<P> As a free agent, Griffey was courted by the Mariners and the Atlanta Braves . The national media was dubious about Griffey's declining skills, with The Washington Post noting "...the Mariners are not about to sign Griffey for baseball reasons; they're bringing him back to Seattle to sell tickets ." Griffey ultimately accepted a contract offer from the Mariners on February 18, 2009, after "agonizing" over the decision . Griffey indicated he was motivated by sentimental reasons toward Seattle, where he received an overwhelmingly positive reception when he last played there as a Cincinnati Red in June 2007, but was inclined towards the Braves for its proximity to his home in Orlando, Florida, and his desire to be with his family during the season . Apparently, Griffey was very close to signing with the Braves; however, a premature report emerged from The Atlanta Journal - Constitution that an Atlanta deal was done and a conversation with Willie Mays and his own 13 - year - old daughter played a factor in his choice . Griffey once again sported #24 with the Mariners; the team had not issued the number to any player or coach in the nine years between his two stints in Seattle . </P> <P> Griffey went 1--2 with a home run in his regular season debut against the Minnesota Twins . The home run was Griffey's eighth Opening Day home run; as of 2013, he is tied with Frank Robinson and Adam Dunn for first place in this category . On April 15, 2009, Griffey hit his 400th home run as a Mariner (613th of career), off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver, becoming the first MLB player to hit 400 home runs with one club (Mariners) and 200 home runs with another (Reds). AP stated, "Griffey returned to the Mariners in 2009 and almost single - handedly transformed what had been a fractured, bickering clubhouse with his leadership, energy and constant pranks ." </P> <P> On June 23, 2009, at Safeco Field, Griffey hit the 5,000 th home run in franchise history, off San Diego Padres pitcher Chad Gaudin . This was Griffey's 619th career home run . On September 1, Griffey hit career home run #621 at the new Yankee Stadium, off Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte in the sixth inning . It marked the 44th different ballpark in which he had hit a home run . On August 12, 2009, against his former team, the Chicago White Sox, he hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 14th inning to win the game, 1--0, for the Mariners . </P> <P> Griffey returned to the Mariners for the 2010 campaign with a similar contract to that of 2009, but struggled offensively over the first two months while posting a . 184 batting average . On April 27, Griffey passed Andre Dawson for 45th on the career hit list . On May 20, 2010, in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Griffey hit an RBI single off Blue Jays' closer Kevin Gregg to win the game, 4--3, for the Mariners . After starting the ninth inning trailing 3--1, the Mariners rallied in the bottom of the ninth to load the bases on two singles and a walk, then tied the game via a walk and a sacrifice fly . The walk - off single was the final hit and RBI of Griffey's Major League Baseball career, and moved him past Rafael Palmeiro to 14th on the all - time RBI list . </P>

Ken griffey jr. most home runs in a season