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Mariners unveil statute of Griffey at Safeco Field

April 14, 2017 at 1:12AM
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Ken Griffey Jr. is captured in full follow-through from his swing, gazing toward an unseen baseball.

It's a pose he struck many times during his Hall of Fame career, and it's the way he's been immortalized in bronze outside Safeco Field.

The Seattle Mariners on Thursday unveiled the statue of Griffey, the most recent way they've honored one of the franchise's greatest players.

"One of the things I'm known for is my swing, and I think it was pretty much going to be a given [that would be the pose]," Griffey said during the unveiling ceremony. "They pretty much nailed it. It was overwhelming to see something like that."

The 7-foot-tall statue stands on top of a 4-foot granite base. It includes a Mariners 20th anniversary patch and a patch recognizing the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. Griffey helped lead the charge toward all major leaguers wearing Robinson's No. 42 each year.

Griffey became the first Mariners player to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame last year. The Mariners officially retired his No. 24 in August, making him the first player to have his number retired by the franchise.

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