Some young’uns reading this may be a lil’ too green to remember Ken Griffey, Jr. before he wore the Mask of the Cincinnati Reds Death. If you’re one of those unfortunate few, and you’d like to witness a portion of his greatness, check out Griff’s self-titled cartridge for the SNES. Although game companies of that era were infamous for signing famous athletes to their own game and giving them ungodly stats to make them worthy of their headline status, The Kid rules the roost in Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball, but it’s not because of juiced coverboy stats: flesh-n-blood Griff was just that damned good.
Knowledgeable baseball fans are familiar with the 5 skills: hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning, defense, and arm strength. Griffey owned in all of those categories, and his Super NES counterpart is just as deadly. If you toss a pitch that even remotely nips the corner (and I’m talking Greg Maddux styled plate-nibbling), that son of bitch launches it into the upper deck. Should you have the fortunate of keeping the ball on the turf when facing Griff, you have the difficult chore of keeping him honest on the basepaths. With his cheetah-esque speed, even the slightest lead results in a stolen base or his advancing an extra base on a hit.
But Griff isn’t a one-trick pony; he’s just as incredible in the field as he is at the plate. Should you send a rocket screaming towards center field, Griff, with his range, will most likely snag the ball for an easy out. And with that arm canon of his, baserunners have to second guess if they really want to attempt an extra bag. After all, there’s a fine line between proving that you have the hustle to muscle out a trip from first to third on a batter’s deep single to right, and proving yourself a jackass for challenging the most feared arm since Popeye’s.
Still, Ken Griffey, Jr. isn’t the deadliest 2D sports videogame athlete. Despite being an offensive monster, The Kid can be pitched to―-if you constantly nibble the corners and change speeds (aka the Charlie Hough route). There are two other baseball players (one offensive, one defensive) that make Griff’s all-around excellent game look merely adequate in comparison. No hints, no names here. Simply check in next week.
