Junior's ultimate legacy: saving baseball in Seattle

Mariners president Chuck Armstrong has said it before, and he'll say it again: Ken Griffey Jr. is a big reason baseball remains in Seattle.

Griffey's defining Mariners moment still resonates there. He was part of the 1995 miracle finish that propelled the team toward its first playoff appearance.

In the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 5 of the American League Division Series, Griffey scored from first on Edgar Martinez's double to oust the New York Yankees at the Kingdome.

For Seattle fans, the significance was deeper than just the win. Griffey's heroics, coupled with the team's late rally, helped sway support to keep the franchise in Seattle and paved the way for a new stadium. He left the team in 2000 to join his hometown Cincinnati Reds.

"I have often said, but for Ken Griffey Jr., we might not have baseball in Seattle, and we might not have Safeco Field," Armstrong said.

The lingering sentiment among friends and fans was obvious during Griffey's return last June. In his first visit to Seattle since his 11-year Mariners career ended, it was clear his impact on the city, and on baseball, remained intense.

Before the Cincinnati Reds-Mariners three-game interleague series, he was lauded with a video tribute. He earned a standing ovation during each of his first at-bats, and was greeted by signs that said "The House that Griffey Built."

Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman said Griffey's Seattle return created as much — or more — fanfare than his return to Cincinnati.

"When they talk about a love fest — and that term is overused all the time — there's never been anything like that. I mean, it was incredible for three days," Brennaman said of the Seattle trip. "I've never seen anything like that."

Armstrong called the atmosphere "electric" and described each sold-out game as "very emotional for all the fans." He believes Griffey will always garner a passionate reception in Seattle.

"Whenever he comes back, I think he's going to get a hero's welcome. He's the most popular sports figure ever to play in Seattle," Armstrong said. "We all love Junior."

The Kid, as he was nicknamed in his early pro years, was drafted by the Mariners out of Cincinnati's Moeller High School in 1987. From 1989 to 1999, he amassed 1,742 hits, 398 home runs and 1,152 runs batted in.

His 48 home runs in 1999 made him the first player since Harmon Killebrew (1962-64) to lead the American League in homers in three consecutive seasons. Griffey's lawyer and agent, Brian Goldberg, was on the Reds' trip to Seattle. He expected a big response for Griffey but said he was surprised by the outpouring of affection. Goldberg said the feeling was reciprocated by the ballplayer himself.

"Kenny was very touched by it. Even he'll admit — when we got there the reception was above and beyond what he expected," Goldberg said.

Griffey told fans then that they didn't know how much he missed Seattle, and that every day he still checks "the box scores to see how Seattle is doing."

He didn't rule out a return to the Mariners to finish his career.

"I always thought I'd be back," Griffey told The Enquirer last June. "I just didn't know when. As an athlete you always want to retire with the team you started with ... I'm no different."