Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. Become the First Father-Son Teammates

On August 31, 1990, Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr. became the first father and son to play together as teammates in a major league game. The Seattle Mariners hosted the Kansas City Royals at the Kingdome, and the Griffeys appeared in the same lineup for the first time. Senior batted second and played left field. Junior batted third and played center field. Seattle won 5-2.

In the first inning, the two Griffeys hit back-to-back singles. Senior singled first, then Junior followed with a single of his own. Both scored. The symmetry of the moment was almost too perfect, a father and son standing on base together in a major league game, something that had never happened in more than a century of professional baseball.

Senior was 40 years old and had spent most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, where he was a key member of the Big Red Machine teams that won back-to-back World Series in 1975 and 1976. He was a three-time All-Star who batted .296 over 19 seasons. The Reds released him in August 1990, and the Mariners signed him specifically to create the father-son pairing.

Junior was 20 and in his second full season. He was already showing the talent that would make him one of the greatest players of his generation. His swing was fluid and left-handed, his defense in center field was spectacular, and his smile was everywhere. He would finish his career with 630 home runs, 13 All-Star selections, and 10 Gold Glove Awards.

On September 14, 1990, two weeks after their first game together, the Griffeys hit back-to-back home runs against the California Angels. Father and son going deep in consecutive at-bats became one of the most replayed highlights of the era.

The elder Griffey played 21 games with the Mariners in 1990 and 30 more in 1991 before retiring. The time they shared in the same outfield was brief, but the image endures. On August 31, 1990, baseball proved that a game passed from father to son could, for one extraordinary stretch, be played side by side.