Wakamatsu: Griffey Is Retiring

By Justin Worsley

Today is truly a sad day in baseball.

Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu announced on Wednesday that outfielder/designated hitter Ken Griffey Jr. will retire effective immediately. Griffey, 40, ends his career with 630 home runs, the fifth most by any MLB player and 2,780 hits over a 22-year span. The 13-time All-Star selection ends his career with the Mariners, the same team he debuted in the MLB for in 1989.

Griffey's second tour in Seattle was less than memorable. Last month, several Seattle reporters released that Griffey was sleeping in the clubhouse during a Mariners game, causing a feud between the players and the press as well as an uproar of support for Griffey. Griffey is currently hitting .184 and spent the last week playing without a paycheck.

Griffey is a second-generation baseball player. His father, Ken Sr., was a three-time All-Star who ended his career as his son's teammate in Seattle.

The younger Griffey last made the All-Star team in 2007 while playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Injuries started taking their toll on the three-time Home Run Derby winner, causing two offseasons of debate as to whether or not Griffey would step on the field again.

Seattle is currently 19-31.