M’s to Retire Ken Griffey Jr’s Number 24

After being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Mike Piazza announced today that he will enter Cooperstown as New York Met. The announcement was made at the official Hall of Fame press conference at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. In addition to the number-retirement ceremony on August 6, 20,000 fans will receive a replica of Griffey’s Hall of Fame plaque. Joltin’ Joe missed getting the 75 percent of the writers to vote for his Hall of Fame entry twice – really!

Griffey, a former No. 1 overall pick who debuted with Seattle in 1989, patched up his relationship with his father, who joined the Mariners in 1990, making them the first father-son teammates in Major League Baseball history. “He should be in the Hall of Fame, I don’t care what anyone says”. Because while Griffey’s Hall of Fame election is an accomplishment worth celebrating, it’s also worth remembering that we nearly lost greatness way too soon.

In Griffey Jr.’s first time on the ballot, he got 99.3% of the vote (left off three ballots), which is the most any player has ever received.

Known for wearing his cap backwards, Griffey joked about that with Piazza, the top offensive catcher in baseball history. “I call him Larry whenever he comes to the plate”, Piazza told me. Griffey spent the first 11 seasons of his career in Seattle, plus the mostly forgettable last two, with a nine-year run in his hometown of Cincinnati in between. He will enter the hall as the first player with a Mariners logo on his hat. I had the pleasure of watching Mays, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente play many games. This time around was the fourth year of eligibility for Piazza and the first year of eligibility for Griffey.

“I played with some good ones – Geronimo was outstanding, I played with (Dave) Winfield, (Don) Mattingly, Rose, Bench, Perez – and the guy who is not in the Hall of Fame that I think should be in the Hall of Fame, Davey Concepcion”. He was drafted by and began his career as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and went win the 1993 National League Rookie of the Year award as well as make five consecutive All-Star apperances for them as well. Unable to agree to a long-term deal, the Dodgers traded him in 1998 to the Florida Marlins, who dealt him to the Mets eight days later.

Piazza’s Mets won the pennant in 2000 and Griffey Jr. finished his decorated career having never played in a World Series. And I feel like the fans here truly brought me into their family. “Every time I’ve come back, I’ve been so incredibly honored from the response”, Piazza said. He surpassed the great Tom Seaver, who was traded to the Reds from the New York Mets in 1977.