SEATTLE -- It's been awhile since anyone said Ken Griffey Jr. was swinging a hot bat, given he retired from Major League Baseball in 2010. But the bat on Griffey's statue outside Safeco Field definitely heated up Saturday as welders reattached the bronze piece that had been broken off by a vandal in October.
Workers from Two Ravens Studio, a sculptural design and art foundry in Tacoma, Wash., began work on Saturday repairing the original bat that was repaired and reinforced after being returned by Seattle Police following the Oct. 17 incident.
A witness to the incident called police and helped track down the bat, which the vandal had thrown into a nearby garbage can. The man was arrested and booked into King County Jail on suspicion of felony malicious mischief.
Protective scaffolding and a tent have been placed over the statue during the repair work, which is expected to be completed over the weekend. After welders reattached the bat, a layer of patina will be applied to match the rest of the existing statue.
The 7-foot statue of the Mariners' first National Baseball Hall of Famer was unveiled on April 13 at the front gate of Safeco Field, on the corner of Edgar Martinez Drive and Dave Niehaus Way.