Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. served as a credentialed photographer for the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Houston, capturing key plays during Team USA's pool games. His work highlighted the United States' dramatic win over Mexico and the team's subsequent advancement to the quarterfinals. Griffey, who played in the inaugural 2006 tournament, expressed enjoyment in documenting the new generation of stars.
In Houston's Pool B of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Ken Griffey Jr. transitioned from player to photographer, credentialed to cover Team USA's matches. Twenty years after competing for the United States in the inaugural event, Griffey documented the action with over 100 photos credited on Getty Images.
During Team USA's Monday night win over Mexico, Griffey had a front-row seat in the camera well near third base. He captured Paul Skenes pitching four scoreless innings in his WBC debut and Jarren Duran's two home runs for Mexico. A standout shot was Roman Anthony's three-run homer for the U.S., along with the celebrations that followed. Griffey also photographed Mexico's perfect relay to tag Anthony out at the plate, with catcher Alejandro Kirk applying the tag.
"It's been a lot of fun," Griffey told MLB.com. "You get a chance to see the big guys play all at once. It's an All-Star Game."
Earlier, Griffey snapped Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber celebrating Judge's first WBC home run against Brazil in the opener. The photo featured two players with over 700 combined home runs, taken by the Hall of Famer who hit over 600 himself.
Team USA followed the Mexico victory with an 8-6 loss to Italy on Tuesday, putting their quarterfinal hopes in jeopardy. On Wednesday, Italy's 6-0 lead over Mexico through several innings secured the U.S. advancement via tiebreaker scenarios, barring an unlikely Mexican comeback of six or more runs in extra innings.
Griffey, also MLB's Global Ambassador for the 2026 Classic and previously the team's hitting coach, noted the tournament's growth. "Guys want to play," he said. "They see how important it is... to grow the game of baseball globally."
He compared photographing to his center field days: "Just looking around, seeing how to set up, where you think the ball's gonna go." Griffey hopes to capture a diving play by Bobby Witt Jr. or Brice Turang before Pool B concludes.
The U.S. roster, featuring 22 MLB All-Stars like Judge and Skenes, entered as favorites. Quarterfinals begin March 13.
