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The Seattle Mariners will retire Ken Griffey‘s #24 at a ceremony at Safeco Field on August 6, 2016.
According to MLB.com, Griffey received a call from Mariners President Kevin Mather on Thursday letting him know that his number would be retired.
Griffey shared part of the conversation with MLB.com.
“They said, ‘We’ve got a little surprise for you.’ ‘We’re going to put your name up next to Jackie Robinson‘s.’ “And that’s when things hit. That definitely caps a long, wonderful week.”
The Kid will not only be the first Mariner to enter the Hall of Fame, but now he will be the first Mariner to have his number hanging on a Safeco Field wall next to baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
The festivities will take place two weeks after the Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown. The Mariners will make it a fun-filled weekend with Griffey bobblehead night on August 5th, a pre-game jersey retirement ceremony on August 6th, and to cap it off, the first 20,000 fans on August 7th, will receive a Griffey replica-jersey.
The Kid is truly thankful for everything.
“It means a lot. Anytime somebody does something for you, you can’t take it for granted. The writers voting, the Mariners not telling me until the last moment they were going to do this, it means a lot.”
“We play to go win games and have fun and be competitive and not embarrass ourselves. For them to say, we don’t want anybody to wear this number, it’s overwhelming and scary. But it’s one of those things that makes you feel good as a person and player that they respected what you did.”
We are also thankful for having the opportunity to watch such a tremendous career.
