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Ken Griffey Jr. Mic Drops His HOF Induction by Donning a Backwards Cap

Debatably the GOAT. Unquestionably a legend.

He had to do it. #JrHOF pic.twitter.com/Yh3gWjqtUO
— Mariners (@Mariners) July 24, 2016

It was inevitable that The Kid would find himself in the Hall of Fame. The only question leading up to the day was about how to depict the one and only Ken Griffey Jr.—hat iconically backwards or plain-Jane forwards? Seeing as how a backwards-hat plaque would break the pattern, the boring-ass traditionalists at the MLB HOF decided to give him a forward cap (below). Yes, Griffey also gave them permission to make it forward, but it just looks bizarre. Nonetheless, the plaque didn't stop Griffey from signing off his teary-eyed ceremonies on his own terms (above).

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Here's the plaque in question:

Ken Griffey Jr's Baseball Hall of Fame plaque looks weird without a backwards cap but is awesome still. #HOFWKND pic.twitter.com/gAyJ1k9owH
— SPORTSBETTING (@SportsBettingAG) July 24, 2016

While Griffey's decision to wear his cap backwards could be identified as joining in on that a-symmetrical 90's fashion trend—in keeping with LL Cool J's one-legged ventilation system, or that Kriss Kross illogical buttoning style—he actually had a functional, and very sweet reason for flipping the brim around.

"My dad had a 'fro, and I didn't," he told ESPN's Mike & Mike in January. "So I wore his hat and it always hit me in the face, so I just turned it around and it just stuck. It wasn't like I was trying to be a tough guy or change the way that baseball is played. It was just that my dad wore a size 7 1/2, and I had a 6 1/4. It was just too big."

His dad Ken Griffey Sr.—a former Mariner in his own right—also has a similarly endearing version of his son's style choice:

Regardless of the origin story, the choice was cemented as an iconic moment in time, emulated by thousands of kids aspiring toward his heights. Who could forget a classic Ken Griffey Jr. home run derby with the cap backwards?

Griffey Jr's HOF induction caps off (hah) a career that found him with the sixth-most career home runs—including seven 40+ home run seasons—with the second most RBIs ever, behind A-Rod. Not surprising that he appeared on 99.3 percent of HOF ballots—the highest percentage ever. Debatably the GOAT. Unquestionably a legend.

UPDATE:

Apparently, the man showed up wearing this as well.

Style game on point.