Mike Piazza facts for kids

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Mike Piazza

Piazza in 2016

Catcher

Born: September 4, 1968 (age 56)
Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

debut

September 1, 1992, for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Last appearance

September 30, 2007, for the Oakland Athletics

MLB statistics

Batting average

.308

Hits

2,127

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

12× All-Star (1993–2002, 2004, 2005)
NL Rookie of the Year (1993)
10× Silver Slugger Award (1993–2002)
New York Mets No. 31 retired
New York Mets Hall of Fame

Baseball Hall of Fame

Induction

2016

Vote

83.0% (fourth ballot)

Mike Piazza (born September 4, 1968) is a famous American former professional baseball catcher. He played for 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992 to 2007. Mike Piazza is known as one of the best hitting catchers in baseball history. He played mostly for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also had short times with the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics.

Piazza was chosen for the All-Star team 12 times. He also won the Silver Slugger Award 10 times as a catcher. He hit 427 home runs in his career. A record 396 of these home runs were hit while he was playing catcher. He also had a .308 batting average and 1,335 runs batted in (RBI). In 2016, Mike Piazza was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He now manages the Italian national baseball team.

Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Major League Baseball Career
Life After Baseball
Piazza's Baseball Legacy
Other Interests
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Baseball Dreams

Mike Piazza was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He was the second oldest of five sons. His father, Vince, loved baseball and wanted Mike to play. Mike's godfather was Tommy Lasorda, a famous baseball manager. Mike grew up cheering for the Philadelphia Phillies. He looked up to Hall of Fame player Mike Schmidt.

When Mike was 16, he got hitting lessons from Ted Williams. Ted Williams is one of the greatest hitters ever. He told Mike not to change his natural swing. Mike's father threw hundreds of pitches to him every night. Mike was very dedicated to baseball. He even practiced hitting on Christmas Eve. He played first baseman in college.

Major League Baseball Career

Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Mike Piazza was drafted by the Dodgers in 1988. He was picked very late in the draft. His father's friend, Tommy Lasorda, helped him get drafted. Lasorda suggested that Mike learn to play catcher. This would give him a better chance to reach the major leagues. Mike went to a special training camp for catchers. He became an excellent hitter, especially for a catcher.

Piazza made his MLB debut on September 1, 1992. The next year, 1993, was amazing for him. He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He hit .318 with 35 home runs and 112 RBI. He was also chosen for the All-Star Game. This was the first of 10 straight All-Star appearances.

In 1997, Piazza had his best year with the Dodgers. He hit .362, with 40 home runs and 124 RBI. He was the first catcher in MLB history to get 200 hits in one season.

Short Time with the Florida Marlins

Mike Piazza playing catcher for the Marlins in 1998.

Mike Piazza with the Marlins on May 18, 1998.

After seven seasons with the Dodgers, Piazza was traded to the Florida Marlins in May 1998. He only played five games for the Marlins. He hit .278 during his short time there.

Becoming a New York Met

One week after joining the Marlins, Piazza was traded again. He went to the New York Mets on May 22, 1998. Piazza played very well for the Mets. He finished the 1998 season hitting .328 with 32 home runs and 111 RBI. He was the first player ever to hit over 30 home runs in a season while playing for three different teams.

Piazza with the Mets in May 1999.

Piazza helped the Mets reach the playoffs in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, he hit 40 home runs and had 124 RBI again. In 2000, he led the Mets to the 2000 World Series. This was the only World Series he played in. He became known as "The Monster" because of his powerful hitting.

During the 2000 World Series, Piazza had a memorable moment with Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens. Earlier that year, Clemens had hit Piazza in the head with a pitch. In Game 2 of the World Series, Clemens threw a pitch that broke Piazza's bat. The broken bat flew towards Clemens. Clemens picked up the bat barrel and threw it away. This caused both teams to come onto the field, but nothing else happened.

Piazza in 2004.

On September 21, 2001, Piazza hit a game-winning home run. This was the first professional baseball game in New York after the September 11 attacks. Many people called this home run iconic and very meaningful. The jersey he wore that day was later sold for $365,000.

Piazza was a great hitter, but he also had good defense. He caught two no-hitters while with the Dodgers. A no-hitter is when a pitcher does not allow any hits in a full game. In 2000, his fielding percentage was the best among National League catchers. On May 5, 2004, Piazza hit his 352nd home run as a catcher. This broke the record for most home runs by a catcher.

On October 2, 2005, Piazza played his last game for the Mets. The fans gave him a huge standing ovation. He bowed to the crowd and blew kisses.

Playing for the San Diego Padres

Piazza wearing No. 33 with San Diego in 2006.

After leaving the Mets, Piazza signed with the San Diego Padres for the 2006 season. He was their starting catcher. He had a good year, hitting .283 with 22 home runs. He helped the Padres win their division. On July 21, 2006, Piazza got his 2,000th career hit.

In August 2006, Piazza played against the Mets at Shea Stadium. The New York fans gave him standing ovations. He even hit two home runs in one game against his old team.

Final Season with the Oakland Athletics

Piazza signed with the Oakland Athletics for the 2007 season. On July 25, 2007, a fan threw a water bottle that hit Piazza. The fan was arrested. On September 26, Piazza hit his 427th and final home run of his career. He retired from baseball on May 20, 2008. He said it was time for a new chapter in his life.

Life After Baseball

Piazza returned to Shea Stadium for its closing ceremony in 2008. He caught the final pitch in the stadium's history from Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. In 2009, he caught the first pitch at the Mets' new stadium, Citi Field.

Piazza has been involved in international baseball. He played for Italy in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He was also the hitting coach for the Italian team in 2009 and 2013. In 2019, he announced he would manage the Italian National Baseball team.

In 2016, Piazza bought a soccer team in Italy called A.C. Reggiana. He owned the team for two seasons.

Piazza's Baseball Legacy


Mike Piazza's number 31 was retired by the New York Mets in 2016.

Piazza greets the crowd at Citi Field in 2022.

Mike Piazza played in 1,912 games during his 16-year career. He had 2,127 hits and a .308 career batting average. He hit 427 home runs and had 1,335 RBI. His 396 home runs as a catcher are an MLB record. He is considered one of the best hitting catchers of all time. Only a few other players have hit over 400 home runs with a .300 lifetime average. He is also one of only three players to win ten Silver Slugger Awards.

Many people, including his former teammate Tom Glavine, call Piazza a "first-ballot Hall of Famer." This means he was so good that he should be voted into the Hall of Fame on his first try. On January 6, 2016, Piazza was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The New York Mets honored Mike Piazza by retiring his uniform number, 31. This means no other Mets player will wear that number again. His number was retired in a ceremony on July 30, 2016. He was also inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2013.

Other Interests

Mike Piazza has appeared in movies and TV shows. He was in the movie Two Weeks Notice. He also appeared on the TV show Married... with Children. In 2013, he performed with the Miami City Ballet. He wanted to show sports fans how cool ballet can be. In 2023, he was on the TV show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.

Piazza loves heavy metal music. He has even performed as a drummer with bands. He is also a very religious person and a devout Roman Catholic. He has appeared in documentaries about faith and sports.