Tuesday, June 10 2008 -- Ken Griffey Jr. continued to mark his place in history last night when he belted career home run number 600. Griffey’s home run in the first inning of Mark Hendrickson of the Florida Marlins was a 413 foot bomb into the right field bleachers. He now sits sixth on the all time list of home run hitters, and it can only lead to speculation about what he could have done had he not been hampered by a string of injuries in the middle of his career. Griffey Jr. was the face of the MLB in his youth, with video games named after him and kids everywhere fighting for his baseball cards. His charisma and incredible playing ability, both in the field where he has won multiple Gold Gloves and in the batter’s box made him an undeniable asset to his teams and to the league itself.

Unfortunately, since his trade from the Seattle Mariners to the Cincinnati Reds, Griffey Jr. suffered major injuries in every season from 2001-2004. In the past few seasons, glimmers of the young Griffey Jr. have popped up here and there, and he has continued to be a major home run threat. He was well ahead of schedule to break Hank Aaron’s home run record before suffering his injuries, and he still remains one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game.