For Immediate Release Contact: Rebecca Hale

Thursday, April 13, 2017 206-346-4324

rhale@mariners.com
@RebeccaMariners

MARINERS UNVEIL STATUE OF KEN GRIFFEY JR. OUTSIDE SAFECO FIELD

The Seattle Mariners today unveiled a statue of Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. on a street
corner named for two other baseball legends, in front of the ballpark often referred to as The House
that Griffey Built.

Standing at the corner of Edgar Martinez Drive and Dave Niehaus Way, just outside Safeco Fields
Home Plate Gate, the 7-ft. bronze statue on a 4-ft. tall granite base is a tribute to one of the greatest
players to ever don a baseball uniform.

Anyone who has ever seen Junior bat will instantly recognize the pose. Left arm across his chest, a
glossy, black bat trailing behind in his right hand, eyes skyward, tracking the path of a just-hit baseball
as it heads over the fence for another home run. The statue captures the power and fluid motion of the
iconic swing that became a fixture on playgrounds and Little League fields for a generation of would-be
Major Leaguers.

Ken Griffey Jr. is the Seattle Mariners first superstar. He is the first to represent the Mariners in
Cooperstown. For a generation of fans, he provided some of the greatest baseball memories of their
lives. It is fitting that Ken will forever be here, outside Safeco Field, as a lasting tribute to all he has
meant to baseball in the Northwest, said Kevin Mather, Seattle Mariners President & COO.

The statue is the work of artist Lou Cella, who also created the Dave Niehaus statue that has occupied
a place of honor on the Main Level of Safeco Field since September 2011. As with that project, Cella
worked from hundreds of photos and video images to capture the essence of Griffey. The details, which
were carefully researched for authenticity, are from Kens 1997 MVP season.

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Everything from the shoes to the batting gloves to the Mariners 20th Anniversary patch and the MLB
patch honoring Jackie Robinson were meticulously carved in clay to create the mold for the final cast
bronze piece.

Work on the project began in September in Cellas Chicago studio. The bronze casting was done at Art
Casting of Illinois.

The sculpture was unveiled today, an off-day during the Mariners Opening Homestand of the 2017
season, at a ceremony attended by Griffey and some of his former teammates and fellow Mariners Hall
of Famers Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner and Dan Wilson.

Ken Griffey Jr. Replica Statue Night

The first 45,000 fans through the gates at Safeco Field on Friday, April 14, when the Mariners meet the
Texas Rangers (7:10 p.m. start), will take home a miniature replica of Griffeys statue. Among the
45,000 statues are 24 that have been autographed by Ken. They will be handed out at random on
Friday night to 24 lucky fans.

Tickets for Fridays game remain available at Mariners.com/Tickets, the Safeco Field Box Office,
Seattle Mariners Team Stores in downtown Seattle (4th & Stewart), Bellevue Square, Alderwood Mall
and Southcenter Mall, and by phone, toll-free, at 1-888-SEA-HITS (888-732-4487).

About Lou Cella

Lou Cella is a native of the Chicago area who specializes in portrait sculpture. In addition to the Dave
Niehaus sculpture, he has created or co-sculpted dozens of statues of sports figures including Ron
Santo, Harry Caray, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ty Cobb, Carlton Fisk and Ernie Harwell. Cella studied
Fine Art and Graphic Design at Illinois State University. Since 1995 he has been a sculptor and
instructor at the Rotblatt/Amrany Studio of Fine Art located just outside Chicago.

--Mariners.com--