I’m MLB star who made $172m in Hall of Fame career and snapped viral Rory McIlroy photo at Masters
MLB Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. captured a truly iconic photograph at The Masters.
Not content with being one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history, the 13-time All-Star took his talents to Augusta National this year.
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Griffey was behind the camera as a credentialed photographer for Masters.com, taking his place on the green as all eyes were on Rory McIlroy.
The Hall of Famer earned over $172 million across 22 seasons in MLB, but following his 2010 retirement, the work hasn't stopped.
The former Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds star picked up a camera in 2015, and he hasn’t put it down since.
Griffey has been accredited to shoot baseball, MLS, NFL and IndyCar events in the past, and last week, he arrived at Augusta National.
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While he was no stranger to making history in the ballpark, the 1997 AL MVP was the one capturing it on Sunday.
As McIlroy sunk his final putt to beat Justin Rose in the playoff and finally win his first green jacket, he fell to his knees as the emotion poured out.
With one final putt, the Northern Irishman made 90 year Masters history and became the first European golfer to complete the career Grand Slam, 14 years after his last triumph at a major.
A photograph of McIlroy's euphoric moment soon went viral, and it turns out it was captured by Griffey.
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Once news of who was behind the camera began to spread on social media, fans were delighted that the former MLB star's work was being recognised.
"This is all kinds of awesome. What a second career for The Kid!" one person wrote.
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"This is so incredible. To be one of the greats at one profession and then pivot and learn the skills for another. Well done, Ken," another said.
"Everything he does is incredible," a third said.
"GOATs taking photos of GOATs," a fourth person concluded.
Being behind the lens to capture history is not the only reason Griffey decided to pick up the camera.
He has revealed that he did so to ensure he was able to pay attention to his children's sporting events without distractions from other fans.
"It was actually the only way I could see my kids," he told Mornings at The Masters, when asked last week how he got into photography.
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"I was still playing, and I understand what my dad felt like, coming to watch me play.
"But now, with social media, it's a little different. My daughter literally stopped dribbling a basketball and just looked at me, when she was five.
"And I was like, 'Okay, I have to pay more attention to what's going on.' I figured nobody's messing with the photographer, well let me pick it up and try.
"I have a couple of photographer friends who send me a couple of cameras and lenses, and said, 'Here you go.' They didn't tell me anything about it, they just said, 'Don't put it on auto.'"
Heartwarming moment Rory McIlroy's daughter Poppy sinks mammoth putt at the Masters
The 22-year MLB veteran went on to explain how he ended up shooting at The Masters.
"It's been unreal," he said of his experience at Augusta.
"I said I was not going to go to The Masters until I play it.
"I got the opportunity a couple of years ago, and now I have the opportunity to shoot it. It’s been unbelievable and wild."
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Griffey, who last year offered some advice to NBA rookie Bronny James, is not the only former baseball star who has found a passion for photography.
His old Mariners teammate Randy Johnson loves the lens, too.
But instead of shooting sporting events, Johnson has been captivated by the beauty of Africa, and has taken breathtaking pictures across the continent, from the animal kingdom to natives in villages.
"Randy has been interested in photography for a long time," Griffey said of his former teammate.
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“And when I saw some of his photos from his Africa trips, you can see how talented he is.
"He’s gone through some villages and taken some unbelievable photos of people in villages, animals - he’s captured some really positive and nice images.
“And he’s got to be the tallest photographer in the world, too."
Indeed, there probably aren't too many 6-foot-10 photographers walking around villages in Africa with their cameras.
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But there also aren't many people with 630 home runs to their name shooting at Augusta, either.
While Griffey snapped history at the 2025 Masters, he has previously revealed his favorite pictures are in the family album at home.
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Son Trey was snapped catching his first touchdown pass at the University of Arizona, and Tevin was photographed returning his first interception for a touchdown at Florida A&M.
Griffey also has a photograph of daughter Taryn making her first college basket.
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