Washougal man finishes yearlong ‘Catch 365’ experiment with Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr.

On March 2, 2022, John Scukanec played catch with his son, Jackson, in the backyard of his Washougal residence, kicking off a quest to exchange throws with somebody every day for an entire year.

Scukanec finished his journey in epic fashion, playing catch with Seattle Mariners legend and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. at T-Mobile Park, home of the M’s, on Wednesday, March 1.

“If you would’ve told me on March 2, 2022, that I would have made it to day 365, I might have believed you,” Scukanec wrote in a social media post. “If you would have told me it would be here, with him — not a chance. But sports are filled with miracles, ‘Hail Marys’ and buzzer-beaters. Dreams come true all the time — that’s why we watch. Yet I still don’t really believe what just happened. … (Griffey) is my favorite player.”

Scukanec, a diehard Mariners fan, got in touch with “a good friend who works at Nike and is friends with (Griffey).”

“He reached out to (Griffey) on my behalf and told him about what I was doing, and the stars aligned,” Scukanec told the Post-Record. “It was very cool for ‘Jr.’ to do that.”

Scukanec played catch with friends, family members, co-workers, professional athletes, media members and complete strangers, some of whom drove several hours to meet him, during the past 12 months.

“I can honestly say I have enjoyed every catch,” he wrote. “An entire year. Almost 600 different people. Zero bad experiences. No catch was ever awkward. No meeting was ever unpleasant. That’s not because of me. … It’s this game. The ball, the glove, the sounds, the back-and-forth rhythm. It just works. It’s perfect.”

And even though Scukanec titled his quest “Catch 365,” he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. “I’ll keep playing as long as I can,” he wrote. “Maybe I won’t make such a big deal about it or post about it every day. Maybe people won’t care as much now that the year is over, but I’m going to keep going. A ballplayer on a streak has to respect the streak, right?”