Ken Griffey Jr. Once Hit A Pinch-Hit HR In The Middle Of A Phone Call, Then Got Back On The Phone

Every now and then an athlete comes along, like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, about whom legendary stories are told after they have left the game.

Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr., who made his Major League Baseball debut at the age of age 19 after just 552 plate appearances in the minor leagues, is another one of the sports icons that lands on that list.

Stories of Junior’s exploits, like hitting a double off Oakland’s Dave Stewart in his very first MLB at-bat and homering in his first at-bat in Seattle’s Kingdome, are just the tip of the iceberg.

Another story, relayed this week by current Chicago Cubs manager David Ross, reinforced what a unique and awesome talent Ken Griffey Jr. was during his playing days.

“Who is the best pure hitter you played with or coached?” Ross was asked during an appearance on 670 The Score in Chicago this week.

Ross, who was teammates with Griffey on the 2006 Cincinnati Reds, replied that Chipper Jones would have to be on that list. Then he brought up Griffey.

“Griffey was on the IL with a broken toe and we were in Cincinnati, and actually the Cubs came into town, and he was just available to come off the IL.

“I remember him taking batting practice in flip-flops that day in the cage. It was a day game.

“And they went and grabbed Griffey to pinch-hit.

“He literally put the phone, he was on the phone, he put the phone down and said, ‘hold on.’

“Came in, three-run homer and walked back, they put a defensive replacement in and he walked back and got back on the phone. It was like a Vitamin Water deal of something.

“Who does that? I don’t know.

“Nobody even high-fived him. We were all pissed. ‘You hadn’t played in 20 days.'”

Ross added, “That guy, he used to at batting practice he was like, ‘my swing knows the way, buddy, I’ve hit more home runs in batting practice than you have in your entire life.”