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MLB Hall of Fame: 5 best moments of Ken Griffey Jr.’s career

By Brad Weiss

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 1: Ken Griffey Jr.
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 1: Ken Griffey Jr. /
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ST. LOUIS – JUNE 20: Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. #30 of the Cincinnati Reds hits his 500th career home run during the MLB game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 20, 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri. Griffey is only the 20th player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs. The Reds defeated the Cardinals 6-0. (Photo by Scott Rovak/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS – JUNE 20: Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. #30 of the Cincinnati Reds hits his 500th career home run during the MLB game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 20, 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri. Griffey is only the 20th player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs. The Reds defeated the Cardinals 6-0. (Photo by Scott Rovak/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

5. Home run No. 500 on Father’s Day

Two things were very important to Ken Griffey Jr., his hometown of Cincinnati, and his father, Ken Griffey Sr. In 2004, the younger Griffey stood on the precipice of history, as he looked to become a member of the exclusive (at the time) 500 home run club.

Junior had been waiting a week to hit the historic blast, and his father, mother, wife, and three children were near the Reds dugout during a Father’s Day game in St. Louis. What happened next is almost storybook, as Griffey blasted a home run off of Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris, sending number 500 into the stands.

After he circled the bases, he ran to his father, seated in the front row, hugged him, and said, “Happy Father’s Day. I love you.”

The blast helped the Reds to a 6-0 victory on that day, but it was the special bond between son and father that will be forever stamped in the memory of Reds and Griffey fans. As a kid, Griffey used to run around the Reds clubhouse, and now, he was a Reds hero. The absolute pride on his father’s face, and the joy on Junior’s, show the special side of baseball.

Griffey would go on to hit 130 more home runs in his career, but fewer were more special than number 500.

Next: 4. 'The Catch'

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