Griffey’s home run leads the Mariners

With one swing, Ken Griffey Jr. tied the score, roused the Seattle Mariners and sent a virtual Mother’s Day card sailing over the right-field wall.

“It’s a cheap way of me not buying my mom a gift,” Griffey joked after Seattle’s 5-3 comeback victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday ended the Mariners’ six-game losing streak.

Griffey’s first and 400th home runs both came on his dad’s birthday, and he hit No. 500 on Father’s Day. This was his seventh career home run on Mother’s Day in 21 seasons.

Wladimir Balentien added an RBI double in that breakthrough eighth, ruining seven shutout innings by Nick Blackburn.