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Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza inducted into Hall of Fame
Posted On Jul 24 2016
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Ken Griffey Jr. has been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“To my dad, who taught me how to play this game and to my mom, the strongest woman I know”, Junior said.
“I want to thank my family, my friends, the fans, the Reds, the White Sox and the Mariners for making this kid’s dream come true”, Griffey said. Ending his speech this way was not even his idea, he said.
“But nothing can prepare you for those emotions that you feel, because of everything the Hall encompasses and the history that was behind us on that stage”. 284 and totaled 630 home runs, including seven seasons of 40 or more.
But Griffey stepped into the Baseball Hall of Fame Sunday afternoon by turning into “The Kid” one more time. Piazza called Bobby Valentine “an incredible motivator” and praised John Franco and Edgardo Alfonzo, too. Given that the draft isn’t going to revert such a format, Piazza will hold this honor for the rest of time: He’s the lowest draft pick ever to become a Hall of Famer. Piazza seemed proud that Leiter “did not shake me off one time” during the game.
No better way to honor one of the most transcendent players of all time. Piazza, of course, went on to become something far more, which is probably why he was so emotional during his induction speech.
“There are two misconceptions about me – I didn’t work hard and everything I did I made look easy”, Griffey said. He’s the one guy where you say, ‘If we’re up by two, let’s just walk him and go for the next guy.’ He’s got a chance to put a team up by three real quick. Two years later, he was taken in the 62nd round by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a favor to manager Tommy Lasorda, a story that has often been told. We won’t be confusing him for Johnny Bench, but we also shouldn’t act like he was made of teflon back there.
Boasting a career batting average of.308, Piazza will long be remembered for hitting a game-winning home run for the Mets in the first sporting event played in NY after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
