Mike Piazza: The Hall Of Famers Later Mets Years (2001 - 2005)

After the Pennant: Following the Mets NL pennant season, the Mets regrouped but did not make any big off-season additions, except pitcher Kevin Appier. As a result, the team did not improve & fell short of making the post season.

Piazza started 2001 off with an Opening Day two run HR off Tom Glavine, in his first at bat of the season in  a 6-4 Mets win in Atlanta. 

Multi- HR Game: A few days later in the April 9th, home opener at Shea Stadium, where the Mets raised the NL Pennant flag, Piazza hit two HRs & drove in five runs in the Mets 7-5 win over the Braves. The HRs came off Joe Slusarski & Kevin Millwood. It was the fourth  multi-HR game of his Mets career.

200th Career Double: On April 12th, Piazza doubled off the Braves John Burkett, collecting his 200th career double. It was one of six hits in a 1-0 Mets win where Ry Ordonez provided the 10th inning walk off hit.

In the first week of the season, thru the first four games Piazza hit four HRs with ten RBIs while bating .360.

On April 26th in Milwaukee, he had another multi-HR night, although the Mets took a 12-8 loss. On April 28th, he hit a two run HR helping the Mets in a 6-5 win at St. Louis. In the first two games of a three-game set with the Astros, Piazza hit HRs & drove in five runs as the Mets took both games. 

900th RBI: On May 1st in a 7-5 win over the Astros at Shea, Piazza hit his ninth HR of the season, a two run shot off former teammate Octavio Dotel. The two RBIs got him to twenty on the season & a mike stone 900 of his career.

On May 7th in Colorado, Piazza's 9th inning HR off Bobby Chouinard gave the Mets a 11-5 lead. It turned out to be the winning run when Armando Benitez surrendered four runs in the bottom of the inning.

During the month he slumped not hitting another HR for three weeks as his average fell off to .262. 

From May 27th thru June 2nd, Piazza hit five HRs with nine RBIs collecting 12 hits over a seven game span. 

From May 27th thru May 29th, he homered in three straight games. The first came in a 5-4 win over the Marlins, then one in each of the first two games with the Phillies at Shea  Stadium, with him driving in three runs in the latter.

On May 31st, his 4th inning HR off the Marlins Ryan Dempster was his 14th of the season & the 1400th hit of his career. 

More Subway Series Heroics: On June 17th, in the Sunday Night baseball subway series match up at Shea Stadium, the Mets were down 7-2 in the 8th inning. They sent nine men to the plate & scored six runs, highlighted by Piazza's two run blast off Carlos Almanzar. The Mets salvaged one game in the series with the 8-7 win.

Blonde?: In June of that year Piazza surprised everyone when he cut his long dark hair & appeared as a bleached blonde.

First Catcher to Hit 20 HRs Nine Straight Years: On June 27th at Wrigley Field, Piazza hit his 20th HR of the season, a 1st inning solo shot off the Cubs Kerry Wood. It was his twentieth HR of the season, making him the first catcher in MLB history to hit 20 or more HRs in a season, passing Yogi Berra.

 On July 29th, a foul ball off his big toe in a 3-1 win at Atlanta, resulted in a fracture causing him to miss a week of action

  

At the start of July he hit safely in 12 of 15 games batting .396 getting his average back over .290. 

On July 7th, he hit his 21st HR of the season, coming in the first game of the July subway series. The next day he drove in the games first run, with a base hit off Mariano Rivera in the top of the 10th inning. The Mets scored three times for the 3-0 win. In that game, Kevin Appier had shut out the AL New York team for eight innings.

2001 All Star Game: Piazza made his fourth straight start as a New York Mets in the All-Star Game held at Safe Co. Field. He went 0-2 in the AL's 4-1 win. It was his ninth straight All Star appearance overall.

300th Career HR: On July 13th in a 3-1 loss to the Red Sox at Shea, Piazza hit a 9th inning HR off Derek Lowe. It was a career milestone 300th Career HR becoming the 90th player in MLB history to reach that mark. He was the first Mets player since Gary Carter (1988) to accomplish the feat.

In a three game set with the Blue Jays at Shea, Mike drove in runs in all three games collecting six hits. 

On July 15th he hit a two run HR off Chris Michilak having a multi-three RBI game. On July 17th, his 2nd inning RBI single off Chris Carpenter was the only run of the game in an Al Leiter (seven inning) shut out.

On July 25th in a 5-2 win over the Marlins, Pizza had his second multi-three hit game of the month & seventh of the season.

Multi- HR Game: On July 27th at Shea, Piazza had his second multi-HR game of the year,  hitting a pair off the Phillies Wayne Gomes, driving in three of the Mets six runs in the 6-1 win. He now moved up into fourth place on the Mets all time list with 124 Mets HRs. Piazza now had 25 HRs on the season. 

Multi- Three Hit/Three RBI -Walk Off HR Game: Two nights later on July 29th, Piazza collected three hits & three RBIs in a 6-5 win over the Phillies. In the 1st inning, he drove in a run with his 15th double of the year. In the 5th he singled but Joe McEwing was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. In the 7th he broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI on a fielders choice. In the bottom of the 9th, he ended the game as he hit a walk off HR off Philadelphia’s Rheal Cormier. He surpassed 60 RBIs getting to 63 on the season.

Multi- Four RBI Game: On August 10th, Piazza hit a three run HR in St. Louis off Woody Williams in the 1st inning. In the 7th, with the Mets behind 5-5 He later doubled driving in the tying run collecting four RBI's on the day, although the Mets went on to lose it in extra innings. 

On August 18th in Los Angeles, with the bases loaded in the 5th inning, Piazza doubled driving in two runs then Edgardo Alfonzo was thrown out at home plate ending the inning. The Mets hung on for a 5-4 win. 

Multi-HR Multi- Four RBI Game: The next day Piazza hit HRs off Chan Ho Park & Giovani Carra for his third multi-HR game of the year & 27th of his career. In the 1st inning he collected a two run single as well, giving him a multi- four RBI game leading New York to a 6-5 win. It was the third time that season he had driven in four runs or more in a game.

30th HR & 300th HR as Catcher: On August 21st in the 5-4 win at Colorado, he hit 2nd inning solo HR off former teammate Mike Hampton. It was Piazza's 30th HR of the season making it seven straight years he reached that level, ninth on the all time list. He was also one of four active major leaguers to hit 30 plus HRs seven straight years. Another mile stone was the HR was his 300th career HR as a catcher.

On August 31st he was batting .289 with 30 HRs & The Mets were struggling eight games behind the first place Braves & seven behind the Phillies. Even the wild card seemed out of reach. No one expected what was going to happen to New York City in the month of September.

911: In September New York, America & baseball were all shocked by the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center. The 911 attacks were one of the worst tragedies this country ever had to face, as thousands of Americans lost their lives on that historic day. 

Baseball play was halted for seven days, as the country tried to regroup. Mike Piazza like many other of the Mets players helped in the relief efforts as Shea Stadium was used as a supply stop for the rescue & emergency workers.

Baseball Resumes: On September 17th baseball resumed play with the Mets taking on the Pirates in Pittsburgh. That night Piazza quietly went 0-3 but walked in the Mets 4-1 win. 

The next night Piazza regained his form, hitting a two run HR off Omar Olivares, driving in three runs in the 7-5 Mets win. 

Piazza hit a HR the next game as well then hit what may be his most famous HR in New York.

The 911 Game: 41,235 fans came out to Shea Stadium for 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. 

Many of the NYFD, NYPD & Port Authority workers were invited as were families of the victims. Those who perished & or injured were honored as there was special performances by Diana Ross, Michael Anthony & Liza Minelli. 

The Mets took on their rival Atlanta Braves. On this solemn night, even these two rival teams let their game faces down, as they embracing each other in mutual support.

As for the game itself, Bruce Chen & Jason Marquis pitched to a 1-1 tie. In the top of the 8th inning, with two outs the Mets John Franco issued a walk to Julio Franco, then a single to Chipper Jones. Bobby Valentine went to Armando Benitez but he served up a double to Brian Jordan, as the Braves took a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the 8th inning the fans were a bit down, Matt Lawton grounded out for the first out. But then Edgardo Alfonzo walked & Desi Relaford came in to pinch run. Mike Piazza then came to bat against Queens born pitcher, Steve Karsay. 

In dramatic fashion, Piazza connected with a tremendous HR to center field, a two-run blast putting the Mets ahead in what turned out to be the winning run. 

It was one of the most important HRs of his career, as well as to New York. It was beyond a game or what it meant to baseball, it was in terms of what it meant to the moment of that evening for New York City in a tragic time in American / New York history.

The Shea Stadium Crowd went crazy, erupting to an emotional frenzy. 

The Mets fans, the families of the victims, the city workers & NY officials including the mayor, all jumped for joy embracing each other in the first happy moment in a long time around town. 

It has become one of Piazza's defining moments in his time in New York as he lifted the city and baseball to the next level. It was symbolic to everyone to try to begin to put 911 behind us all.

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.

The win put the Mets just 4.5 games behind the Braves in third place, as the reigning NL Champions were back in the pennant race. The Mets won eight of none games after the return from 911. But it wasn't enough, they then dropped six of their final nine games finishing up 82-80 in third place six games back of Atlanta.

In the 2001 season Piazza hit .300, as he had now hit .300 or better in each of his nine full seasons. He hit 36 HRs, reaching the 30+ HR mark eight straight years. Mike collected 151 hits, with 29 doubles 94 RBIs, 81 runs scored 29 doubles, a .384 on base % & .957 OPS. He also drew 19 intentional walks (6th in the league) & won his second Silver Slugger Award. 

He caught 131 games behind the plate (3rd most in the NL) allowing 114 stolen bases while throwing out just 22%. He posted a .991 fielding % with 919 put outs (3rd in the NL).

2002 Season: There was some early excitement at Shea Stadium as in the off season the Mets got Roberto Alomar, Mo Vaughn & Jeromy Burnitz as additions to the team. Unfortunately, none those moves worked out & the Mets fell to a horrible fifth-place finish (75-86) finishing under .500 for the first time in seven years. This would also be Bobby Valentines last year as the team's manager.

Piazza had a good start to the year, hitting his first HR in a win over the Braves in Atlanta. On April 10th & 11th, he hit HRs in consecutive games at Wrigley Field. 

Multi- HR Game: On April 15th he collected his 28th career, multi-HR game as he hit two HRs against the Atlanta Braves helping the team to a 7-6 win. 

Multi-HR- Six RBI Game: On April 30th in a 10-1 win in Arizona, Piazza hit a 1st inning three run HR off Rick Helling. In the 2nd inning, he came back to hit a two run HR, also off Helling. It was his 29th multi-HR game & second of the month. 

In the Mets four run 3rd inning, he added another RBI on a ground out scoring Roberto Alomar to give him a multi-six RBI game. 

Trivia: The six RBIs were a Mets career high for Piazza & matched his six RBI day on April 9th 1998 as a Dodger. The last Mets player to collect six RBIs in a game was Robin Ventura (April 16th, 2000).

Piazza went into May with a season high 11 game hit streak, batting .385 in that stretch, as he started May batting .306 with seven HRs. 

Girl Friends: In a wacky situation, with false stories circulating about his personal life, just to clear the air Mike had a press conference to inform everyone he was not gay in spite of the silly rumors. Piazza at that time had been know to be dating Darlene Beraola Playboy Playmate of the Millennium, actress Lisa Barbuscia & NFL Cheerleader Angela Nazario.

Multi-Three Hit Four RBI Game: On May 10th, Piazza collected three hits & had a four RBI day against the Rockies, including a two run HR off Jason Jennings.

Grand Slam HR & 1000th Career RBI: On May 17th, in a 13-3 Mets win  at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, Piazza hit a grand slam HR off the Padres Jason Boyd. It was Piazza's 13th career grand slam & fifth as a Mets player. He also reached 1001 career RBIs becoming the ninth catcher in MLB history to reach the 1000 RBI level. It was also his second multi-four RBI game of that week. 

On May 29th at Shea Stadium, Piazza came to bat in the bottom of the 7th inning of a 3-3 tie with the Phillies. His solo HR off Jose Santiago was the games winning run in the 4-3 win.

From June 5th thru June 15th, he had a ten game hit streak collecting 14 hits batting .412 with three HRs & nine RBIs. On June 8th in Cleveland, the Mets entered the 7th inning down 3-1, they put up seven runs highlighted by Piazza's three run HR off Paul Shuey, his 11th HR of the year.

More Subway Series Heroics: On June 15, 2002, in another regular season Subway Series game, drama was at its highest level, when Roger Clemens made a media 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.

All everyone in New York talked about all week was the matchup. 54,347 fans (including centerfieldmaz) were at Shea Stadium on drizzly day giving hell to Clemens & his team mates all game long. 

In the top of the 3rd inning, Mets pitcher Shawn Estes was on the mound as Clemens came to bat. With everyone holding their breath, the moment didn't live up to the hype. Estes threw a pitch that went behind Clemens' head but not close enough to hit him. It seemed people wanted to see Clemens at least hit the dirt in revenge for what he did to Piazza, beaning him two years earlier.  The situation ended there & the moment was gone. Clemens struck out looking. 

In the 5th inning, Estes hit a two run HR off Clemens, the fourth HR of the pitcher's career.

But Mike Piazza always owned Clemens at the plate & was an AL New York killer if there ever was one. In the 6th inning he gave the Shea Mets fans a huge thrill by hitting another HR off Clemens. This time a solo shot putting the Mets up 4-0 on their way to an 8-0 win. 

Piazza vs Clemens & AL NY: In his career Piazza hit .421 with eight hits, four HRs & ten RBIs vs Clemens. He batted .300 with eight HRs, ten doubles & 26 RBIs in 41 games vs the AL New York team.

On June 29th, when the series shifted across town Piazza hit another HR, a solo shot off Ramiro Mendoza in the Mets 11-2 win.

Multi- HR-Six RBI Game: On July 3rd at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia Piazza hit two three run HRs, a 6th inning shot off Randy Wolf then a 7th inning shot off Carlos Silva driving in six of the Mets eight runs in their 8-7 win. Piazza matched his season career high six RBIs while having his 30th career multi-HR game.

Third Place on Mets All Time HR List: The next night he hit his 155th Mets career HR, coming off the Marlins Julian Tavarez in South Florida putting him in third place on the franchise HR list.

In the first two weeks of July, over a ten-game stretch, Mike collected 14 hits with six multi-hit games, while hitting three HRs & driving in 18 runs. 

2002 All Star: On July 9th he got the start once again for the NL at catcher playing in his tenth straight All Star game, in that mid summer classic at Miller Park, Milwaukee. The game ended in a 7-7 tie with Piazza going 0-2 but bringing in the games first run as he grounded to second base allowing Vlad Guerrero to score.

On July 19th & 20th he hit HRs in back-to-back games for the third time on the season, coming at Cincinnati in back-to-back Mets victories. 

Hit Milestones: On July 30th, his single off the Astros Kirk Saarloos was his career 1600th hit. On July 31st, his 2nd inning double was his Mets career 700th hit, reaching that number faster than any player in franchise history.

Mike had a weak August as he hit just .177 with two HRs & six RBIs in twenty game played. But 

Second Most HRs as Catcher: On August 6th, in a 5-1 win at Milwaukee, his HR off the Brewers Ben Sheets placed him into a tie for second place with Johnny Bench with most HRs at catcher (327) all time.

From September 3rd thru the 18th, Piazza hit .356 with seven HRs & 17 RBIs, he finished out the season hitting safely in 18 of 22 games.

Pinch Hit HR: On September 3rd, Mike came to bat as a pinch hitter in the second game of a double header split with the Marlins. In the first game he had collected two hits. Here in the 7th inning with two on he hit a three run HR off Armando Almanza giving New York a 10-2 lead. It was Mike's four career pinch hit HR.

Player of the Week Award: From September 9th thru September 15th he hit .458 with three doubles, four HRs & ten RBIs collecting his 12th career Player of the Week Award.

Grand Slam HR: On September 9th in Philadelphia, the Mets were down 3-0 entering the 7th inning. Mike Timlin fell apart giving up three straight hits, then a sac fly & bases loaded walk. Jose Santiago cam on & served up a grand slam to Piazza giving New York the 6-3 lead. It was his second grand slam HR of the season & 14th of his career, the sixth of his Mets career. 

Piazza homered the following night in a loss at Atlanta marking the fourth time he homered in back-to-back games that year. Two RBIs the next night gave him three straight RBI games totaling eight runs driven in.

Multi- HR Game & 30th HR: On September 14th in a loss at Montreal, he hit two solo HRs reaching the 30 HR mark for the ninth  straight year. It was also the final time he would hit that many in a season in his career. In four full seasons with the Mets he had hit 30 or more HRs each time. The multi-HR game was the 31st of his career, 12 as a Mets player, all but one were two HR games.

500th Met RBI: On September 18th at Shea, his two run HR off the Cubs Kerry Wood led the
Mets to an exciting 2-1 win, as Steve Trachsel held the Cubs to a run in seven innings with Steve Redd & Armando Benitez providing the relief efforts. Piazza drove in his 500th Mets run making him the sixth player in franchise history to reach the 500 RBI mark.

Multi- Three RBI Game: Piazza closed out the year with a multi- three RBI game, including a two run HR off the Braves Damion Moss for his 33rd HR of the season in a 6-1 Mets win. Piazza ended the year with 25 multi- RBI games, 15 multi-two RBI games, five multi-three hit games, three four RBI games & the two multi-six RBI games.

For the 2001 Mets, the 33 year old Piazza was steady with his usual numbers but for the first time in his career, his batting average dropped under .300 as he hit .280.

He led the team in HRs (33) RBIs (98) OPS (.953) & OBP (.359%). 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.

Tour of Europe -Rome: In the off season he represented MLB
in a three-week tour of Europe, visiting London, Berlin & Rome. Piazza being a strong Catholic had an audience with the Pope. He promoted the Italian baseball Olympic team & held clinics for kids as well.

2003 Season: Injuries & age started to catch up to Piazza mainly due to all the years of taking a beating behind the plate. Mike would only play in 68 games which would be the lowest total of games played in his entire career except his debut in 1992. It was another disappointing season for the Mets as well finishing 66-95 under new manager Art Howe. 

Spring Training Incident: Dating back to the previous years Spring Training, Guillermo Mota had hit Piazza with a pitch. Piazza grabbed Mota as he was leaving the game but teammates broke it up. Fast forward to this year, Piazza stepped in against Mota & took an inside pitch at the waist. Mike was upset, then on the next pitch Mota hit him on the shoulder. Piazza charged the mound, 

Mota threw his glove at him & fled the scene. The benches cleared, four Dodgers held Piazza back, teammate Jeromy Burnitz had to be restrained as well. Even manager Art Howe shouted at Mota.

After the game Piazza went looking for Mota, even though he was told he had left the ballpark, Mike searched but couldn't find the coward.

Piazza & friend Kevin James

After collecting a hit on the Opening Day loss, he served his five game suspension for the Spring Training incident. 

On April 16th & 17th Mike hit HRs in back to back games at Pittsburgh while driving in runs in three straight games.

HRs at Shea: On April 22nd, in a loss to Houston at Shea, Piazza hit a 9th inning HR off Scott Linebrink for his 73rd HR at Shea Stadium as a Mets player, tying him with Dave Kingman for third place behind Howard Johnson (90) & Darryl Strawberry (128).

Walk Off HR: On May 10th, Piazza came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning with Jay Bell on first base in a 2-2 tie with the Padres. Piazza lifted Jaret Wright's pitch over the left field wall for a game winning walk off HR. It was his first walk off HR in two years (July 29, 2001) & the sixth of his career.

Multi- HR Game: On May 13th in a 9-8 loss at Coors Field, Mike hit, wo HRs  off the Rockies  Shawn Chacon for his only multi-HR game of the season, the 13th of his Mets career.

The next night he homered off Darrin Oliver for his second back-to-back HR games, as he drove in six runs in the two contests.

Injury: On May 16th he left the game in the 1st inning with a groin injury that would keep him out for three months, not returning until August 13th. 

Multi- Five RBI Game: On August 13th Italian Night at Shea Stadium, Piazza made his return, hitting a two run HR in the 3rd inning off the Giants Jerome Williams. He also collected two RBI singles, giving him a season high five RBI game in a 9-2 Mets win. 

1100th RBI: On August 26th he hit a three-run 1st inning HR in Atlanta off Shane Reynolds, leading New York to a 6-5 win. With those runs he became the eighth catcher in MLB history to reach the 1100 RBI mark.

He would hit another HR the next night, having his third consecutive HR game stretch that season. It was his 11th of the year, which turned out to be his last of the season.

On September 18th, Piazza began what was a season ending eight game hit streak, where he collected four multi-hit games & raised his batting average 16 points. On September 21st he collected his 1700th career hit with a base hit off Montreal's Tomo Okha.

Bob Murphy Night: On September 25th he made his debut at first base on the same night Bob Murphy did his final Mets broadcast. Piazza had two hits in the Mets 3-1 loss, as Bob Murphy was honored & said goodbye after 41 years at the Mets broadcast mic.

On September 26th in a loss to the Marlins in Florida, Piazza collected an 8th inning RBI single for his 539th Mets RBI moving him into fourth place past Edgardo Alfonzo on the Mets all time list.

On the season in 68 games, he hit .286 with 11 HRs with 13 doubles 34 RBIs a .377 on base % & .860 OPS the lowest of his career except for his 21 game debut year. 2003 was the first time in his seven years as a Mets player that he did not make the All-Star team.

Behind the plate he threw out 28% of would be base stealers, below the league average 31%.

HRs at Catcher: Piazza ended the season with 347 HRs as a catcher second all time to Carlton Fisk.

2004 Season: Mike started the year with a bang hitting an Opening Day HR in Atlanta off Russ Ortiz helping Tom Glavine beat his old team in his Mets debut. 

Multi-Five Hit Multi-HR Game: In the second game of the season Piazza had the second five hit game of his career, also hitting a pair of HRs for the 33rd multi-HR game of his career. He was the first catcher in modern history to hit three HRs in his teams first two games. He drove in season high four RBIs as well. In that game Piazza moved over to first base in the later innings.

Experiment at First Base: 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 Mike was unhappy with & something that never worked out.

Record Tying HR: On April 27th, in a 9-5 win at Dodger Stadium, Piazza hit a 6th inning HR off  Hideo Nomo for his 351st HR as a catcher, tying Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk for the All-Time Catchers HR mark.

All Time HRs For Catchers: On May 5th, a crowd of 19,974 came to Shea in hopes of seeing Piazza break the all time HR mark for catchers. In the very 1st inning,  Piazza hit a HR off the Giants Jerome Williams to right center field over the Shea 371 ft mark, for the historic HR #352. The crowd gave him a standing ovation & he came out for a curtain call waving to the adoring crowd.

Walk OFF HR: On May 6th, the next night Piazza hit a dramatic walk off HR off the Giants Jim Brower of the for a 2-1 win. It was the first of three back-to-back HR games that season.

Mike Piazza Night: On June 18, the Mets honored Piazza, with “Mike Piazza Night” in an interleague game against the Detroit Tigers. 

centerfieldmaz & family were on hand with 36,141 fans at Shea attending the game & getting to see some of the all-time greatest catchers who came out to honor Piazza. 

Guests that night included Piazza's long time friend & former Dodger manager, Tommy Lasorda. The catchers included Hall of Famers-Yogi Berra, Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, Pudge Rodriguez as well as Tiger great Lance Parrish. 

In the bottom of the 1st inning, Piazza came to bat to a standing ovation & in heroic fashion singled with the first of his two hits. The Mets went on to win the game on Mike Cameron's walk off HR.

Multi- HR Game: On June 5th in a loss to the reigning World Champion Marlins at Shea, Piazza had his second multi-HR game of the year, the 34th of his career & tenth as a Mets player. The two HRs put him ahead of Howard Johnson for second on the Mets All Time HR list (193). He now has 90 HRs at Shea Stadium second All Time amongst Mets players.

Multi- Four RBI Game: The next afternoon, he came back to hit a two run HR off Brad Penny as well as a two run double, matching a season high four runs in the Mets 5-2 victory. 

On July 10th, Mike collected his 1800th career hit in a loss at Florida. Piazza kept his average up over .300 into mid July. 

2004 All Star Game: In the 2004 All Star Game held in Houston; Piazza was the starting catcher
once again representing the Mets for the sixth time. In a strange situation, his nemesis Roger Clemens now a Houston Astro, was the starting pitcher for the NL. 

Piazza & Roger played nice in the national spotlight. But Clemens would get rocked & give up six runs in the 1st inning, including HRs to Manny Ramirez & Alfonso Soriano. Rumors later spread that Piazza told the American League batters what pitches Clemens was throwing. In any event, Piazza went 0-2 at the plate in the AL's 9-4 win.

Injury: On August 11th he was placed on the DL with inflammation on his left knee, he would miss three weeks of action.

On August 30th, he returned & hit his 18th HR of the season, a solo shot off Dontrelle Willis in a loss to the Marlins at Shea.

From September 11th thru the 14th,  Piazza drove in a run for five straight games, hitting a HR against Atlanta on September 13th.

On September 21st in Montreal, Mike hit his 20th HR of the season coming off Livan Hernandez, making it the 11th season he had hit 20 or more HRs.

Piazza finished the year batting .266 with 20 HRs 21 doubles 54 RBIs, collecting 81 hits with 68 walks a .362 on base % &.806 OPS. 

Defensively, Piazza caught 50 games behind the plate & played in 68 games at first base. In 64 games behind the plate, he posted a .982 fielding % throwing out 28% of runners trying to steal. He made eight errors at first posting a .985 fielding % helping complete 44 double plays. 

Mets All Time List: He now had 378 career HRs tied for 54th on the All Time HR list & 201 Mets career HRs second to Darryl Strawberry on the Mets All-Time list. His 539 Mets RBIs were fourth on the All  Time Mets list behind Ed Kranepool (614) Howard Johnson (629) & Darryl Strawberry (733). His 170 doubles ranked sixth tied with Mookie Wilson.

Marriage: In the off season Piazza married Playboy Playmate & Bay Watch co-star Alicia Rickter in St. Judes Church in Miami Florida. 

The ceremony was held in a historic mansion on Fisher Island. Guests included teammates John Franco, Al  Leiter & Todd Zeile, as well as MLB players Eric Karros & Ivan Rodriguez. Rock & Roll DJ Eddie Trunk was also on hand.

Bridesmaids included Playmates Bande Roderick, Lisa Dergan & Baywatch star Angelica Bridges who had set the couple up.

2005 Season: This was to be Piazza's final season in New York. It was the start of a new era in Mets history as Willie Randolph took over as a manager. In the off season the Mets added future Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez & Carlos Beltran. The Mets improved & would finish third that season with 83 wins their best showing in three years since 2001.

At age 35 the veteran Piazza was back as the team’s main catcher. On Opening Day, he hit a double in the 7-6 Mets loss. On April 8th he hit his first HR of the season, coming in a loss at Atlanta. 

Multi-Three RBI Game: On April 15th, Aaron Heilman had a rare day where he threw a complete game shutout against the Florida Marlins. Piazza had two hits & drove in three of the Mets four runs in the 4-0 win.

The next day his 8th inning ground rule double put the Mets ahead 3-2. But Bradon Looper blew the save & got bailed out on Ramon Castro's walk off hit.

On April 24th he had another three RBI Day, this in a 11-4 loss to the Nationals. 

HRs in Three Straight At Bats: On May 5th at Shea, Piazza hit an 8th inning three run HR off Tim Worrell in a 7-5 win over the Phillies. 

Multi- HR Game: The next day on May 6th, in Milwaukee he hit HRs in first two at bats, giving him HRs in three straight at bats in his career. Piazza had his 35th career multi-HR game 7 11th as a Mets player with a pair of HRs & three RBIs in a 7-4 win over the Brew Crew. 

Multi- Four RBI Game: On May 9th at Wrigley Field, Mike hit his sixth HR of the year, a three run shot off Jon Leicester. He added an RBI single as well for a multi- four RBI day in a 7-4 win over the Cubs. Mike moved into third place on the Mets All Time RBI list with 615 runs driven in.

photo by centerfieldmaz

On June 1st, his 8th inning double off Lance Cormier brought in Cliff Floyd in what turned out to be the game winning run over the Diamondbacks. 

On June 16th he homered in a 6-1 win against the A's in Oakland. That month he also hit HRs in two games against the Phillies.

2005 All Star Game: Pizza made his sixth & final Mets All Star appearance in the 2005 All Star Game held at Commercia Park in Detroit. He went 0-2 in the A.L.'s 7-4 win. 

Second Most All Star Games as Starting Catcher: It was his overall 12th All Star Game selection, although he did not play in 2000 due to injury. Piazza is tied for second with 11 All Star starts in MLB history at catcher, tied with Johnny Bench & Ivan Rodriguez. 

That July he had three games where he hit HRs & drove in at least three runs. 

Second on Mets ALL Time RBI List: On July 14th his three run, 8th inning HR off the Braves Blaine Boyer was the game winning run breaking the 3-3 tie. It was also his 1200th career RBI & his 632nd as a Mets player placing him second in franchise history.

Catching Milestone: On July 17th, Piazza was behind the plate catching his 1500th game becoming the 26th MLB catcher in history to do so. He is now second to Jerry Grote (1176) on the Mets all time catchers list for games played.

The HR was his tenth of the year. On July 20th he hit a two-run shot off the Padres' Woody Williams & had an RBI double in the 7-3 Mets win at Shea. 

Multi- Three RBI Game: On July 24th, Kris Benson shut out the Dodgers for eight innings, Piazza drove in three in the 6-0 Mets win, highlighted by a two run HR off Brad Penny.

Walk Off RBI Walk: On August 2nd, in the bottom of the 10th inning in an 8-8 tie with the Brewers, he walked with the bases loaded getting credit with a game winning RBI. 

In the next two games Piazza hit HRs in back to back games for the second time on the season.

Multi- Five RBI Game: On August 4th, Piazza collected three hits, with a two run HR off Doug Davis in the 3rd inning, a two run single in the 4th inning & an RBI double in the 6th which broke a 6-6 tie although the Mets lost the game 12-9. Piazza's five RBIs were a season high & the most since August 13th 2002. 

On August 16th he suffered a hair line fracture on a foul tip & the injury which would shut him down for the next month. 

Multi- HR Game: On September 25th, in the first game of a double header in a 6-5 win over the Nationals in D.C, Piazza led the way with a pair of HRs off John Patterson. It was the 36th multi-HR game of his career, the 12th & last in New York as a Mets player.

On September 29th, in the first game of a double header Piazza & David Wright hit back-to-back HRs in an 11-0 win over the Rockies. The HR moved him into 44th place on the MLB All Time HR List. It would also be the last HR Piazza would hit in a Mets uniform. 

Last Mets Game: On the last day of the season, it was pretty much known that the Mets would not resign him in the off season letting him go to free agency. He received an emotional send off from the Shea Faithful shedding a tear as he waved in a curtain call to the standing ovation. That day he went 0-3 in the loss to Colorado.

Overall, in 2005, Piazza played in 113 games batting .251 hitting 19 HRs with 100 hits 23 doubles 62 RBIs posting a .326 on base % & .778 OPS. Piazza had 15 multi-RBI games that season as well.

Behind the plate he posted a .997 fielding % (4th in the NL) making only two errors all year. On

the downside he only threw out 14% of would-be base stealers.

In the off season he was let go to free agency & the Mike Piazza Mets era had ended. He would sign on with the San Diego Padres for one season. In 20067 he played for the Oakland A's as the teams designated hitter. After the 2007 season with no team offering him a contract he chose to retire.

Quotes- Mike Piazza: "After discussing my options with my wife & agent, I felt it is time to start a new chapter in my life. It has been an amazing journey."

Mets Career: In his eight-year Mets career, Piazza is third on the All Time Mets HR List with 220. He is fourth with 655 RBIs. Mike played 972 games (12th on the Mets all time list) with 1028 hits 193 doubles (both 8th on the Mets all-time list). He has 532 runs scored (10th on the Mets all-time list). He has hit 22 sac flies, posted a a .373 on base % & a .915 OPS. Piazza drew 424 walks 7 struck out 546 times.

Defensively He is second to Jerry Grote in games caught behind the plate with 826.

Mets Honors: In 2008 Piazza was at the closing ceremonies of Shea Stadium. Piazza & Tom Seaver were the last two Mets to walk off the field closing the gate & the last to say goodbye to Shea. 

In 2009 The two returned to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field in the home opener.

Hall Of Fame: In 2013 Mike Piazza was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2016 Piazza's uniform #31 was retired by the Mets with the number being hung in the immortal rafters at Citi Field.

Hall Of Fame: In 2016 Piazza became the second Mets player officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.

Piazza is a member & heavily involved in the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago.

Mets Events: In 2013 he represented the Mets at the Citi Field All Star Game Festivities, the Fan Fest & celebrity Charity Softball Game where he led his team to victory with a two run HR. Piazza caught the game as battery mate to softball star; Jenny Finch. Teammates included wounded vet Josh Wege, The King of Queens; Kevin James, Doc Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, Andre Dawson & Alyssa Milano.

That same year he released his autobiography "Long Shot" which made the bestsellers list.

In the 2015 World Series, Mike Piazza threw out the ceremonial first pitch in Game #3 which was
the first World Series game held at Citi Field.

In 2022 Mike was on hand for the unveiling of the Mets Tom Seaver Statue outside Citi Field. Piazza greeted Tom's widow Nancy Seaver at the event.

 Later that year he attended the Mets Old Timers Day, the first Old Timers Day since 1994.

Personal Life: Mike is a devout Catholic & comes from a religious family. He was featured on the the DVD Champions of Faith & it's follow up video as well.

Rock & Roll: Piazza is proud rocker who loves Heavy Metal music. He is good friends with Ozzy & Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde & is godfather to his son Hendrix. Mike plays the drums & has appeared on Black Label Society's album Stronger than Death as well as having appeared on stage with various bands.

Family & Life In Italy: Mike & his wife Alicia have three children, two girls Nicoletta & Paulina, as well as a son Marco. The family relocated to Northern Italy near Parma & Milan. He enjoys a quieter laid back life where the couple can go unnoticed & their children can be in better schools speaking fluent Italian. 

In 2016 he purchased a minority ownership on A.C. Reggiana Soccer club in Reggio Emilia Italia. After much drama in the two years he was part owner the club eventually declared bankruptcy. Piazza has played & coached team Italia in the World Baseball Classic. He also managed the Italian National Baseball team.