PLAINS TWP. — Ken Griffey Sr. was the last player chosen in the 1969 Major League Baseball player draft, while his future teammate on the Cincinnati Reds, Don Gullett, was drafted number 1 that same year. But the last-drafted Griffey and first-drafted Gullett went on to achieve a great record in Cincinnati. The Reds won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.
Manager Sparky Anderson led the Big Red Machine, which at its peak included Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez, and was supported by Dave Concepción, George Foster, César Gerónimo and Griffey Sr.
Griffey spoke before 460 people at the 78th Annual Dinner of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons of St. Patrick on Friday at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
A three-time All-Star, Griffey hit over .300 five times for the powerful Cincinnati batting order that was known as the Big Red Machine for their dominance of the National League in the mid-1970s.
In 2004, Griffey was honored by being inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
On Aug. 31, 1990, the 40-year-old Griffey Sr. and the 20-year-old Griffey Jr. made history as the first father and son to play as teammates in an MLB game.
Griffey Jr. had an outstanding career, earning 13 All-Star Game selections, 10 Gold Glove Awards, and seven Silver Slugger Awards, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Griffey Sr., 73, said he doesn’t expect to be inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame, despite stats that could lead to that one day, including 2,143 hits with 152 homers and a .296 batting average.
“I just played well,” Griffey said before heading into the main ballroom at Mohegan Pennsylvania. “I had a lot of fun, and I played on some great teams with a lot of great players.”
Griffey talked about how impressive the pitching was on those Big Red Machine teams, mentioning Pedro Borbón, Clay Carroll, Tony Cloninger, Wayne Granger, Don Gullett, Ross Grimsley, Pat Zachary, Gary Nolan and Jim Maloney, Rawley Eastwick, Will McEnaney and others.
Griffey expressed pride when speaking about “Junior,” who is now 54, and mentioned that his grandsons are also excelling in sports.
“I knew when Junior was 14 that he was going to be a good one,” Griffey said. “I couldn’t strike him out anymore. But I really never knew how good he was until I played with him.”
Together with his son, Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., the two became the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs while playing together for Seattle.
Griffey Sr. played outfield in the majors from 1973-1991 with the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners.
Griffey earned his first All-Star selection in 1976, hitting .336, a career-high. That season, he placed eighth in National League MVP voting.
In 1980, Griffey was again named an All-Star as he posted a .294 batting average with 13 home runs and 85 RBI. He went on to earn All-Star Game MVP honors that season.
He mentioned that the toughest pitcher he ever faced was Bob Shirley, his favorite stadium was Riverfront in Cincinnati and Dodger Stadium and his favorite teammates were Perez, Foster, and Concepcion. He also had great respect for Pirates slugger Willie Stargell.
Why was Shirley, a left-handed person, so challenging for him?
“He hit the ball really well,” Griffey stated. “I hit many sacrifice flies to left field with no one on third base.”
The Griffeys currently reside near Philadelphia and spend a lot of time in Florida close to Junior’s house.
“I played six years in the minor leagues,” Griffey mentioned. “To give some perspective, Junior had 400 at bats in the minors.”
After his playing career ended, Griffey Sr. worked as a coach and manager in the Reds organization with the Dayton Dragons and Bakersfield Blaze.
In 2014, he authored a memoir — Big Red: Baseball, Fatherhood and My Life in the Big Red Machine.
McCarthy named ‘Man of the Year’
John McCarthy Jr. was honored as the 2024 “Man of the Year” at the dinner by The Friendly Sons.
McCarthy is widely recognized for his role as president of McCarthy Tire Service. He has held that position since 1997, after his father, Jack McCarthy, a former Man of the Year honoree in 2010, passed him the reins.
McCarthy mentioned his speech would be very brief.
“We are here to commemorate our Irish heritage and our families,” McCarthy said. “This is such an honor for me and my family. And just walking around this room, talking to friends, there are so many memories brought back”
McCarthy also recognizes the importance of being an essential part of a community. He serves on the boards of Highmark Inc., AllOne Health Resources, AllOne Charities and AllOne Foundation. Past boards have included Ecumenical Enterprises, Earth Conservancy, Villanova Business School and Landmark Bank, along with serving on numerous tire industry councils.
McCarthy graduated from King’s College with a degree in business administration.
He lives in Shavertown with his wife, Lynn. He enjoys spending time with his son, John III, and his daughter, Rayna. He is anticipating the new role of becoming a grandfather this May.
