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Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. had a scintillating 22-year career in the MLB before he retired from the game in 2010 with 630 home runs to his name. Since then, he has been following his passion for photography and has worked professionally at some major sports events. Last week, it emerged that Griffey was one of the credentialed photographers at The Masters at Augusta National.
Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy ended an 11-year wait for his fifth major title this past Sunday after edging England's Justin Rose in a playoff after both were tied at -11 at the end of 72 holes. He became just the sixth player in the modern era, and the lone European, to complete a career Grand Slam, while Ken Griffey Jr. took some photos of the historic moment that have since been published worldwide.
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First Office Sports posted on social media that the 13-time All-Star was the highest-paid photographer at the prestigious golf tournament after capturing some iconic moments from Rory McIlroy's win for Getty Images. His former Seattle Mariners teammate Alex Rodriguez offered a two-word reaction to the news on Friday.
"The highest-paid photographer at The Masters," announced Front Office Sports on Instagram. "Ken Griffey Jr. — now a sports photographer — whom the Reds paid $3.5 million last year. Griffey Jr. captured Rory McIlroy's iconic Masters playoff win for Getty Images."
"Love this," Alex Rodriguez wrote in response to his former teammate while sharing the news on his Instagram story.
Griffey Jr. and Rodriguez were both No. 1 overall draft picks for the Seattle Mariners in 1987 and 1983, respectively. They spent six seasons together in the clubhouse from 1994 to 1999.
Ken Griffey Jr. sheds light on his passion for photography
During his presence at Augusta National while covering The Masters for Getty Images last week, Ken Griffey Jr. spoke with Fox Sports to talk about his current profession as a photographer. He said his passion for photography began while he was still playing in the MLB as a means for staying connected with his children on road trips.
"I was still playing — and I understand what my dad felt like coming to watch me play — but now, with social media, it was a little different. Everybody is like, 'Oh, Ken’s here,'" Griffey said via FoxNews.com.
"My daughter literally stopped dribbling a basketball and just looked at me when she was five, and I was like, 'OK, I’ve got to pay more attention to what’s going on.' And I figured nobody’s messing with the photographer. Well, let me pick it up," he added.
Prior to his assignment at The Masters last week, Griffey Jr. had worked professionally in other sports as well. So far, he has been a credentialed photographer at MLB, MLS, the NFL and IndyCar events.
