Griffey played in the first Classic -- and now he's photographing it

HOUSTON -- Twenty years ago, Ken Griffey Jr. was playing for the United States in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. Now, he's capturing Team USA's biggest moments of the 2026 Classic -- behind the camera.

Griffey has been in Houston, where Team USA is playing, as a credentialed photographer for WBC 2026.

"It's been a lot of fun," Griffey told MLB.com during the United States' dramatic win over Mexico on Monday night, when he had a front-row seat to the heavyweight matchup of World Baseball Classic rivals.

"You get a chance to see the big guys play all at once. It's an All-Star Game. They're used to playing against each other, but now they're playing with each other for the first time, and it's very exciting to see."

The Kid has even taken one of the most prominent snapshots of the tournament so far: his photo of U.S. captain Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber celebrating Judge's first World Baseball Classic home run in Team USA's opener against Brazil.

For those keeping track at home, there are more than 1,300 home runs associated with that photo: It's a photograph of two players with over 700 homers between them, shot by a Hall of Famer who slugged over 600 homers himself.

And Griffey adds to his portfolio with each passing game.

For the United States' showdown with Mexico on Monday night, Griffey was stationed in the camera well just toward the third-base side of home plate, his telephoto lens trained on players like Paul Skenes, who pitched four scoreless innings for Team USA in his WBC debut; Jarren Duran, who cracked two home runs for Mexico; and all the other stars on both sides.

Griffey loves watching them play from up close.

"They're fun. They're young. They're exciting," Griffey said. "They're the generation that's gonna push this game forward to the next generation."

Griffey's World Baseball Classic camerawork is on display on Getty Images. For the Mexico game, the highlights include a sequence of shots of Roman Anthony's difference-making three-run homer for Team USA:

The Mariners legend knows a sweet lefty swing when he sees one. But he also enjoys photographing the aftermath of home runs, especially at an event like the World Baseball Classic, where the players show more emotion than usual.

"I like getting the celebrations and things like that -- from the guys that you very seldom see celebrations from, who are now showing a little more excitement," Griffey said. "It's fun to watch."

Griffey also caught the moment Mexico finished off a perfect relay to the plate to nab Anthony trying to score, snapping a series of photos right as catcher Alejandro Kirk slapped the tag down:

That moment -- like every Mexico highlight play at the WBC -- brought the Mexican crowd roaring to life. Griffey knows the passion of that fan base well, and has firsthand experience of the USA-Mexico World Baseball Classic rivalry.

When he played for the U.S. in the 2006 Classic, Griffey faced Mexico twice. The United States won the first game, but Mexico handed them a shocking loss in the rematch that eliminated Team USA despite a roster led by legends like Griffey -- who crushed three home runs in the tournament -- Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens.

On Monday, Griffey was in the middle of another electric atmosphere between the two countries, just as a photographer instead of a player, and saw the next wave of USA legends beat Mexico for the first time since he was still on the team.

"It's the same," Griffey said. "It's still gonna be loud. The Mexican baseball family is very proud, and they come out and show up. It's a lot of fun to see everybody here, enjoying themselves. And, you know, baseball is baseball."

So Griffey's connection with Team USA and the World Baseball Classic goes back to the very beginning. He played in the first one. He was the team's hitting coach in the last one. And now he's photographing them in this one -- while also serving as MLB's Global Ambassador for the 2026 Classic.

He's seen how the World Baseball Classic has evolved along the way, into a tournament where all the best players in the world are eager to participate -- whether it's Judge for the United States, Shohei Ohtani for Japan, Juan Soto for the Dominican Republic, Ronald Acuña Jr. for Venezuela or a dozen other examples in 2026 that didn't exist in 2006.

"Guys want to play," Griffey said. "When it first started, guys were hesitant about, 'Ah, I don't know if I want to do it.' Now, guys are wanting to be there. They see how important it is. Not only for the U.S., but to grow the game of baseball globally. They see how much fun every other country's having and they want to be a part of it."

As a player, Griffey was always at the center of the action, whether it was in the batter's box, where he won seven Silver Sluggers, or in center field, where won 10 Gold Gloves. Baseball instincts, it turns out, translate from playing the game to photographing it.

"Just looking around, seeing how to set up, where you think the ball's gonna go," Griffey said. "Based on how the pitcher's pitching, how the catcher's setting up, how the batter's approach is. So it's very similar to being in center field, and you just have to keep an eye on what's what."

Griffey currently has well over 100 photo credits on Getty for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Seeing that "Credit: Ken Griffey Jr." watermark on a Getty Image is still a little surreal, even though he's been doing this for a while now. Griffey has covered events like Lionel Messi playing soccer in Miami and the 2023 MLB All-Star Game in Seattle.

This is one of the greatest baseball players of all time we're talking about, after all -- although Griffey isn't the first MLB legend to pick up the camera after his playing career. Fellow Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is also famously now a professional photographer.

Before the World Baseball Classic is over, Griffey is hoping he can get a dream shot of a defensive highlight like the ones Bobby Witt Jr. made against Mexico -- a photograph of a sensational diving play right as the fielder makes it. He just hasn't been able to frame one of those shots just right … yet.

"Bobby Witt stretching out, or Brice Turang stretching out on a line drive that just gets in the glove," Griffey said, describing his ideal photograph. "Because that's one right there [in front of you as a photographer]. Anything too far away, you can't get it, but if it's right here in the infield, that'd be perfect."