{"product_id":"ken-griffey-jr-signed-mariners-16x20-the-dogpile-photo-bas-witness-authenticated","title":"Ken Griffey Jr. Signed Mariners 16x20 \"The Dogpile\" Photo BAS Witness Authenticated","description":"\u003cp\u003eAdd the signature of the Kid on the most iconic image of his Seattle \ncareer to your collection with this \u003cstrong\u003eKen Griffey Jr. Autographed \nSeattle Mariners 16x20 Photo \"The Dogpile\" — BAS Witnessed\u003c\/strong\u003e. \nThe photo captures October 8, 1995. Bottom of the 11th inning. Game 5 \nof the American League Division Series. Joey Cora on third, Ken Griffey Jr. \non first, Edgar Martinez at the plate, the Mariners trailing the New York \nYankees 5-4. Martinez hits a double down the left field line. Cora scores. \nGriffey comes around third, being waved home. He slides. He's safe. \n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Seattle Mariners win the series, 3-2.\u003c\/strong\u003e The entire dugout \nerupts onto the field, and Griffey — who broke his wrist crashing into the \noutfield wall five months earlier, who missed ten weeks that season, who \nreturned specifically to lead this team to the playoffs — ends up at the \nbottom of the pile with every teammate on top of him. \nThe photograph captures what happens next: Griffey grins up from the bottom \nof the dogpile, the pure joy of a player who had just scored the run that \ngave the Seattle Mariners their first playoff series victory in franchise \nhistory. The grin is as instantly recognizable as the swing. \nIt is one of the most enduring photographs in the history of Pacific \nNorthwest sports — signed by the player at the center of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003eSeattle Mariners 16x20 Photo \"The Dogpile\"\u003c\/strong\u003e has \nbeen \u003cstrong\u003ehand-signed by Ken Griffey Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e with a bold, clean \nautograph. Authentication is provided by \n\u003cstrong\u003eBeckett Authentication Services (BAS)\u003c\/strong\u003e at their elevated \n\u003cstrong\u003eWitness tier\u003c\/strong\u003e — a Beckett representative was physically \npresent at the signing to verify the autograph's authenticity \nin real time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eProduct Highlights\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHand-signed by \u003cstrong\u003eKen Griffey Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e — \"The Kid,\" Hall of \nFame Class of 2016, Seattle Mariners franchise icon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e16x20 photo — \"The Dogpile\"\u003c\/strong\u003e: the iconic image \ncapturing Griffey's grin from the bottom of the celebration after scoring \nthe series-winning run in Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBAS Witnessed\u003c\/strong\u003e — Beckett representative physically \npresent at signing, verifying autograph in real time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e5 home runs in the 1995 ALDS\u003c\/strong\u003e — only the second \nplayer in postseason history (after Reggie Jackson in the 1977 World Series) \nto hit five home runs in a single postseason series\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003erun that saved baseball in Seattle\u003c\/strong\u003e — the \nMariners' 1995 ALDS win galvanized the city behind the franchise \nand directly led to the construction of Safeco Field, \n\"The House That Griffey Built\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHall of Fame Class of 2016\u003c\/strong\u003e: elected with 99.32% \nof the vote — the highest vote percentage in Hall of Fame history \nat the time of his induction, breaking Tom Seaver's 24-year record\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCareer: \u003cstrong\u003e630 home runs (6th all-time), 10 Gold Gloves, \n13 All-Star selections\u003c\/strong\u003e, 1997 AL MVP\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBacked by our \u003cstrong\u003eLifetime Authenticity Guarantee\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOctober 8, 1995 — The Grin at the Bottom of the Pile\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe photograph exists because of what preceded it by approximately \nfive seconds: the slide into home plate, the safe call, the crowd at \nthe Kingdome erupting in the loudest sustained noise the building had \nproduced in its eighteen-year history. Griffey had run from first base \non Edgar Martinez's double — rounding second at full speed, taking the \nthird-base coach's wave home, and sliding across the plate with the \nrun that ended the 1995 ALDS and sent the Seattle Mariners to the \nAmerican League Championship Series for the first time. \n\u003cstrong\u003eWhat the photograph captures is the moment immediately after: \nGriffey on the bottom of a pile of teammates, looking up, grinning.\u003c\/strong\u003e \nThe grin is not a performance for a camera. It is the involuntary expression \nof a 25-year-old player who had broken his wrist five months earlier, \nspent ten weeks rehabilitating instead of playing, returned to the \nlineup in August while the Mariners staged one of the most improbable \nlate-season comebacks in baseball history, then carried them through \na five-game series against the heavily favored New York Yankees \nby hitting five home runs and scoring nine times in five games. \nThe grin is what it looks like when everything you worked through \nwas worth it. The 16x20 photo signed by Griffey is the most specific \navailable document of that specific second in Seattle Mariners history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe 1995 ALDS — 0-2 Down, Five Home Runs, and a Comeback\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mariners entered the 1995 ALDS as the underdog against a Yankees \nteam that had not been to the postseason in 14 years and arrived in \nSeattle hungry for October baseball. New York won Games 1 and 2 at \nYankee Stadium, putting Seattle on the verge of elimination before \nthe series even returned home. What followed was one of the most \ncomplete individual postseason performances a center fielder had \never produced: \u003cstrong\u003eGriffey hit five home runs in the five-game \nseries — only the second player in postseason history, after Reggie \nJackson in the 1977 World Series, to hit five home runs in a single \nseries.\u003c\/strong\u003e He drove in 7 runs, scored 9 times, and batted \n.391 across the five games. Game 4 evened the series. \nGame 5 went to extra innings, the Yankees scored in the top \nof the 11th, and the Mariners came to bat trailing 5-4 with \nthree outs remaining. Cora. Griffey. Martinez. \nThe double. The run. The dogpile. The grin. \nThe photograph signed by Griffey is the endpoint of that specific \nsequence — the image that exists because of everything that happened \nin the preceding five games, and the five months before that, \nand the six years of Mariners baseball before that moment \nwas possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Run That Saved Baseball in Seattle\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore October 8, 1995, the Seattle Mariners had produced only \ntwo winning seasons in eighteen years of existence. The franchise \nhad never appeared in the postseason. There were credible, active \nrumors that the team would be sold and relocated. The Washington \nState Legislature had not yet voted on alternative stadium funding. \nThe entire future of major league baseball in the Pacific Northwest \nwas genuinely uncertain. \u003cstrong\u003eThe Mariners' 1995 ALDS victory \nchanged all of that in a single night.\u003c\/strong\u003e The win galvanized \nSeattle's fan base in a way that two winning seasons in eighteen years \nhad not, sparked the political will to fund a new stadium, and \nproduced the construction of Safeco Field — informally called \n\"The House That Griffey Built.\" Mariners manager Lou Piniella \nlater called the 1995 season \"the hit, the run, the game, \nthe series and the season that saved baseball in Seattle.\" \nThe run in that sentence is the run Griffey scored. \nThe 16x20 Dogpile photo signed by Griffey is the image of the \nplayer who scored that run, captured in the ten seconds after \nit happened, grinning from the bottom of a pile of teammates \nwho understood exactly what they had just done for their city.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Kid — 630 Home Runs and 99.32%\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe career that included October 8, 1995 also included 630 home \nruns (sixth all-time), ten consecutive Gold Glove Awards in center \nfield, thirteen All-Star Game selections, the 1997 American League \nMVP Award (56 HR, 147 RBI, .304), and seven Silver Slugger Awards. \nFrom 1996 through 1999, Griffey averaged 52 home runs and 141 RBI \nper season — numbers produced by a player the sport universally \nregarded as its most complete talent, whose swing was the most \nreplicated and admired of his generation, and who played the \ngame with a joy that made the backward cap and the grin as \niconic as any statistic on his resume. \u003cstrong\u003eOn January 6, 2016, \nthe Baseball Writers' Association of America elected Ken Griffey Jr. \nto the Hall of Fame with 99.32% of the vote — the highest percentage \nin the award's history at the time, breaking Tom Seaver's record \nof 98.84% that had stood for 24 years.\u003c\/strong\u003e He had appeared \non 437 of 440 ballots submitted. The Mariners flew a flag bearing \nhis No. 24 from the Space Needle. The 16x20 Dogpile photo signed \nby Griffey carries the autograph of the player who produced all \nof it — and whose most enduring single-image credential is the grin \non the face of a 25-year-old who just scored the run that \nsaved baseball in his city.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eBAS Witness — The Elevated Authentication Tier\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis photo carries \u003cstrong\u003eBAS Witness authentication\u003c\/strong\u003e — \nthe most complete verification level available from Beckett Authentication \nServices. At the BAS Witness tier, a \u003cstrong\u003eBeckett Authentication \nrepresentative is physically present at the signing\u003c\/strong\u003e — watching \nthe autograph being applied in real time and verifying its authenticity \nat the moment of creation. The BAS Witness hologram on this 16x20 \nDogpile photo represents the highest available confidence in the \nautograph's authenticity, providing collectors with the most complete \nchain of verification in the signed memorabilia market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthenticity\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis photo is certified by \u003cstrong\u003eBeckett Authentication Services \n(BAS) at the Witness tier\u003c\/strong\u003e. A Beckett representative was \nphysically present at the signing to verify the autograph in real time. \nThe tamper-proof BAS Witness hologram is affixed directly to the photo \nand verifiable at Beckett's official website.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlayer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKen Griffey Jr.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTeam\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSeattle Mariners\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eItem Type\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAutographed 16x20 Photo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhoto Subject\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\"The Dogpile\" — October 8, 1995 ALDS Game 5 celebration\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthentication\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBAS Witness — Beckett Rep Physically Present at Signing\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIncludes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTamper-proof BAS Witness hologram\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHall of Fame\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eClass of 2016 — 99.32% of vote (highest in HOF history at time)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1995 ALDS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5 HR (2nd in postseason history), .391 avg, 9 runs scored in 5 games\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCareer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e630 HR (6th all-time), 10 Gold Gloves, 13 All-Stars, 1997 AL MVP\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eExcellent\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthenticity Guarantee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery signed piece at GameDay Sports Memorabilia is backed by our \u003cstrong\u003eLifetime \nAuthenticity Guarantee\u003c\/strong\u003e. If your item is ever determined to be inauthentic, \nwe will replace or refund it — no questions asked.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gameday Sports Memorabilia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53237399814443,"sku":"262147","price":299.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0983\/6124\/5995\/files\/STOCK_4_13_26_1038__06909.jpg?v=1776113197","url":"https:\/\/gamedaysportsmemorabilia.com\/products\/ken-griffey-jr-signed-mariners-16x20-the-dogpile-photo-bas-witness-authenticated","provider":"Gameday Sports \u0026 Memorabilia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}