Mike Piazza
Piazza in 2006
Catcher
Born: September 4, 1968 (1968-09-04) (age 40) Norristown, Pennsylvania
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 1992 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Final game
September 30, 2007 for the Oakland Athletics
Career statistics
Batting average	.308
Home runs	427
Runs batted in	1,335
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (1992-1998) Florida Marlins (1998) New York Mets (1998-2005) San Diego Padres (2006) Oakland Athletics (2007)
Career highlights and awards
12x All-Star selection (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005) 10x Silver Slugger Award winner (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) 1993 NL Rookie of the Year 1996 MLB All-Star Game MVP

Michael Joseph Piazza (pronounced /pʰiˈɑːʦə/ or /pʰiˈɑːzə/, born September 4, 1968 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a former American Major League Baseball player. He played in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics. He is a 12-time All-Star. Piazza is often regarded as the best hitting catcher of all time, and holds the career record for home runs hit by a catcher with 396. He had at least one RBI in 15 consecutive games for the New York Mets in 2000, the second longest RBI streak ever (Ray Grimes of the Chicago Cubs had 17 consecutive games in 1922).

Childhood

Piazza grew up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania with his parents, Vince and Veronica, and his brothers Vince Jr., Danny, Tony, and Tommy. When Piazza was 12 and 6 months, he received personal instruction from the late Hall of Famer Ted Williams in his backyard batting cage.

Vince Piazza was a childhood friend of former Dodgers manager, Tommy Lasorda. When the Dodgers came to Philadelphia, Mike had the opportunity to spend time in the Dodger clubhouse and dugout.

Major League career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Piazza was the last player the Dodgers drafted in the 1988 draft. He was their selection in the 62nd round. It is believed that the pick was partly a favor on the part of Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who is godfather to one of Piazza's brothers^{citation needed} and, like Piazza, grew up in Norristown. Piazza swore he'd learn to catch if he was drafted.^{citation needed} Piazza's Major League debut came with the Dodgers in 1992, when he appeared in 28 games. He then won the National League MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1993.

Piazza's best season was 1997, a year when he finished second in MVP voting. He hit .362, with 40 home runs and 124 runs batted in, an on base percentage of .431 and a slugging percentage of .638.

He played six full seasons for the Dodgers until he was traded to the Florida Marlins on May 15, 1998. Piazza and Todd Zeile went to the Marlins in return for Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Bobby Bonilla, Manuel Barrios, and Jim Eisenreich. The trade, precipitated by a contract dispute and then-Dodger parent News Corporation's desire to secure a major TV contract with the Marlins, is regarded by many as one of the worst moves in Dodgers history. One week later, on May 22, Piazza was traded from the Marlins to the New York Mets for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall, and Geoff Goetz.

New York Mets

Upon his arrival in New York, Piazza was routinely booed at first for his early struggles before fans warmed up to him. Despite stellar numbers from Piazza, the Mets missed the 1998 postseason by one game. Piazza helped the Mets to two consecutive playoff appearances for the only time in Mets history in 1999 and 2000. The latter of the two resulted in a National League Pennant and World Series appearance, where the Mets lost in five games to a Yankee team winning their fourth World Series in five years. Of note, all five games were decided by two runs or less, something that had not occurred in a World Series in almost 70 years. He became known as The Monster after coach John Stearns was caught on tape during the 2000 National League Championship Series after a Piazza hit saying "The Monster is out of the Cage!"^{citation needed}

Piazza was involved in a bizarre incident in Game 2 of the 2000 World Series. In the first inning, Piazza was facing Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens and broke his bat fouling off a pitch. The barrel of his bat flew towards Clemens's feet at the pitcher's mound. Clemens picked up the broken barrel and heaved it in the direction of Piazza running up the first base line sparking both benches to clear, but with no ejections. The reason this incident sparked this reaction was because earlier in the season, during interleague play when the Mets played the Yankees, Piazza was drilled in the head by a Roger Clemens pitch. Piazza suffered a concussion and was forced to miss the 2000 MLB All-Star Game as a result.^{citation needed}

Piazza would later catch for Roger Clemens in the 2004 All-Star Game. Clemens gave up six runs in the first inning.^[1]

To ease the stress on his deteriorating knees, Piazza began to split his time between catching and playing first base during the 2004 season, an experiment which was abandoned before the end of the season because of Piazza's defensive deficiencies. Although recognized as a great hitter, Piazza has also caught two no-hitters thrown by Ramón Martínez and Hideo Nomo. Nomo's was particularly impressive because it happened at Coors Field.

On May 5, 2004, Piazza surpassed Carlton Fisk for most home runs by a catcher with his 352nd as a catcher.

San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics

On October 2, 2005, Piazza filed for free agency, effectively ending his career with the Mets. He signed with the San Diego Padres on January 29, 2006, and was their starting catcher and clean-up hitter. Piazza experienced somewhat of a rejuvenation in 2006, batting .283 with 22 homers and helping the Padres to a division title. On July 21, 2006, Mike Piazza collected his 2,000th career hit in the major leagues.

On August 8, 2006, Piazza played his first game at Shea Stadium since leaving the Mets. During the three-game series, Piazza drew frequent, repeated standing ovations indicative of the high level of regard in which New York's fans still held him. It was on par with that of Tom Seaver on his returns to pitch at Shea Stadium in 1977 and 1978. Even more telling was an event on August 9 during that series when he drew a rare curtain call in an opposing park following a home run off of Mets pitcher Pedro Martínez in the 4th inning. Not done for the day, Piazza went deep off Martinez again in the 6th. And with the Mets ahead 4-2 in the 8th, and two runners aboard, Piazza hit one to the wall in center, nearly bashing his third homer of the day and putting the Padres ahead. The fans, ecstatic that he'd hit two, were also enthusiastically rooting for the Mets to secure a pennant at the time, and did not get the chance to react to a third.

Piazza signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics on December 8, 2006. On June 23, 2007, he received a standing ovation when he brought out the lineup card for the Athletics at Shea Stadium. He was unable to play in the series because he was on the disabled list.

On July 25, 2007, in the top of the ninth inning in a game between the Angels and Athletics at Angel Stadium, a fan threw a water bottle that hit Piazza, who had homered earlier in the game. Piazza then pointed his bat in the stands at the fan he believed threw the water bottle to get the attention of security. The fan, who was identified as Roland Flores from La Puente, California, was arrested by the ballpark security. Piazza pressed charges against Flores.^[2] Flores was sentenced to 30 days in prison and three years of probation on March 27, 2008.

Piazza represented Italy in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Only SIX other players have ever had over 400 home runs with over a .300 lifetime average while never striking out more than 100 times in a season. (Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth)

Retirement

After not being signed to any MLB team for the 2008 season, Piazza announced his retirement on May 20, 2008, saying, "After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it is time to start a new chapter in my life. It has been an amazing journey."^[3]

Piazza thanked all of his fans for their support, saying, "Last but certainly not least, I can't say goodbye without thanking the fans. I can't recall a time in my career where I didn't feel embraced by all of you. Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland and Miami -- whether it was at home or on the road, you were all so supportive over the years. But I have to say that my time with the Mets wouldn't have been the same without the greatest fans in the world. One of the hardest moments of my career, was walking off the field at Shea Stadium and saying goodbye. My relationship with you made my time in New York the happiest of my career and for that, I will always be grateful."

Piazza made a return to Shea Stadium during the "Shea Goodbye" closing ceremony on September 28, 2008, where he received the final pitch in the history of the stadium from Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. Piazza and Seaver were also afforded the immense honor of officially "closing" Shea when they walked off together into the center field exit and closed the door on the park after waving goodbye to the capacity crowd. The two are generally regarded as the greatest hitter and pitcher, respectively, in the history of the franchise.

Salary

Piazza batting against the Milwaukee Brewers

During the 2005 season, Piazza was the ninth highest paid MLB player at $16,071,429. On January 29, 2006, Mike Piazza accepted a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres worth up to $2 million. On December 8, 2006, Piazza signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Oakland Athletics. He replaced Frank Thomas as the Athletics' designated hitter.

Personal life

Though beset by rumors throughout his career that he was gay, on January 29, 2005, Piazza married Playboy Playmate Alicia Rickter at St. Jude's Catholic Church in Miami, Florida, before 120 guests, including his best friend Eric Karros, Brande Roderick, Lisa Dergan, as well as Anjelica Bridges, Al Leiter and Iván Rodríguez. Billy Ray Cyrus was their wedding singer.

On February 3, 2007, Piazza's wife gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter. Nicoletta Veronica Piazza was born at 4:07 a.m. in New York City. She weighed 5 lbs., 8 oz. and measured 19 inches long. [1]

He is known to be a fan of heavy metal music and is featured on the CD Stronger Than Death by Black Label Society. He is also godfather to Zakk Wylde's son, Hendrix.

Career highlights and milestones

• In 1993, Piazza hit 35 home runs, setting the record for most home runs by a rookie catcher and surpassing Detroit's Matt Nokes who hit 32 homers in 1987. Additionally, Piazza's 35 home runs is the most home runs by any Dodger rookie.

• He was named the All-Star Game's MVP, in 1996, after he went 2-3 with a double, home run and two RBI at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, near his home town of Norristown.

• His 40 homers in 1997 and 1999 are the third most by a catcher. Todd Hundley is second, with 41 homers in 1996, and Javy López set the record with 43 in 2003.

• His .362 average in 1997 was the highest ever by a catcher (110 games) in the National League, tying the Major League record set by Bill Dickey, who also batted .362 for the New York Yankees in 1936. Piazza finished 2nd in the NL MVP balloting (which he never won) for the 2nd consecutive year to Larry Walker, of Colorado.

• He won the Ted Williams Award, presented by CNN/SI and Total Baseball in 1997.

• His 201 hits in 1997 were the most in major league history by a player used as a catcher in 130 or more games

• On September 21, 1997, Mike Piazza became just the third player and the only Dodger ever to hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium with a blast over the left-field pavilion.

• He hit the longest home run in Astrodome history, an estimated 480-foot, two-run blast off José Lima in the first inning of a game on September 14, 1998.

• Led the majors with four grand slams in 1998. His fourth slam and first as a Met came against the Diamondbacks' Andy Benes in the second inning of the August 22 game at Shea Stadium.

• Hit his 200th home run on September 16, 1998, at Houston. The home run, a three-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning against Billy Wagner, gave the Mets a 3-2 lead in a game they would win, 4-3, in 11 innings.

• Tied a Mets club record on July 18 when he hit his third grand slam of the season. The only other Mets with three grand slams in a year are John Milner in 1976, Robin Ventura in 1999 and Carlos Beltran in 2006.

• His 72 RBI prior to the All-Star Break in 2000 were, at the time, the most in club history. Dave Kingman had 69 in 1976.

• Piazza, Derek Jeter, and Bernie Williams are the only players in major league history to hit a World Series home run in both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium.

• He won a record 10 consecutive Louisville Silver Slugger Awards.The award is given annually to the best offensive player at each position in each league.

• He joined Cincinnati's Johnny Bench (1968), New York Yankees' Thurman Munson (1970), Atlanta's Earl Williams (1971), Boston's Carlton Fisk (1972), San Diego's Benito Santiago (1987) and Cleveland's Sandy Alomar, Jr. (1990) as the only catchers to be named Rookie of the Year.

• He finished second in the NL Most Valuable Player voting behind San Diego's Ken Caminiti after batting .336 with 36 home runs, 105 RBI, 87 runs and 16 doubles in 148 games in 1996. (Caminiti later admitted to taking steroids during his MVP Award-winning season.)

• He led the All-Star voting in 1996, 1997, and 2000.

• He hit more than 30 home runs in eight consecutive seasons (1995-2002). He has nine career 30-homer seasons.

• He hit .300 in nine consecutive seasons, dating from 1993 to 2001.

• Yogi Berra, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter, and Johnny Bench were on hand at Shea Stadium to honor Piazza on "Mike Piazza Night" on June 18, 2004. Piazza was celebrated for breaking the record for career home runs by a catcher.

• He hit his 400th career home run on April 26, 2006, off the Arizona Diamondbacks' Jose Valverde.

• He hit a double off of the San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain for his 2,000th career hit on July 21, 2006.

• Hit three home runs against the Colorado Rockies on June 29, 1996 ^[4].

Pop Culture References

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2008)

During the 1994 baseball strike, Piazza and Joe Morgan appeared on Married... with Children. He also did cameos in episodes of Baywatch, Celebrity Jeopardy! and The Apprentice.

In 1998, "Mike Piazza's Strike Zone" was released for the Nintendo 64 system.

In 2006, DHL started a campaign for Hometown Heroes, in which 5 of the greatest players in all 30 teams history were up for the award. Piazza was nominated for the Mets hero along with John Franco, Tug McGraw, Tom Seaver, and Keith Hernandez. The spot was eventually won by Seaver.

In 2003, a song released on Belle and Sebastian's album Dear Catastrophe Waitress titled 'Piazza, New York Catcher' sings a fictional tale of a New York baseball player leaving the game, using the name of Mike Piazza as a subject.

He appears in the 2002 Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant movie, "Two Weeks Notice".

In 2000, he contributed guest vocals for the Black Label Society song Stronger than Death.

In the 2002 movie Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, Betty hears an echo, and decides to pretend he is a PA announcer and says "Now batting, MIKE PIAZZA!"

In an episode of "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" Sheen makes a reference to him.

In an episode of "The King of Queens," while in jail at a Met's game, a drunk fan continuously screams "Piazza!"

See also

• List of Major League Baseball Home Run Records
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of MLB individual streaks
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

Notes

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Mike Piazza at the Internet Movie Database
• Article from New York magazine, October 2000, about Piazza and the Mets
• HardRadio.com interview with Piazza about his passion for Heavy Metal music