Cal Ripken Jr. Heaps Twitter Praise on Ken Griffey Jr. Because Game Recognizes Game
By Max Smith
Ken Griffey Jr. epitomized swagger. Throughout his career, he backed up his infectious energy with even better performances on the field. The 10-time All-Star, 13-time Gold Glover, and Hall of Famer was one of the most exciting players to watch in his time (or any time). This sentiment is shared by plenty of MLB legends, and another Junior was the most recent to sing his praises.
The Iron Man, Cal Ripken Jr., recognized Griffey's greatness on Twitter Monday, recalling that his Orioles had "had some terrific battles" against his Mariners.
Always loved competing against #Junior and had some terrific battles against those Mariners teams. I saw that swing do a lot of damage over the years! https://t.co/5nTEVR1dkD
— Cal Ripken, Jr. (@CalRipkenJr) June 22, 2020
The two legends overlapped in the MLB for 11 seasons, from 1989-2001. They faced off in the 1997 ALDS, with Ripken's Orioles defeating Griffey's M's three games to one. In that series, a 36-year-old Ripken dominated, batting .438 with seven total hits.
Coming off his only AL MVP, Griffey disappointed in the 1997 playoffs. In the four games, he hit .133 with only 2 hits. It was one of four playoff appearances for Griffey in his career, which is the only real shortcoming you can claim Griffey had in his 22-year career.
He was never able to lead his team to a World Series title, but that hasn't sullied even a bit of his reputation in the eyes of those who competed against him the hardest.
It's great to see former players recognize each others greatness. While Griffey was always "The Kid" to Ripken's "Iron Man," their achievements were something to behold, and will live on for a long, long time.