Ken Griffey Jr. Gets Punked
Ken Griffey Jr. was riding high in April of 1989. Less than two years after being the overall #1 selection in the major league baseball draft, he was set to make his Major League debut in two days when his world crashed in around him.
The Mariners clubhouse was buzzing about a big trade that saw Seattle acquire Dale Murphy from the Atlanta Braves. According to the gossip, Murphy was on his way to the Mariners and would be the Opening Day centerfielder for Opening Day in Oakland on April 3rd.
Griffey Jr. had had an excellent spring but when he was summoned into new manager Jim Lefebvre’s office he feared the worst. The news he got confirmed what he thought was coming. With the acquisition of Murphy, Griffey would be headed back to Triple-A to begin the season. Near tears, Griffey shrugged his shoulders and headed back to the clubhouse to pack for Calgary, home of the Mariners top farm club.
Lefebvre, who won Rookie of the Year honors with the Dodgers in 1965, escorted Griffey out of his office. When he opened the door, the entire roster was outside and yelled, “April Fools!”
The prank was organized by Seattle pitcher Mark Langston who suffered a similar fate in his rookie season of 1984. Langston had won 14 games in Triple-A in 1983 and was set to make his debut when he was told he was being sent down. He had his bags packed and received condolences from his teammates when he was asked to go see then-manager Del Crandall before departing. It was only then that he learned he’d been punked.
Langston won his first start and Ken Griffey was also undeterred in his big league debut.
