Mike Piazza

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Piazza was drafted by the Dodgers in the 1988 MLB draft as a favor from Tommy Lasorda to Piazza's father. He was the last player selected by the Dodgers that year and was the latest drafted pick signed in his draft class to play in the Major Leagues. Initially a first baseman, Piazza converted to catcher in the minor leagues at Lasorda's suggestion to improve his chances of being promoted. He made his major league debut in 1992 and the following year was named the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star for the first of 10 consecutive seasons. Piazza immediately impressed with his ability to hit for power and average. His best year as a Dodger came in 1997 when he batted .362, hit 40 home runs, and had 124 RBI, leading to a runner-up finish in voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award. In 1998, he was traded to the Marlins and then a week later to the Mets, with whom he spent most of the remainder of his career. He helped the Mets reach the 2000 World Series, the only World Series appearance of his career. After the 2005 season, Piazza left the Mets to play one season each for the Padres and Athletics before retiring after the 2007 season. Piazza is regarded as one of the best offensive catchers in baseball history. He had at least one RBI in 15 straight games for the Mets in 2000, the second-longest RBI streak ever. In 2013, the Mets inducted Piazza into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. In 2016, Piazza was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Piazza owned the Italian soccer team A.C. Reggiana 1919, which played for two seasons (2017–2018) in Serie C under his leadership before its non-registration due to continued financial troubles. He intended to serve as the manager of the Italian national baseball team in 2020 and 2021 championships, though he was unable to do so because of the COVID-19 pandemic; he finally got his chance to manage Team Italy at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

In Their Own Story

The defining moment of Piazza's early career occurred during the 2000 World Series against the New York Yankees. Earlier that season, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens had hit Piazza in the head with a fastball, causing a concussion. Tensions remained high when they faced off again in Game 2. During an at-bat, Clemens threw a pitch that shattered Piazza's bat, sending the barrel and a sharp edge flying directly at the mound as Clemens finished his delivery. Clemens caught the broken wood and tossed it across the first base line past Piazza. As benches cleared, Piazza stared down Clemens and slowly walked toward him to confront him, while Clemens shouted "I thought it was the ball!" and asked the umpire for a new ball. No punches were thrown, but the tension defined the series. Earlier in 2000, Piazza had also helped lead the Mets to their only World Series appearance of his career.

Reader's Guide

Piazza was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, grew up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and attended Phoenixville Area High School. He is the second-oldest son of an Italian father named Vince (1932–2021) and a Slovak mother named Veronica, with brothers Vince Jr., Dan, Tony, and Tom. His father was the son of Italian immigrants from Sciacca, Sicily. Tom's godfather was former MLB manager Tommy Lasorda. Mike grew up a Philadelphia Phillies fan and fan of Philadelphia sports, and admiring Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt. Piazza watched the Philadelphia 76ers court side in their January 1983 game versus the Los Angeles Lakers when Philadelphia star Julius Erving performed a spectacular play by swiping the ball and completing his famous Rock-a-Baby dunk, which Piazza cited as one of his indelible childhood memories as a sports fan. Vince Piazza earned a fortune of more than $100 million in used cars and real estate, and attempted several times to purchase an MLB franchise. When the Dodgers—managed by Vince's childhood friend Tommy Lasorda, the godfather of Mike Piazza's youngest brother, Tommy—visited Philadelphia, Piazza visited the Dodger clubhouse and served as a bat boy in the dugout. Vince's own hopes of playing baseball had ended at the age of 16 when he left school to support his family. He saw that Piazza had potential in the sport, and began encouraging his son to build his arm strength at the age of five. When he was 16, Piazza received personal instruction in his backyard batting cage from Ted Williams. The Hall of Famer praised his talent, advised him not to let anyone change his swing, and autographed Piazza's copy of Williams' The Science of Hitting. Vince threw hundreds of pitches nightly to his son, who shared his father's focus on baseball, clearing snow if necessary to practice his hitting and, after reaching the major leagues, practicing on Christmas Eve. Piazza graduated from Phoenixville Area High School in 1986, after which he went to South Florida and joined the Miami Hurricanes his freshman year; receiving no playing time that season, Piazza transferred to Miami-Dade Community College. Piazza played first base at Miami-Dade in 1988. In 29 games, he hit .364 with three home runs and drove in 23 runs.

Did You Know?

• Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB draft as the 1,390th player picked out of 1,395 players.
• He was the first catcher in MLB history to get 200 hits in a season (1997).
• Piazza set a record for most home runs in a season without ever hitting more than one in a game (40 in 1999).
• He became the first player in MLB history to hit more than 30 home runs in a season while playing at least one game for three different franchises (1998).