He spent 22 seasons becoming lauded as the greatest player of his generation.
Even as his career declined through injuries and age, Griffey left the game on his own terms and still held in the highest of regards and one of the greats in baseball history.
Now relegated to part-time duty and with little pop left in that perfect swing, Griffey unexpectedly decided Wednesday to retire after 22 mostly brilliant seasons.
The Kid that once saved baseball in the Pacific Northwest with his backward hat, giddy teenage smile and unrivaled talent, had become a shell of the player who dominated the 1990s.
The 40-year-old Griffey wasn't at Safeco Field on Wednesday. He simply released a statement through the Seattle Mariners - the franchise he helped saved in the 90s and returned to for the conclusion of his career - that he was done playing.
Griffey said goodbye before Seattle played the Minnesota Twins after 13 All-Star appearances, 630 homers - fifth on the career list - and 1,836 RBIs. He's an almost certain first-ballot Hall of Famer.
"While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction," Griffey said.
"I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates and their success as a team is what the ultimate goal should be," he said.
Griffey was already headed to his family in Florida by late Wednesday night. His Safeco Field locker was completely cleaned out after Seattle's 2-1 victory in 10 innings over the Twins.
There won't be a farewell tour for Griffey.
He called Mariners' team president Chuck Armstrong and said he was done playing. Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu pulled his players together before the start of batting practice to inform them of Griffey's decision.
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