Ken Griffey Jr. has been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His journey to Cooperstown spanned the entire continent, starting in Seattle in 1989, with stops in Cincinnati (2000-08) and the South side of Chicago (41 games at the tail end of the 2008 season) before finishing things up where they began, Seattle, in 2010. He will be enshrined in the picture book perfect central New York village of Cooperstown in late July, a fitting honor for one of baseball’s most iconic and most beloved players.
Close your eyes and envision The Kid in his prime, baseball cap backward, sporting what would most certainly be a Mariners cap. Griffey wore a number of different uniforms during the course of his legendary career, including some ones that are seldom remembered now that he has been elevated to baseball’s Valhalla on Lake Otsego.
Let’s take a look at some of the jerseys worn by Ken Griffey Jr. over the course of his Hall of Fame career.
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1987 Bellingham Mariners
Junior’s Minor League career consisted of just 130 games. His first stop was Bellingham, Wash., in the short season Northwest League. Griffey is seen here in the home uniform that the Seattle Mariners wore from 1981-86, most likely a hand me down from the parent club.
1988 San Bernardino Spirit
A mesh BP jersey for The Kid.
1989 Seattle Mariners
Griffey’s MLB debut with Seattle came in this uniform, worn by the club from 1987-92.
1992 — Tampa Bay Mariners
What’s this? Griffey dons a generic “Tampa Bay” uniform, along with a cap that looks remarkably like today’s Rays cap, in an ad campaign aimed at keeping the Mariners franchise in the Pacific Northwest.
1993 Seattle Mariners
The classic Griffey uniform, as seen here in 1997. The Mariners debuted a new logo and a new set of uniforms in 1993, ones that are still worn today, albeit with slight changes.
1997 — Angel for a Day
Griffey dons the road uniform of the Anaheim Angels here in a photo taken the day after Seattle clinched the AL West title. Junior won the AL MVP award that season, belting 56 homers and driving in 147 runs.
1997 — The Kid honors the legacy of Jackie Robinson
Griffey’s 1997 tribute to the legacy of Jackie Robinson — a uniform number swap to Jackie’s 42 in honor of the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s historic debut — was later adopted by all of MLB.
1999 — A futuristic look for the Home Run Derby
Junior won three Home Run Derbys, including the 1999 edition at Boston’s Fenway Park. He took home the trophy while wearing this forward-looking jersey.
2000 Cincinnati Reds
Griffey was traded to his hometown, Cincinnati, in 2000. Here he dons a Reds uniform for the first time as a player as his father, Ken Griffey Sr., watches on.
2006 — USA
Griffey represented the United States at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.
2008 — A Brief Stop in Chicago
The Kid as a White Sox, in late 2008. He wore uniform number 17 during his brief stay in the Windy City.
