Classic Mariners Games: Mariners Retire Ken Griffey Jr.’s Number 24
Tune in to 710 ESPN Seattle tonight at 7:00 PM for an encore broadcast of Seattle’s comeback win on Ken Griffey Jr. Number Retirement Night
Tonight’s featured Mariners Classics game is the Mariners comeback win on Ken Griffey Jr. Number Retirement Night — August 6, 2016 vs. the Los Angeles Angels. Follow the game tonight at 7:00 pm on 710 ESPN Seattle. A full schedule of classic broadcasts is available at Mariners.com/Classics.
Ken Griffey Jr. became the first player in club history to have his number retired when the Mariners retired his №24 at all levels of the organization in a pre-game ceremony on August 6, 2016 at T-Mobile Park.
“I want to thank you guys for making me feel comfortable and allowing me to go out there and do what I always wanted to do, and that was play baseball,” Griffey said during the pre-game ceremony.
Prior to Junior, only five Mariners had worn №24; Griffey wore №24 for 13 seasons with Seattle, beginning with his debut in 1989 and culminating with his final season in 2010.
His №24 hangs on the facade of the second deck in left-center field, immediately to the right of Jackie Robinson’s №42. Griffey was the first player to request to honor Jackie by wearing his №42 on April 15, 1997 at Cleveland, which marked the 50th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball.
“It’s overwhelming and humbling because of the number of the guy who I’m going up next to,” Griffey said in a news conference the day prior to the ceremony. “He [Jackie Robinson] basically sacrificed his life for guys to play.
Washington Native Keys Comeback
The star of the Mariners 8–6 comeback victory over the Angels that night was a player who grew up in the state of Washington as a Griffey fan.
With the Mariners trailing the Halos, 6–5, in the bottom of the 7th, Richland, WA native Shawn O’Malley belted a go-ahead, three-run home run to propel Seattle to victory and ignite the sellout crowd at T-Mobile Park.
Starting Lineup
- Guillermo Heredia LF
- Franklin Gutierrez RF
- Robinson Canó (L) 2B
- Nelson Cruz DH
- Dae-Ho Lee 1B
- Kyle Seager (L) 3B
- Chris Iannetta C
- Leonys Martín (L) CF
- Shawn O’Malley (S) SS
Taijuan Walker RHP
