"His 1985 season will be remembered for his terrific, wall-climbing, game-saving robbery of an apparent home run off the bat of the Red Sox' Marty Barrett on August 19. The left fielder began last season by hitting in his first eight games and enjoyed a good May when his average reached .310 and he hit a grand slam on May 14.
Griffey's average tailed off to .274. He brooded at times and requested a trade. Bothered by sore knees, he drove in 69 runs, his best total since 1980.
He's a career .300 hitter, although he has failed to reach that mark in three of his four seasons as a Yankee. His impending free agency prior to the 1982 season prompted the Reds to deal him for Brian Ryder and Fred Toliver.
Griffey was not picked until the 29th round of the June 1969 draft, when the Reds nabbed him. He has played in two World Series, posting a .186 average in 11 games. Griffey was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of Stan Musial."
-Tom Verducci, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1986 Edition
"It was a Ken Griffey kind of year for No. 33, as he again quietly aided the Yankees cause with another complete performance in 1985. Seemingly unnoticed, Griffey just goes on doing his job. 'Whoever's going to get the media coverage is gonna get it,' says Griffey. 'Some may never get it, and that's why I don't worry about the press.'
Griffey is coming off his own headline season in 1985, both offensively and defensively. In the field he made several acrobatic catches, going high over the outfield wall to turn homers into outs. At the plate, he had an 11-game hitting streak, a six-RBI game and a grand slam. And, unknown to many, Griffey remains one of only twelve active lifetime .300 hitters, based on 10 seasons or 1,000 hits. 'I'm guess what you'd call a quiet .300 hitter,' he says.
Since joining the Yankees in 1982 this silent performer has played all three outfield positions and first base, and has been a designated hitter and a pinch hitter.
'When I go out there I do my best. I do what's asked of me.'"
-The New York Yankees Official 1986 Yearbook
"His 1985 season was an overall improvement over '84, with Griffey posting better numbers in most offensive categories. Although his season batting average was .274, he remains one of only 12 active lifetime .300 hitters (with at least 10 seasons or 1,000 hits), now at .2996, or .300. His 1985 season may be best remembered for 'the catch of the year' robbing Boston's Marty Barrett of a game-tying, ninth inning home run on August 19 at Yankee Stadium, leaping high over the left field wall and landing in a somersault.
Griffey was placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained left wrist on June 1, retroactive to May 28, and activated on June 12. He played in his 1,500th career game on August 12 at Chicago. His final home run of the year, September 22 at Baltimore off Ken Dixon, was No. 100 of his career.
Five of his 10 homers were hit off Minnesota pitching. Griffey hit two three-run homers on July 7 (second game) against Minnesota- the six RBIs matched his career high and equalled Dave Winfield for the team single game high [for '85]. He also had five RBI on May 8 at Minnesota. Griffey hit his third career grand slam, his second as a Yankee, on May 14 off Minnesota's Curt Wardle.
Ken hit a sixth-inning pinch-hit homer on May 5 off Kansas City's Joe Beckwith. He had an 11-game hit streak, July 4-18, and had 35 multiple hit games, fifth high on the team.
In 1984 Ken recorded the 1,500th hit of his career on June 12 at Boston. In 1983, he was simply outstanding in his second year as a Yankee- he batted over .300 the entire year, ranking among the league leaders. In 1982, Ken batted .277 in his first season in pinstripes, 30 points below his previous major league average; he turned things around at the plate in his last 38 games, however, batting .341 (47-for-138) with seven home runs and 29 RBIs, raising his average from .251 on August 17. On August 18, Ken started on a 13 game hitting streak in which he raised his average 20 points, the hitting streak being the longest by a Yankee in 1982.
In 1980 he was the Reds' MVP and MVP of the All-Star Game. He missed the end of the 1979 season with a mid-August operation on his left knee and his thigh bone. In 1972 he was named to the Eastern League All-Star team and in 1973 to the American Association All-Star team.
Griffey was born and grew up in Donora, Pennsylvania, birthplace of Stan Musial."
-1986 New York Yankees Information Guide
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