Ken Griffey Jr. Emphasizes Family Over Baseball Going Into Documentary

Ken Griffey Jr. took the family trade and built upon the groundwork his father laid to construct a 22-year Hall of Fame career. At 8 p.m. EST Sunday, the MLB Network will premiere a 69-minute documentary digging into Griffey Jr.’s achievements, opening a window into the typically reserved superstar’s life.

“It was something that we’ve been making for a couple years,” Griffey Jr. said during an interview with former teammate Frank Rodriguez on Instagram Friday evening. “We just wanted to get it out there, and we felt that with me hitting 500 [home runs] on Father’s Day, it’s a perfect time for us to get it out.”

Growing up in Major League clubhouses, Griffey Jr. was able to observe the top players hone their craft. He knew from an young age while working out with his father that he could at least compete defensively in the big leagues.

“I knew at age 14, defensively I could play in the big leagues,” he said. “Going out there and taking fly balls in Fort Lauderdale when my dad played for the Yankees, I could run down the fly ball. … It was just learning and maturing as a 17-year-old, 18-year-old. … At 17-18, it was just a work in progress, going from aluminum bat to wooden bat, so it took me, you know, 450 at-bats to get used to it.”

The baseball prodigy made good on his prediction, entering the majors at 19 in 1989. Just one year later, he shared the outfield with his father in Seattle. While many fans recall the father-son duo homering in back-to-back at-bats, Griffey Jr. remembered it as a time to learn how to carry himself as a major leaguer.

“He made it easy for me,” he said. “He was just like, ‘Hey this is your team, just go out there and play; I’m just happy to be here.’ I learned a lot from him; it was one of those things where how he set up pitchers and how he was a constant pro. I think sometimes, we don’t see that a lot in professional athletes; he taught me to how to act on and off the field.”

Throughout the conversation with Rodriguez, Griffey Jr. emphasized family over baseball when reflecting on his playing days. When asked of his most notable memory, Griffey Jr. highlighted a conversation with a teammate that praised his parenting skills above anything he did in between the lines.

“One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever got was from a catcher, Jason LaRue,” Griffey Jr. said. “He said, ‘I wish we had more kids like yours in this clubhouse.’ Out of all the things that I’ve ever done on the baseball field, to have a guy say that to me, meant more to me than anything. It shows that how I raised my kids, [I] was doing it the right way and other people appreciated it. I will never forget that moment. We sat in the locker room, and when he came in and gave me a hug, I said, ‘Man, I love you for that.’”

With his special set for Sunday evening on the MLB Network, baseball enthusiasts will have a chance to bask in Griffey Jr.’s greatness. The 50-year-old Hall of Famer explained how he never thought the spotlight placed him above anyone else, even though his fans would argue otherwise.

“I don’t think I’m any different than anybody else,” he said. “I just want to be me. I don’t think I’m bigger [or] better than anybody else who has a way of life in their field. I was fortunate enough to play baseball, and that’s it. After that, I’m a normal person.

“I didn’t want to be the face of baseball. I understood what happens when you are, because of my talent level, but I didn’t go into baseball thinking that was my goal to be that guy. My goal was to go out there and play as hard as I could, try to win as many games [as I could], and create friendships. … I was fortunate to play 22 years. Not a lot of people have been that fortunate, but our friendships last 50-60 years after our playing days are over.”