Taking a stroll with Junior
Ken Griffey Jr., has another souvenir for his bulging trophy case.
The walk he coaxed off Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo in the ninth inning last night was the 1,300th free pass of Junior’s Hall of Fame career. The ball (or one just like it) was given to him after the game with the proper description written by clubhouse manager Ted Walsh.
That got P.R. director Tim Hevly to thinking — how many miles is 1,300 walks?
“Three”,” Griffey said when he was asked.
Not exactly.
Those 1,300 walks total 117,000 feet which, divided by 5,280 feet/mile equals 22.16 miles.
Though Griffey’s batting average, .214, is low, he leads the team in walks this season with 60 — two more than injured first baseman Russell Branyan.
The all-time leader in walks is Barry Bonds, who had 2,558 during his 22-year MLB career — or 38.5 miles worth of walking.
— Jim Street