Mike Piazza: New York Mets Hall of Famer (The Mets Years 1998-2005)
Piazza & future Mets team mate Todd Zeile went to the Marlins for Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Bobby Bonilla, and Jim Eisenreich. One week later, on May 22, 1997 Mike Piazza was traded to the New York Mets for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall, and Geoff Goetz. It was one of the best deals in Mets history.
As soon as he arrived in New York, Piazza was a star who helped turn the team around. He became the face of the organization over the next seven years, making the All Star team every year but one, that he wore a Mets uniform.
Piazza debuted at Shea Stadium on May 23rd, in game against the Milwaukee Brewers. In the 5th inning he doubled, driving in Matt Franco helping Al Leiter to a 3-0 four hit shutout. The Mike Piazza era had begun. Piazza hit safely in his first nine Mets games & 26 of his first 29 Mets games.
On June 1st he hit his first HR as a Met in Pittsburgh & came back the next day to hit another. On July 18th he had a two HR day against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium.
On August 7th he helped the Mets to an 8-7 win in Colorado with a three hit, three RBI day that included a HR. When the Rockies came to Shea Piazza continued to hit well against them.
On August 22nd he hit a grand slam HR off Andy Benes of the Arizona Diamondbacks. That week he hit five HRs & drove in twelve runs. During the month of August He had nine multiple RBI games. That month he hit nine HRs & drove in 30 RBIs closing out the month batting .320. He started out the month of September hitting HRs in three straight games & having a ten game hit streak.
On September 16th, with the Mets down 2-0 in the top of the 9th inning at Houston, Piazza connected for a three run HR off Billy Wagner giving the Mets a 3-2 win over the Astros.
In the next two years Piazza helped the Mets to two consecutive playoff appearances. It was the only time in franchise history this was done 1999 and 2000.
In 1999 he had another Opening Day double in the Mets loss at Florida to the Marlins. The next day he hit his first HR of the year, driving in two runs in the Mets 12-3 win.
On April 9th he had a big day in Montreal, with three hits a three run HR & five RBIs helping beat the Expos 10-3. But then he was sidelined with injury from April 9th through the April 25th. On April 28th he hit a walk off two run HR against the San Diego Padres off relief ace Trevor Hoffman, giving New York a 4-3 win.
In early July he got even hotter, it began with a HR against the Expos at Shea. Then he had back to back HR games in the subway series at Shea Stadium, driving in seven runs in the two games.
In August he began the month with a road series in Milwaukee where he drove in runs in all three games. He totaled eight RBIs overall in the series & hit HRs in each of the last two games, as the Mets swept the series.
In the middle of the month, Piazza had an incredible stretch of hitting HRs in seven of eight games from August 13th through the 22nd. In that stretch he had twenty hits while driving in twenty runs, an RBI in ten straight games, raising his batting average to .325.

As the 1999 season came to an end the Mets were playing to win the card title & a win guaranteed them at least a tie.
On October 3rd 1999 in game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea Stadium, Piazza came to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning. Pitcher Brad Clontz came in to face Piazza & threw a wild pitch scoring Melvin Mora with the winning run. The next day he hit another in the Mets 7-0 win as well.
In the one game playoff against the Cincinnati Reds to determine the wild card winner Pizza walked three times, once intentionally.
For the season he put up monster numbers leading the team with 40 HRs (7th in the NL), the third highest mark ever for a catcher in a single season.
Behind the plate he allowed a league leading 115 stolen bases throwing out just 24% of would be base stealers. He also made 11 errors (2nd in the NL) but led all catchers with 953 put outs. That season he finished Third in the MVP Award voting but won another Silver Slugger Award at catcher.
1999 NLCS: In the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves Piazza went hitless in the first two games, but then had two hits in Game #3 at Shea Stadium. He struggled in the next two games as well, going 1-6 in the famous Robin Ventura walk off grand slam single game which lasted 15 innings.
In Game #6 he hit a two run HR in the Mets four run 7th inning, helping tie up the game. He also had an RBI sac fly in the game, but the Mets lost it in the 11th inning when Kenny Rodgers walked Andruw Jones in for the winning run. Back in the 10th inning the Mets had had taken the lead but Armando Benitez blew the win when pinch hitter Ozzie Smith singled to score Andruw Jones.
Overall In the '99 NLCS Piazza hit .167 with just four hits, with a HR & four RBIs, striking out six times. Overall he was 6-33 in the 1999 post season.
In the Mets 2000 NL Pennant season, Piazza was again denied the MVP award. He would finish third in the voting, but certainly should have won the Award in the hearts fans, as he helped carry a team to the World Series. He put up huge numbers leading his team in hitting batting .324 (10th in the league) with 38 HRs (10th in the league) 113 RBIs, 90 runs scored 26 doubles 58 walks & a .398 on base %. His .614 slugging % was 9th in the league.
Defensively had led all NL catchers with a .997 fielding %, catching 124 games behind the plate (3rd most in the NL) making 862 put outs (2nd in the NL). He once again allowed the most stolen bases in the league (110) for the third straight year & the seventh time in his career.
He opened up the 2000 season with a HR & two hits in the Tokyo Dome against the Chicago Cubs. He struggled in the first week of the season then went on a seven game hit streak where he gathered up 17 hits. On April 14th at Pittsburgh he had a five hit day, including two HRs with four RBIs & three extra base hits in a 8-5 win. He closed out April batting .368 with 13 RBIs but had an even better month of May.
Piazza would hit safely in 20 of 21 games finishing the month batting .372 with nine HRs & 20 RBIs. On May 14th he hit a grand slam off the Marlins Brad Penny in Florida, leading New York to a 5-1 win. On May 19th his two run HR at Shea Stadium off Todd Stottlemyre put the Mets ahead for good, as the bullpen held on to a 4-3 lead for the win. On May 23rd in a game in San Diego, Piazza came to bat in the top of the 10th inning as a pinch hitter in a 3-3 tie. He then hit a two run game winning HR off Trevor Hoffman, giving Turk Wendel the win, as Armando Benitez came on for the save.
On June 9th Piazza hit a 3rd inning grand slam HR in the subway series, in a game across town in the Bronx off steroid user, Roger Clemens.
In that game Piazza had three hits as the Mets rolled along to an 12-2 romp. From June 14th through to July 2nd, he had a streak where he set a record by driving in at least one run in 15 straight games. In that stretch he hit eight HRs with twenty five RBIs, including ten multiple RBI games.
The Mets rivalry with their cross town opponents heated up in the Piazza years with the start of inter league play. Piazza always hit the AL New York teams pitching very well, especially against Roger Clemens. In the next month’s subway series in the second game of a day / night cross town double header, the Steroids got the best of Clemens.
He hit Piazza in the head with a pitch sending him to the ground & forcing him to leave the game. Piazza suffered a concussion and was forced to miss the 2000 All-Star Game as a result.
Piazza would miss just five games & be back as the teams designated hitter in the interleague games with the American League on the road. In his second game back, he hit a pair of HRs at Fenway Park leading the Mets to a 6-4 win. The next day he hit another HR in the Mets 6-4 loss to the Red Sox.
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I was wearing my #31 Piazza shirt prior to the nights game, and a gentleman pushing a baby carriage told me the real Mike Piazza was in that new stand store. At first I said “No way”, but I looked and there was a guy who looked just like Piazza, dressed in a suit wearing sun glasses.
I approached him slowly saying “hey Mike!”. At first he didn’t respond, but I didn’t go away, calling to him again “Hey Mike” & then he looked up. I admit I went off like a crazed fan, telling him I was from New York, up here to go to the game tonight. I asked if he would mind taking pictures with us & he did with no problem. He was a true gentleman and a very nice guy to us.
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That night in the game against the Blue Jays at Sky Dome, he was the team’s DH & he hit a grand slam HR in the Mets 11-7 win. I cheered proudly from my third base box seat, with my #31 Piazza shirt on as he rounded the bases, almost feeling like he hit it for me.
At the All Star break he had 72 RBIs which were the most ever by a Met, as he broke Dave Kingman's old record of 69. By the end of July he was among the NL leaders in hitting batting at .350.
He hit his final HR of the 2000 regular season in a multiple HR game at Philadelphia on September 22 against the Phillies in a 9-6 win. He carried a Mets team to the wild card crown, then to a NL Pennant getting to a World Series, the first NY Subway Series in 44 years.
Post Season 2000 NLDS: In the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants , he went hitless in the opener at San Francisco in the Giants 5-1 win.
He gathered up two hits in Game #2 as the Mets won it in extra innings 5-4. Piazza then got just one more hit in the final two games. In the series he hit .214 (3-14) with four walks, no RBIs or runs scored.
2000 NLCS: In the 2000 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, he was spectacular batting .412 going 7 -17 with two HRs three doubles, four RBIs & seven runs scored. In Game #2 at St. Louis he led off the 3rd inning with a HR off Britt Reames and drew three walks in the Mets 6-5 win against the Cardinals.
In Game #4 he hit another HR, a solo shot off Mike James in the 4th inning putting the Mets up 8-3. In the game he scored three runs, had two hits & a walk as the Mets beat the Cardinals 10-6 going up three games to one.

In the final Game #5 at a wild Shea Stadium (centerfieldmaz was there) Piazza went 1-4 with a walk & two runs scored. In the bottom of the 1st he walked & advanced to third on a Robin Ventura single. He then scored on Todd Zeile's ground out, force play. For the first time since 1986 the Mets won the pennant advancing to the World Series.
2000 World Series: In Game #1 of the Subway World Series he hit a deep fly ball in his first at bat missing a HR. He went 1-4 in the game batting third as the teams DH. In the 1st inning of Game #2 the Piazza / Clemens drama unfolded once again, on a national stage.
Piazza was once again facing Roger Clemens for the first time since the beaning incident in July. Piazza fouled off a pitch & his bat broke in half with the barrel of his bat flying towards Clemens's feet landing at the pitcher's mound. Clemens picked up the broken barrel and threw it in the direction of Piazza who was running up the first base line.
The Mets were down 6-0 in the top of the 9th inning but made a comeback effort scoring five runs, falling one short. After Edgardo Alfonzo led off with a single, Piazza left his mark in the Bronx with a two run HR over the left field wall.
In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, the Mets were down 2-1 to Orlando Hernadez in the home 6th. Piazza led off with a ground rule double & then scored the tying run on Todd Ziele's double. The Mets went on to win the game on Benny Agbayani's 8th inning RBI double, giving the Met fans on World Series thrill at Shea (centerfieldmaz was also in attendance).
with a two run HR in the 4th inning off Denny Negale. The Mets lost this game by one run as well 3-2. In the final Series Game #5, Piazza had the only Mets extra base hit, going 2-5. He made the last out of the Series with a long fly ball to centerfield that almost tied the game, missing a HR by inches.
In the 2000 World Series he hit .273 (6-22) with two HRs two doubles & four RBIs with three runs scored.
After the Pennant: Following the Mets NL pennant season, Piazza started 2001 off with a two run HR off Tom Glavine, in his first at bat of the season on Opening Day 2001 in Atlanta.
A few days later in the home opener at Shea Stadium, also against the Braves, Piazza hit two HRs & drove in five runs in the Mets 7-5 win. In the first week of the season he hit four HRs with ten RBIs. During the month of May his average fell off to .262, but at the end of the month into the start of June he hit five HRs over a seven game span.
On June 17th in the subway series match up at Shea Stadium, the Mets were down 7-2 in the 8th inning. They rallied for four runs making it 7-6 with Piazza coming up with a runner on.
On July 27th he hit two HRs against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium, driving in three of the Mets six runs. Two nights later he then hit a walk off HR off Philadelphia’s Rheal Cormeir.
On AUgust 10th Piazza hit a three run HR in St. Louis off Woody Williams in the first inning. He later doubled in the 7th with the Mets behind, driving in the tying run, as the Mets went on to win it in extra innings.


It was the first game played back in New York City after the 911 tragedies. It was a very emotional night at Shea Stadium, as baseball returned & the city tried to move forward.
The Mets took on the Atlanta Braves that night with an emotional pregame ceremony honoring the victims of 911. On hand were family members, many New York dignitaries, police men & fire fighters, all in attendance.
The score was tied going into the top of the 8th inning. With two outs John Franco allowed a walk & a single. Armando Benitez was brought in but allowed a double to Brian Jordan, as the Braves took a 2-1 lead.

It was one of the biggest HRs in New York’s baseball history as it meant so much in the wake of the city's tragedy. The Shea Stadium Crowd went crazy, erupting to an emotional frenzy.
Quotes: In the DVD “Shea Goodbye” Braves nemesis Chipper Jones said it was the only time he didn’t mind losing a game, seeing what it meant to the city and the country.
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For 2001 Piazza hit .300 with 36 HRs, 151 hits, 29 doubles 94 RBIs, 81 runs scored 29 doubles & a .384 on base %. He drew 19 intentional walks (6th in the league). He caught 131 games behind the plate (3rd in the NL) allowing 114 stolen bases throwing out just 22%. He posted a .991 fielding % with 919 put outs (3rd in the NL).
In 2002 there was some early excitement at Shea Stadium as Roberto Alomar, Mo Vaughn & Jeromy Burnitz were brought in the club. Unfortunately none those moves worked out & the Mets fell to a fifth place finish. It would also be Bobby Valentines last year as the teams manager.
Piazza had a good start to the year batting .306 at the end of April with seven HRs. On April 15th he hit two HRs against the Atlanta Braves helping the team to a 7-6 win. On April 30th in a game at Arizona, Piazza hit a three run HR in the first inning, & then came to bat in the second inning hitting a two run HR. Before the day was over he had six RBIs in the Mets 10-1 victory.
On May 17th he hit a grand slam HR at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, it was his second four RBI game of the month. On May 29th his 7th inning HR was the game winning run in a 4-3 victory over the Phillies at Shea Stadium.
During interleague play in June Piazza hit HRs in Cleveland, Chicago & another at Shea against the cross town rivals. On June 15, 2002 in another Subway Series game, drama was at its highest when Roger Clemens made a hyped up return to Shea Stadium. It meant Clemens would have to come to bat with their being no designated hitter rule in the NL ballpark.
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Clemens struck out looking. In the 6th inning Piazza gave the fans a huge thrill by hitting yet another HR off Clemens. This time a solo shot putting the Mets up 4-0 on their way to an 8-0 win. That day even Mets pitcher Sean Estes hit a HR in the 5th inning off Clemens. It was a great day for Mets fans.
As the series shifted across town later in the month, Piazza hit another HR on June 29th in the Mets 11-2 win.
In September he hit HRs in back to back games twice in the first ten days of the month. In the month Piazza hit safely in eighteen of twenty two games.
On September 9th he hit a grand slam HR against the Phils in a 6-4 Mets win. On September 14th he hit two HRs against the Expos in a losing cause & closed out the year with a two run HR against the Braves in a 6-1 Mets win. Piazza was steady with his usual numbers in 2001 but for the first time in his career, his batting average dropped under .300 as he hit .280.
He still led the team in HRs (33) RBIs (98) & a .359 on base %. He hit 23 doubles with 57 walks 69 runs scored & 134 hits. He caught 121 games behind the plate with a .986 fielding %, throwing out just 18% of base runners trying to steal.
Injuries and age started to catch up to Mike, in 2003, mainly due to all the years of taking a beating behind the plate. He would only played in 68 games; hitting 11 HRs with 13 doubles 34 RBIs a .377 on base % while batting .286.
In just 64 games behind the plate he posted a .982 fielding % throwing out 28% of runners trying to steal. One of his biggest highlights of the year was hitting a walk off HR on May 10th against Jaret Wright of the San Diego Padres. It was the only time in his seven years as a Met that he did not make the All Star team.
It was during this year that the Mets wanted to try using Piazza at first base to ease the stress on his knees. It was a highly publicized experiment placing him at first base & something that never worked out. On September 25th he made his debut at first base on the same night Bob Murphy did his final Mets broadcast. The Mets finished fifth in the East with a 66-95 record.
In 2004 on May 5, 2004, Piazza hit a dramatic walk off HR Jim Brower of the San Francisco Giants. Not only did the Mets win the game, but the HR surpassed Carlton Fisk for most home runs all time by a catcher #352.
The Mets honored Piazza on June 18, 2004 with “Mike Piazza Night” in an interleague game against the Detroit Tigers.
I was lucky to attend the game and see some of the all time greats who honored Piazza. Guests included; Yogi Berra, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench; Gary Carter, Lance Parrish & Ivan Pudge Rodriguez. That night in front of 37,000 fans Piazza came to bat to a standing ovation & singled in his first at bat with one of his two hits. The Mets won the game on Mike Cameron walk off HR.
In the 2004 All Star Game, Piazza was the starting catcher once again & Roger Clemens now an Astro, was the staring NL pitcher. The media hyped up the matchup, Clemens would give up six runs in the first inning, and rumors later spread that Piazza told the American League batters what pitch Clemens was throwing.
In August Piazza missed a lot of action due to an injury. In September he only hit two HRs, and did have a four game stretch where he drove in at least one run.
He finished the year with 20 HRs 21 doubles 54 RBIs 81 hits 68 walks a .362 on base % while batting .266. Piazza caught 50 games behind the plate & played in 68 games at first base. He made eight errors at first posting a .985 fielding % helping complete 44 double plays.
Piazza played his last season in New York in 2005; it was a new era as Willie Randolph took over as a manager. Piazza was back as the team’s main catcher, seeing action in 101 games behind the plate. Overall he played in 113 games hitting 19 HRs with 100 hits 23 doubles 62 RBIs batting .251 posting a .326 on base %.
Behind the plate he posted a .997 fielding % (4th in the NL) making only two errors all year.
On the down side he only threw out 14% of would be base stealers. In early May he had back to back games where he drove in three runs, hitting HRs in both games, including two on May 6th at Milwaukee leading New York to a 7-5 win. Three days later he drove in four runs while hitting a three run HR at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
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The following day he hit another HR gathering up three hits while driving in five runs on the day.
On August 16th he suffered an injury which would shut him down for the next month. In September he had his last multiple HR game, it came in the first game of a double header in Washington against the Nationals.
He homered in the second inning & then again in the fourth inning, as he drove in three runs. In the first game of a double header on September 29th he & David Wright hit back to back HRs in an 11-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.
It would be the last HR Piazza would hit in a Mets uniform. On the last day of the season, he received an emotional send off from the Shea Faithful shedding a tear as he waved to the standing ovation.
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