VIDEO: Remembering Ken Griffey Jr.'s 500th Home Run 16 Years Ago Today
By Jerry Trotta
If you're someone that struggles with finding a good gift for Father's Day, you can at least sleep at night knowing you'll never be able to one-up the laudable efforts of Ken Griffey Jr. in 2004. On this date 16 years ago, the Cincinnati Reds slugger etched his name into MLB history by clobbering career home run No. 500 over the right field fence at Busch Stadium in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. How did "The Kid" cap the moment after touching home plate? By locating his father in the stands and greeting him with a huge hug.
That swing is still so damn pretty.
Folks, the entirety of Busch Stadium rose to its feet to give the Kid a standing ovation as he rounded the bases! If that doesn't give you the chills or goosebumps (or both), then nothing will. The Hall of Fame outfielder is one of the most adored players in the modern history of baseball, and this clip really accentuates that notion.
With that moonshot, the 13-time All-Star became the 20th member of the illustrious 500-home run club. He went on to hit another 130 in his career, leaving him with a grand total of 630, which ranks No. 7 all time.
ESPN loves memorializing the cheaters. Lance Armstrong 30 for 30 followed by Sosa and McGwire 30 for 30 tonight.
— SkinsHoops86 (@SkinsHoops86) June 14, 2020
Ken Griffey Jr. hit 56 home runs that same season, and wasn't on the roids! Won a gold glove too. He needs a 30 for 30. All time great pic.twitter.com/PGOKylGcaP
If you want more Griffey, then find a television on Sunday night, because MLB Network is set to air "Junior," a documentary entailing his hypnotizing star power and love for the game. Get your popcorn ready.