The Griffey’s are not the only father and son tandem in MLB history. On this day, Tim Raines, and his son Tim Raines Jr, joined them when they suited up for the Baltimore Orioles.
Ken Griffey Sr made MLB history back when he and his son, phenom Ken Griffey Jr, became the first father and son duo to be teammates during the 1990 season. That story was even better when they both homered in the same game, as it became not only one of the more iconic moments in Seattle Mariners history, but throughout the MLB as well.
On this day in 2001, the Raines family joined the Griffey’s in that exclusive club. Tim Raines, who was acquired from the Montreal Expos just the previous day, played left, while Tim Raines Jr, who had been a highly regarded prospect, manned center. As there were few days left in the season, it was apparent that the Baltimore Orioles brought father and son together for this moment.
Father and son joined forces to face the Boston Red Sox in what would be a 5-4 loss for the Orioles. The elder Raines was 0-4 with two strikeouts, but he did manage to drive in a run in the ninth inning with a groundout. Raines Jr was 1-4 with a strikeout, but he also scored a run and stole a base. Alas, he was not driven in by his father, which would have made the story even better.
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Chances are, when Raines Sr is inducted into the Hall of Fame, it will not be with the Oriole on his cap. After all, he only played four games with Baltimore. However, both father and son will likely look back at that time fondly, as they both appeared in the same game together in each of those games that the future Hall of Famer suited up for the Orioles.
It made sense to bring Raines in for those few games. He appeared to be in the final week of his career, and getting him a chance to play with his son would be a great way to close out his time in the league. Instead, Raines stuck around for one more season, spending 98 games with the Marlins before his career truly came to a close.
His son, meanwhile, was nowhere close to the same player that his father was. Raines Jr spent parts of three seasons with the Orioles, then bounced around in the minors and in foreign ball, before ending his career in the independent leagues. His seemingly promising career just never panned out.
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On this day in 2001, Tim Raines Sr and Tim Raines Jr became the second father and son to play on the same team when both suited up for the Baltimore Orioles.