By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ken Griffey Jr. told his wife, Melissa, not to bother flying from their home in Orlando, Fla., to Cincinnati for the three-game series with the Montreal Expos.

As the series began Friday, he still needed five home runs to reach the 500 mark for his career and it wasn't likely that Griffey, even as hot as he is, would hit five in three days.

But he almost miscalculated.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Sunday's game

Griffey hit No. 496 on Saturday, then hit Nos. 497 and 498 in his first two at-bats Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. The second homer Sunday was his 100th as a Red.

The first homer, a two-run shot hit to left field in the first inning, reduced a 3-0 Montreal lead to 3-2. The second, a solo shot into the right field seats with two out in the third, tied the score at three.

With at least two at-bats remaining in what would turn out to be a 6-5 Reds win, the Reds' center fielder was getting worried. But in his other at-bats Sunday he walked in the sixth and popped out to left field in the eighth.

"I told my wife to stay home for this series because we were only home for three days," he said. "This morning, I called her and she said, 'Don't hit four today or I'll be real upset. After I got the first two, I was thinking about that. And then after I got the walk, I was thinking, 'She's not going to be mad now.' "

With the next six games on the road - three in Oakland starting tonight and three in Cleveland starting Friday night - it appears likely that Griffey will become the 20th player to hit 500 home runs while he's on the road.

He has hit 28 home runs against the A's, 11 in Network Coliseum. He has yet to homer off any of the three pitchers who will start for Oakland. He's one-for-two against left-hander Mark Mulder, tonight's Oakland starter; one-for-three against left-hander Barry Zito, who pitches Tuesday; and has never faced right-hander Rich Harden, Wednesday's starter.

If he hits No. 500 this week, there will be plenty of support from Griffey's wife and the rest of his family.

Griffey, who has hit 17 home runs this season, said that "everybody" in his family was heading for Oakland and that he wouldn't know how many would be there until he landed later Sunday night.

The members of his family aren't the only ones getting excited. After he hit his second home run Sunday, he received a standing ovation from the crowd of 31,814, which he acknowledged by popping out of the Reds' dugout to tip his cap.

"The fans don't know how important they are coming to the ballpark," Griffey said. "When they show up and they're behind us, it gives us that extra energy level to go out there and perform well for them."

Reds manager Dave Miley said the players are getting caught up in the chase, too.

"It's fun to watch and fun to be around," Miley said. "To watch them change that number up there and see who he's caught up to and who he's passing, it feels good for him and obviously, with the home runs he hits, you feel good for the team, too."

Griffey said his teammates are mostly staying away from him as he approaches No. 500.

"They really don't talk to me," he said. "I'm like the guy with a no-hitter. It's just one of those things that happens when guys get close to something. Everybody else stays away from them. Guys start moving out of the way when you walk into the dugout. I ran into Wily (Mo Pena) yesterday and he's like, 'Excuse me.' And I ran into him."

Griffey said he had mixed feelings about where he hits No. 500. It would be nice to do it for the home fans, but winning comes first.

"That's the most important thing," he said. "The winning. That's why we're here, to put this city back on the map."

---

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com