ken griffey jr

Ken Griffey Jr. retired Wednesday night, ending one of the great careers in baseball history.

Ken Griffey Jr. and the Mariners agreed Wednesday to another one-year contract that will keep the popular player in Seattle next year.

The 2009 Seattle Mariners were one of those teams that seemed to fly under the radar of many national MLB fans.

Not very much was expected of them, and they had four of their top players playing in final years of their contracts.

Even though they added Ken Griffey Jr. this was a team built around good pitching and defense, and they were able to use that formula to put together a winning record.

Baltimore beat up on CC Sabathia, Ken Griffey Jr. homered in his return to the Seattle Mariners and Emilio Bonifacio became the first player in 41 years to hit an inside-the-park home run on opening day.

Ken Griffey, Jr., one of baseball's greatest hitters, is returning to Seattle, the city where his career began 20 years ago and Mariners fans are happ ...

Because of his unsoiled reputation and natural athleticism, Ken Griffey Jr. someday will be able to leave the game he loves on his own terms.

He wishes that Barry Bonds, one of his best friends, and Roger Clemens, another player he admires, could leave the same way.

But he knows the chances of that aren't good, as both are looking at perjury accusations regarding their steroid use.