Classic Mariners Games: Ken Griffey Jr. Wins 1994 Home Run Derby
Tune in to ROOT SPORTS tonight at 7:00 PM for an encore broadcast of the 1994 Home Run Derby
With the start of the 2020 season delayed due to the COVID-19 response, ROOT SPORTS NW and 710 ESPN Seattle will feature encore broadcasts of classic Mariners games each night at 7:00 pm PT throughout the next several weeks. A full schedule of the broadcasts is available at Mariners.com/Classics.
Tonight’s featured program is the 1994 Home Run Derby — July 11, 1994 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Follow the action on ROOT SPORTS NW, Twitter.com/Mariners and right here, From the Corner of Edgar & Dave.
After finishing runner-up in the 1992 and 1993 Home Run Derbies, Ken Griffey Jr. broke through and claimed his first Derby title at the 1994 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.
Griffey went on to win the Home Run Derby again in 1998 and 1999. While the Derby has undergone multiple format changes over the years, Griffey remains the only three-time Derby champion since at least 1985.
Griffey’s first homer of the ’94 Derby was a towering blast off the windows of The Allegheny Club, a restaurant on the third level of Three Rivers Stadium.
Chris Berman and Joe Morgan had the call of the Derby on ESPN.
“Remember Griffey won’t be 25 until November this year…I think that ball went to November.” — Chris Berman
By 1994, the easy grace and nearly unmatched frequency with which Griffey hit home runs was no surprise. At the outset of the 1994 campaign, Griffey had 132 home runs. When he hit his 100th career home run on June 15, 1993 vs. the Royals, Griffey became the 6th-youngest player in Major League history to eclipse the century mark in home runs. He was older than only Mel Ott, Tony Conigliaro, Eddie Matthews, Johnny Bench and Hank Aaron.
Entering the 1994 All-Star Break, Junior led the American League — and was tied with San Francisco’s Matt Williams for the Major League lead — with 33 home runs.