SEATTLE — Ken Griffey Jr. paused and for a moment the joking stopped. Junior became thoughtful and reflective about the idea of his No. 24 hanging next to Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 as the only numbers retired at Safeco Field.

“Having my number next to him, I don’t think I did half of what he did,” Griffey said. “Baseball-wise, yeah you’re going to look at numbers and things like that, but the way he went about his life and the things he did off the field, nobody can compare to that. He is a trailblazer in more ways than one.”

Griffey’s whirlwind following his election to the Hall of Fame earlier this week came to an appropriate end on Friday night when he walked along a red carpet inside Safeco Field with staff of the Seattle Mariners lining both sides and applauding the newest member in Cooperstown.

As part of the celebration the Mariners announced that Griffey’s No. 24 will become the first number retired in franchise history during a ceremony in August about two weeks after his Hall induction. The number retirement is throughout the organization, including the minors, meaning no one associated with the Mariners will ever wear No. 24 again.

Griffey will join late announcer Dave Niehaus as the only two associated with the Mariners in Cooperstown.