Ichiro Suzuki. Randy Johnson. Ken Griffey Jr. Three professional baseball players etched into the Seattle Mariners history books, un-erasable and forever loved.
Seattle baseball fans may love these guys, but they all had women in their lives too. Ichiro married Yumiko Fukushima. "The Big Unit" married Lisa Wiehoff. But what about Ken Griffey Jr. AKA the sweet-swinging lefty who made baseball cool?
The Seattle Mariners legend has kept his private life under tight wraps, despite being the son of a superstar. Griffey Jr. himself is a superstar, plus the parent of three more star children. So how has Ken Griffey Jr. kept his nearly three-decade-long marriage such a well-guarded secret, and who is his wife, Melissa?
Ken Griffey Jr.'s Wife Melissa Griffey
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Melissa Griffey married Ken Griffey Jr. in 1992. They reportedly met at an alcohol-free dance club during his rookie year.
Melissa told Sports Illustrated in 2016 that she quickly learned how to easily end an argument with him.
"Once, early on, he upset her in a shopping mall in Bellevue, Wash. 'I'm with Ken Griffey Junior!' Melissa shouted. Every child in the mall came running after him. Melissa never did that again." — Sports Illustrated.
The couple has three children together, one of whom is adopted. Melissa herself was adopted. Her adoption story inspired her to adopt one of her own. Her love for soccer is her driving influence to become the co-owner of an MLS franchise with her husband.
Ken Griffey Jr. and his wife Melissa Griffey are minority owners of the MLS powerhouse Seattle Sounders. The Seattle Legends bought into the Founder's Cup Champions in 2020. Other members of the ownership group include Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and his pop star wife Ciara, and Seattle-based rapper Macklemore. (Griffey also appeared in a Macklemore music video for Downtown. Twice.)
Ken Griffey Jr. Kids
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Melissa and "The Kid" have three kids to keep them busy.
Ken Griffey III, who goes by Trey Griffey, is a dual-sport professional athlete. After a college football career as an Arizona University Wildcat wide receiver, Griffey's son Trey spent 2018 in the NFL on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad. He currently plays for the Seattle Mariners Low-A Affiliate the Modesto Nuts.
Junior's daughter Taryn Kennedy Griffey had a promising women's basketball career at the University of Arizona cut short by injuries. Their adopted son Tevin Kendall Griffey plays cornerback for Florida A&M University, a Northern Florida HBCU.
Melissa and Ken Griffey live in Winter Garden, Florida near Orlando, to be near Ken Griffey Sr. Griffey has happily lived the family life since retirement. The Seattle legend travels back and forth between Florida and his adopted Washington State, splitting time between his professional and personal life.
His private life with Melissa is under tight wraps, unlike his superstar baseball career. But with a marriage more reliable than a Ken Griffey Jr. home run, their family is built for the Hall of Fame.
Ken Griffey Jr. MLB Career
While playing with the Mariners in 1990, 40-year-old Ken Griffey and 19-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. became the only father and son duo to hit back to back home runs in MLB history!
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) June 20, 2021
George Kenneth Griffey Jr. was born in Donora, Pennsylvania. His father, Ken Griffey Sr., began his Hall-of-Fame Major League Baseball career four years after Junior's birth.
While Senior was an MLB player for the Cincinnati Reds, Junior was named National Player of the Year at Archbishop Moeller High School. Though Griffey Jr. had offers to play football for D-I programs like Oklahoma, he opted for the MLB.
The Seattle Mariners drafted Griffey Jr. as the No. 1 pick in the first round of the 1987 MLB Draft. Griffey was only 17 at the time. One year later, after a fight with his father, young Griffey Jr. attempted to take his own life.
Rushed to the ICU after downing a bottle of aspirin, Griffey Jr. suffered from depression intensified by the pressures of living in the limelight under his father's shadow. Griffey Jr. ripped an IV out of his arm while arguing with Senior at the hospital. Both men have said the suicide attempt changed their relationship for the better.
Two years after his low, Griffey Jr. hit a new high. Playing MLB All-Star-level baseball, the outfielder had one of the most incredible careers in baseball history, despite never reaching a World Series.
Over 13 seasons with the Seattle Mariners and nine years with the Cincinnati Reds (he also played 41 games with the Chicago White Sox), Griffey Jr. became one of the most consistent home run hitters in the history of the game.
Griffey Jr. is an American League MVP, All-Star, Home Run Derby Champ, Gold Glove Award winner, Silver Slugger Award winner and All-Star Game MVP. KGII is tied with Don Mattingly and Dale Long for most consecutive games with a home run (eight). Junior is in the MLB, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners Baseball Hall of Fames. The one-time Most Valuable Player even has his own GameBoy game.
During the peak of Griffey Jr. Mania, the Kid had deals with Nintendo and Nike. Griffey Jr. was the face of the league for a time, even gracing the cover of MLB The Show 17, released seven years after his retirement.
Ken Griffey Jr. retired a Seattle Mariner in 2010, shortly after hitting his 400th home run as a Mariner, this time against the Los Angeles Angels. He finished his storied career with 630 home runs, seventh-most in MLB history.
By then, though, he had been a happily married man to Melissa Griffey AKA "Mrs. Swingman."
