that low. Towards later stages of his career he started pulling the ball more. That made him drive the ball the other way less. That made him drop his hits and averages for more power. Look at his early numbers he hit above 300 but had 20 something home runs.

[@ronnieturner6820]

Bonds and Griffey were/are actually good friends. Bonds had taken him under his wing early on with their similar childhoods linking them. Griffey was actually in the small group (at his own house) that first heard Bonds say he was considering taking steroids to keep up with Mac and Sammy.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

Here's an interesting tidbid. Before being traded to the Reds, he almost joined the Mets. They had offered Roger Cedeno Octavio Dotel (both later dealt for Mike Hampton), along with Armando Benitez. And recent acquisition Todd Zeile had structured his contract in anticipation of Griffey joining NY. But Griffey ultimately vetoed the trade because he felt the Mets had rushed him into a decision.

[@beastmodeforever8674]

I could never see him playing for a New York team anyway lol if you know you know

[@duhbigcat1848]

Every baseball fan loves Ken Griffey Jr.

[@sKarr6988]

Nah not me

[@mikesnow4735]

@@sKarr6988why ?

[@morbidlyo7114]

One of the greatest players in my lifetime. I'm a nerd for pitchers, but Junior was a beast. An incredible powerful swing and the sweetest smile in the league.

[@nathanlovik1753]

Junior was an amazing player. He made amazing play in Centerfield look routine.

[@brandonhamilton6136]

🥹 man, that Seattle team, Edgar, Randy, young A Rod, and of course Kenny G! Ken was literally the perfect MLB player, he had all the talent Bonds had but had the charisma that Bonds didn’t! He’s a big reason why I fell in love with the game!

[@theshortstopgaming]

No mention of the Bone?! Cmon man lol I too miss that team. I grew up a couple hours south of Seattle but every year they hosted Little League Day. Walk the field, watch some of the team during their warmups. Shit was incredible. I really miss loving baseball as much as I did back then.

[@HolySpicoli]

Stop saying Ken it's weird when people say Ken.

[@va960]

9:12 That's where the SNES game "Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run" comes from

[@adamk8892]

Can't forget about Ken Griffey Jr's Slugfest on N64!

[@alemswazzu]

"Call Call Call me Junior, it's SHOWtime."

[@alemswazzu]

​@@adamk8892such a great game.

[@adolfobeteta4565]

He was my favorite player growing up. An absolute legend!

[@erickruiz-hl5vs]

I was born in sf… but since 89” I was a Mariners fan 🙌🏻🙌🏻🥳

[@Tony-so1zl]

You were made to be one 🙏🏽

[@Vanilla-jd1ez]

Jr. Was my favorite player as a young fan. One look at that swing, even with my untrained eye, and I was sold. So glad I got to see him live. He hit a Lazer shot home run that appeared to me to still be rising when it hit the stands.

[@kevinumber7]

Damn I didn't know that depression by Griffey. I shed a tear right now. Griff, we love ❤️ you!

[@trevander1able]

I was at that 1 game playoff in '95 with the Angels, when Randy Johnson pitched a beautiful complete game!! Best game I've ever seen live

[@awn11]

It’s a good day when MTC uploads

[@atr007808]

Best video I’ve seen describing this man. Every game he played he did something you haven’t seen before…. At least while in a Mariner uniform. Life would freeze when he was up to bat

[@joeyfung-i]

Griffey Jr. was everything to me as a kid. I did EVERYTHING like him. Still a Mariners fan to this day.

[@jamieaguilar5911]

Best Griffey memory was him him winning a softball championship in 1992 when he was recruited by Mr. Burns to play for his Nuclear Power Plant team

[@goldteethpoohproductions2707]

I swear sometimes life ain't fair smh. How in the hell Seattle couldn't win just 1 ring with Jr,Arod,Randy Johnson,and Edgar Martinez all on the same team smh with Jay bruner. I'm still baffled as a 40 year old man lol 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@fortynights1513]

Poor bullpen and lower rotation left at least something to be desired. Also turning down the trade of Felix Fermin for Mariano Rivera hurt too.

[@goldteethpoohproductions2707]

@@fortynights1513 Got damn they could of gotten Mariano?!!!! Smh damn

[@decker528]

If I remember right, there were a few other solid players on some of those teams too

[@Seantherightway06]

@@decker528Tino Martinez and Joey Cora to name a couple more. Got to meet Jay Buhner at a Walmart in Arlington. Even as a lifelong Rangers fan, I loved going to the games against the Mariners because they were fun to watch. Even though they’re in our division, I will always have a soft spot for the Mariners and hope they get to experience what we did this past year.

[@decker528]

@@Seantherightway06 I remember Dan Wilson being a decent catcher and I can't remember who played third but it seemed like he was ok. Russ something. Seems like they had a good closer and norm Charlton was in the bullpen at one point too

[@patrickanderson4602]

I grew up watching JR. In Seattle. Love the man

[@DustinHaning]

He could have for sure hit 800 home runs if it weren't for the injuries. The fact that he still hit 630 even with all the injuries is a testament to just how good he was.

[@roland7584]

Bonds would have hit 800 if he wasn't blackballed by every owner after his Giants contract ended. Bonds would have hit 1000 if they actually pitched to him.

[@danielcongrove3319]

My favorite player growing up as a kid. Much respect to "the kid"!!!!

[@rayrichard4665]

The very reason why I played baseball and still love the game today, I eventually went on to play basketball in high school and college but baseball is my favorite sport and KGJ inspired me to

[@dennysimed8370]

I really appreciate this video Ken Griffey will and always be my favorite player I had a picture of him in my hat every time I play the outfield I wanted to be just like him out there

[@danielodom9305]

Sweetest swing I have ever witnessed. He was so cool and fun to watch every single game!

[@Korben_DallasMultiPass]

As a 90s kid who grew up in the PNW, ken Griffey jr was an absolute god in his first 😢Seattle stint

[@Kxji]

I saw a video of Griffey playing golf and even his golf swing is so pure.

[@dawsonmccall6070]

For my money, Willie Mays and Griffey Jr are the two best ever.

[@Akkbar21]

As a Seattle native, Griffey is the best player I’ve ever seen play in person.

[@CapnJack1]

growing up as a lefty in the PNW Griffey and later Ichiro are my favorite players of all time

[@BatFan1]

As a lifelong Padres fan my all time favorite player is Tony Gwynn. But outside of the Padres i had a small list of favorites, Griffey is on top of that list. Other favorites from that era were Eric Davis, Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell.

[@INVERTEDBUKAKI]

I was a teenager when Griffey Jr came on the scene. Guy was amazing. Everyone yearned for that 89 Upper Deck rookie card. It was THE card to own.

[@billyskittles1036]

He was growing up, still is and always will be my favorite player of all-time.

[@jmdcomplexity1034]

Griffey will forever be my favorite baseball player of all time. He was everything i loved about baseball all in 1 player. Argue with me all ya want, but Griffey will always be my goat.

[@esco7183]

Griffey still lives on till this day 🔥

[@davidnix5211]

Great video! One of my favorite players of all time.

[@kurt556]

Long awaited subject from the best in the sports content game, fantastic as always MTC

[@randelldickerson6147]

Back-to-back hits then wait oh my God back to back home runs😅😅😅 I love it

[@richloins7249]

I think we need to look at how playing on artificial turf as a young player ruined the careers of several amazing outfielders- Andre Dawson, Ken Griffey Jr., and Valdimir Guerrero. They all ended up in the Hall of Fame, but they also all started to prematurely break down due to leg injuries. How many amazing careers were we robbing of enjoying because of artificial turf? Dawson, Griffey, and Guerrero were all athletic freaks whose young careers started on astroturf.

[@adventuregames424]

I see a new made the cut video... I click. I see it's about Griffey... I click twice as fast.

[@UndercoverNormie]

We worshipped that swing as kids lol

[@theshortstopgaming]

Did the best we could right or left handed to mimic it.

[@darenmaples9872]

His style of play cost him so many games. He played hard but still had fun and made it look easy, but the injuries robbed him

[@crushedscouter9522]

The ridiculous astro turf in the kindome is what robbed him.

[@romiem5344]

Griffey was the player that made me love baseball growing up in a big city every kid loved basketball and football but I was a avid baseball fan cuz of him I even had the Nike Griffey sneakers

[@LDQBBQ]

I saw a ton of him as a Ranger fan. Despite him routinely torching Ranger pitching, I had great appreciation for Junior. It was just great seeing an obvious once in a lifetime talent play baseball in our yard.

[@HonoluluBlue81]

Tigers fan. Jr was my favorite player that never played for Detroit. I remember the catch he made at Tiger Stadium like it was yesterday. Greatest player of his generation and there is no * next to his numbers.

[@goskawow1943]

Top 3 athletes I wish had injury free careers - Tiger, Junior, DRose

[@yanguskhan8513]

i still remember that slide into home against the yankees. that year, my mom was into baseball and she never cared about sports. thats how amazing those mariners were.

[@DylanPetrohilos]

Griffey was my favorite player when I was 8

[@feynmanschwingere_mc2270]

Griffey is the GOAT TALENT imo! He's the player that MADE me a baseball fan! The most beautiful swing in history and a unicorn. GOAT!!!!!!

[@Sheriff_of_Paddys]

Before I was a “Cubs Fan”, I saw this man climbing up Center Field walls, running like a boss, and hitting baseballs smoother than anyone I had ever seen. Being the real definition of cool, he made me want to watch the sport.

[@PT84]

I was hurt when KGJ went down with all those injuries. As a kid growing up there was no one else that made the game look so effortless when they were on the field.

[@wildsmiley]

I don't live anywhere near Seattle or even Washington state. I don't give a shit about the Mariners. And yet, Ken Griffey Jr. is my all-time favorite ballplayer. He represents everything I love about the game. He played it like it wasn't a job, always smiling. And that swing. Jesus, what a natural athlete.

[@MR.DSHELBYOBE]

This man knew how to put em in the seats .the ball and the fans!best swing you will probably ever see.especially since he did it without juicing up.

[@claydragon6055]

Jr had one of the most beautiful swings ever. In the land roided out behemoths Jr was arguably the best player in the game. He made playing the game look so easy,it was like he wasn't even trying. If he wasn't injured and was able not to miss all the games it would be interesting to see where he ranked in the best of all time talks. It would also be interesting to see just how many homeruns he would have ended up with.

[@Texas_Made_Hater_Hurta]

I’m glad I got to see the kid play, he was phenomenal

[@BramaBull-fs4ou]

Great video! KG Jr. was special! Barry Bonds was too, juicing or not he still should be in the Hall of Fame!

[@Davidc9356]

I remember being a kid in elementary school,going to the card shop right next to it and buying countless numbers of Upper Deck packs trying to get his rookie card. No dice on the Upper deck card,but I did manage to get the Topps card RC that was significantly worth less.

[@ModernCowboy78]

Still the greatest! His shoes were so dope as well! My second pair of shoes in highschool.

[@Elchristo4666]

My best memory seeing the reds play was highlighted by JR and Dunn hitting moonshots. I remember that night vividly, even though I must have been 7 or 8. I’ve never seen a smoother swing 🤷‍♂️

[@Tony-so1zl]

He’s really why we still have a team in Seattle. Too young to watch him play but without him I wouldn’t be able to watch my M’s.

[@Banana_Cognac]

Griffey was the most electric player I ever saw. I've been Giants fan since I can remember, but Griffey was always and will always be my favorite player. We all tried to swing like him, right or left handed. We all wanted to play as hard as he did. The man left it all on the field. It eventually wore him down. But no one can ever say Griffey was soft, or a prima donna

[@philipfletcher4867]

Not the best player ever but one of the best. I put Willie Mays and Ted Williams ahead of him and I am a Yankees fan. But he is probably top 3-5. I like him alot. Seen his dad play as well. But in the past 50 years he is #1 in my book. Not just his offense but defense field play makes him so great.

[@ron88303]

Add Mantle for sure; and maybe Aaron.

[@jessicagiovanni5773]

I'm not taking anything away from Ken Griffey Jr. Great player sweet swing. But... If you want a swing that is pure Poetry in Motion... Will the Thrill Clark. We love you Griffey you are one of the greats but your swing as sweet as it is will never compare to the THRILL.

[@sarthurl9001]

It sucks. As a child of the 90s, who feels like baseball literally saved my otherwise horrible life this video kinda makes me sad. If you were a kid who loved baseball in the 90s than Junior was quite literally INVINCIBLE. He transcended your favorite teams and players. It's impossible to do justice to what he symbolized to every child who played baseball during his era.

[@ridgemanron]

Barry Bonds, minus the steroids, could have been Ken's equal in hitting, not counting home runs but just hits. Both had a superb eye at the plate and could discern what the incoming ball was going to do with regard to movement. I know Ted Williams had 20/15 vision, and they probably did as well.

[@kevinc2746]

Born in 1990 from Washington(close to Portland) junior was my FIRST hero in sports.

[@paulrindahl2500]

Best I've ever seen play. Trout was close but everything KGJ did was smooth.