Junior singles in the first. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Yes, Ken Griffey Jr. will keep the ball. His hit Thursday night was the 1,743rd of his career, but it was his first as a Cincinnati Red.

        “I'll give (the ball) to my mom,” he said. “She has the one from my first hit.”

        Griffey doesn't keep a lot of his milestones.

        He said he kept the balls from his 56th home runs — he hit 56 in 1997 and 1998 — as well as career homers Nos.100, 200, 300 and 350.

        He surely will keep No.400, which will come soon. Griffey has 398 career home runs.

        He started his career as a Red 0-for-10. He was getting tired of hearing and reading about his slow start.

        “You knew (the first Reds hit) was going to come,” he said. “But there's a chart in The Enquirer about my 11 at-bats ... ”

        Griffey's batting average stands at .071. But when someone's proven himself over 5,800 at-bats (career average .299), it's not a good idea to get concerned after 14.

        “This is a guy who's done it for 10 years,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said.

        It's no surprise Griffey would get his first hit as a Red off Milwaukee starter Jaime Navarro. Griffey came into the game 21-for-50 (.420) against Navarro.

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