Portal:Pennsylvania/Selected Biography/7

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George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. (born November 21, 1969, in Donora, Pennsylvania) is a second generation Major League Baseball player on the Cincinnati Reds. He is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history. His nicknames have been "The Natural", "The Kid", and "Junior". He is the son of former big league outfielder Ken Griffey, Sr.

Ken Griffey, Jr. shares not only the same birthday, but also the same birthplace, as Hall of Famer Stan Musial in the town of Donora, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where father Ken Griffey, Sr. played for the Cincinnati Reds, when Junior was five. He attended Archbishop Moeller High School.

In 1987, Griffey was selected with the first overall pick of that year's amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners based on his tremendous potential. One scout said of Griffey, "If you thought Barry Bonds was interesting, wait until you see this kid." In January of 1988, Griffey attempted suicide by swallowing 277 aspirin. He ended up in the intensive care unit at Providence Hospital in Mount Airy, Ohio. Griffey was overwhelmed by racial slurs directed at him as well as a tenuous relationship with his father. He rebounded the next year as a big leaguer. He was well on his the way to the Rookie of the Year award, but was thwarted when he slipped in the shower and broke a bone in his right hand in late July, 1989. (Read more...)