Washington Nationals Pre-History: Ken Griffey Jr. And Mike Piazza Vs. Expos/Nats
By Ricky Keeler
Ken Griffey Jr. vs. Expos
Griffey Jr. joined the National League when the Cincinnati Reds acquired him in a trade back in February 2000 for a package that included Mike Cameron and Brett Tomko going to Seattle. In 41 games against the Expos/Nats, Griffey hit .268 with 13 home runs, drove in 32 runs, and had a .350 on-base percentage.
First, let’s start with how Griffey Jr. did against the Expos. While the Hall-Of-Famer had good numbers against Montreal, he did struggle at Olympic Stadium. In ten games in that stadium, he hit .231 with three home runs and 12 RBI’s.
In the four years he played at Olympic Stadium (2002-2004), Griffey Jr. never hit more than one home run in a season, but his season-high for RBI’s in a year in that ballpark was six back in 2000. Even though he drove in six runs, he only recorded two hits in that season.
The big hit against Montreal that season took place on July 28. In the top of the second with the bases loaded and two outs, Griffey Jr. hit a grand slam to center field off of Mike Johnson for his 13th home run of the season. It would put the Reds up 6-0 in a game that Cincinnati won 8-3. It was also the first of two grand slams Griffey Jr. would hit that season.
During Montreal’s final season (2004), Griffey Jr. hit four home runs and drove in six RBI’s in six games. Only one of those home runs was at Olympic Stadium (May 28 – two-run homer vs. Claudio Vargas). However, at Great American Ball Park, he hit three home runs in a two-day period (June 5-6), including a two home-run game on June 6 in his first two at-bats of the game vs. Livan Hernandez.
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