Junior Goes Home
Twenty years after his rookie card helped introduce a promising newcomer to the world of baseball cards, Ken Griffey Jr. is returning to the place his career started. Fittingly, Upper Deck is celebrating Junior's return to Seattle with several special cards.
The 1989 Upper Deck Baseball set was the company's first, and it helped change the hobby forever by upping the ante on the quality of cards and packaging. Griffey's rookie card (No. 1 in the set) caught fire as the then-teenaged phenom hit the big leagues in a textbook case of perfect timing.
Now that Griffey is a Mariner again, Upper Deck is paying its respects with a pair of cards that will be available over the next few weeks. The card pictured here is a short-printed insert that can be found in packs of 2009 UD Piece of History Baseball, which is set to go live in early April. A second card will be part of a promotion at participating hobby stores that will take place just before Opening Day.
With another round of fortuitous timing taking place, don't be surprised if Upper Deck has more Griffey-related goodies in store as the homecoming season progresses.
Image courtesy of and copyright Upper Deck.