Books and articles about Mike Piazza

A 62nd-round draft choice selected mainly as a personal favor to Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda, Mike Piazza quickly established himself in Los Angeles as one of the greatest offensive catchers baseball has ever seen. Although Piazza fulfilled a lifelong dream by playing for the Dodgers, his career took a sudden and dramatic turn in his sixth season when he found himself traded twice in one week, eventually-winding up with the New York Mets. After a rocky start in New York, he signed a long term deal and helped restore the Mets to prominence.

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RELATED LINKS » 1998: McGwire 70, Sosa 66 » 1998: Arrival of Mike Piazza from The New York Mets Encyclopedia by Peter C. Bjarkman Submissions » Gold & Silver Catchers by Chuck Rosciam » Amateur Draft Catchers by Chuck Rosciam » All-Star Catchers by Chuck Rosciam » Iron Men Catchers: Catching the Majority of a Team's Games by Chuck Rosciam Ask The Experts » Who has the most career home runs at each position? Around the Web » Cable-DSL / 56k from uniontribune.com » Mets' Job 1: Preserving Pedro from newsday.com » Tuning in to MikeTV from newsday.com » Pedro upstages Piazza show from newsday.com » Could be just nicer as visitor from newsday.com » On Piazza night, it's Mets win from newsday.com » Mike Piazza from baseball-reference.com » Catcher at the Crossroads from thediamondangle.com » Florida Marlins 2003 Preview from thediamondangle.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

Born in 1968 in Norristown, PA -- a suburb of Philadelphia -- Piazza grew up rooting for the Phillies and the Flyers. He idolized Phillie slugger Mike Schmidt and even worked as a Veterans Stadium batboy. Piazza also looked up to his father Vince, a high school dropout who turned his used car lot into a multi-million dollar franchise. Thanks to his father begging a favor out of Lasorda -- a family friend -- Piazza also got personal batting instruction from Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams.

Unbelievable as it seems, the right-handed slugger generated no interest from baseball scouts out of high school. He went to Miami-Dade North Community College and was picked up by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft, behind 1,389 players. He might not have been selected at all if not for the longtime friendship between his father and Lasorda, the godfather to one of Piazza's brothers.

It took Piazza four minor league seasons to reach Los Angeles, but once he did, he never looked back. In his rookie season of 1993 Piazza batted .318 and set Dodger rookie records with 35 home runs and 112 RBIs. After the season he was the unanimous choice for NL Rookie of the Year.

After his auspicious debut that season, Piazza did nothing but improve. After batting .319 with 24 homers in the strike-shortened 1994 season, Piazza finished second to Tony Gwynn in the 1995 National League batting race with a .346 average -- tying him with Tommy Davis for the highest single-season Dodger batting average since the club moved to Los Angeles. But the season ended on a down note when his club was swept by Davey Johnson's Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the National League playoffs.

The next season saw more of the same as Piazza again put up huge numbers (.336, 36 homers, 105 RBIs) while finishing second in the NL MVP voting to Ken Caminiti. The season was highlighted by Piazza's fourth straight All-Star appearance, this time in his native Philadelphia. The hometown boy made good, slamming a massive homer into the left-field upper deck at Veterans Stadium and winning game MVP honors. But his best efforts couldn't prevent another first-round playoff sweep, this time at the hands of the Atlanta Braves.

As good as he had been to that point, no one could have predicted the incredible season Piazza would have in 1997. Producing arguably the best offensive season ever for a catcher, Piazza posted career highs with a .362 batting average, .638 slugging percentage, 40 home runs, 124 RBIs, 201 hits and 355 total bases, joining Roy Campanella and Todd Hundley as the only catchers to hit forty homers in a season. One of his longest shots came on September 21, when he launched an estimated 478-foot home run out of Dodger Stadium. To that point, only Willie Stargell had accomplished the feat.

Unfortunately, the season would again end poorly. The Dodgers led the NL West outright as late as September 17th, but were eliminated on the final weekend of the season, losing the title to their longtime rival San Francisco Giants. It was the first time in three years the Dodgers had missed the postseason. Piazza again finished second in the MVP voting, this time to Colorado Rockies right fielder Larry Walker.

Early in the 1998 season, the Dodgers grew concerned that they couldn't afford to re-sign Piazza at the astronomical salary he was demanding. Worried they might lose him to free-agency, the Dodgers made a blockbuster deal on May 15th that sent their All-Star catcher to the Florida Marlins along with third baseman Todd Zeile for outfielder Gary Sheffield, catcher Charles Johnson, third baseman Bobby Bonilla and utility outfielder Jim Eisenreich.

Piazza and Zeile were not expected to stay with the cash-strapped Marlins for long, and the Marlins soon continued their post-World Series firesale by sending the much sought-after Piazza to the New York Mets one week later for top prospect Preston Wilson (son of former Met Mookie Wilson) and minor-league pitchers Ed Yarnall and Goeff Goetz.

Piazza arrived with both fans and players quickly anointing him as the Mets' savior. New York buzzed with anticipation, and John Franco, a long-time Met, gave up his number 31 so that Piazza would feel right at home. But the situation quickly became ugly. Not only were the expectations for Piazza high, but as a catcher he played the same position as injured fan-favorite Todd Hundley. Met fans had little tolerance for slumps, and early struggles led to boos whenever Piazza made an out.

Nonetheless, despite being traded twice and being thrust into a highly pressurized situation in New York, Piazza soon turned it around and showed New Yorkers why he was one of the game's true superstars. He hit .351 in the second half (including .378 in September as he carried the Mets offense through a playoff push which fell just short) to finish the year at .328, fourth in the league. Shortly after the season, he signed a seven-year deal with the Mets, a development that once seemed unlikely, given his initial reception in New York.

For the first time in years, the Mets entered the next season with legitimate hopes of making the playoffs, and Piazza finally got a chance to enjoy the city as his home. With Piazza as the team's centerpiece, management brought in a quality supporting cast in the form of Robin Ventura and Armando Benitez, and broke the bank to keep pitcher Al Leiter. But there was no doubt that Mike Piazza had become The Man in New York.

He certainly lived up to his expectations, batting .303 with 40 homers and 124 RBIs. The season included a 24-game hitting streak (tying Hubie Brooks' franchise record), and his seventh straight All-Star appearance. A close race for the wild card wore on Piazza, however, as he was forced to play everyday, battling the fatigue that comes with catching. The Mets earned a playoff berth by beating the Reds in a one-game playoff, but struggled for offense in the postseason as Piazza's bat tired under the strain of a long season.

Despite a series of stirring comebacks, the Mets fell short of a subway series with their crosstown rival Yankees. Piazza went only 4-24 in the NLCS, and the Mets entered the 2000 season planning rest him frequently to preserve his body for the stretch run. Piazza responded with another fine season, drawing chants of "MVP!" from the Shea Stadium faithful. (RK/AF)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » November 18, 1970: Johnny Bench wins the National League MVP Award with 326 points, 108 more than the Cubs Billy Williams. Bench had 45 homers, 148 RBI, and a .293 average for the Reds. His 355 total bases is a record for a catcher, one that will be tied by Mike Piazza in 1997. » September 16, 1991: It's a day for suspensions. Atlanta OF Otis Nixon is suspended for 60 days (the remainder of the season) for violating baseball's drug policy. Nixon, who had been arrested on charges of cocaine possession in 1987, is currently leading the National League with 72 SBs. He will miss the NL playoffs due to the suspension. Cincinnati P Norm Charlton is suspended for seven days and fined an undisclosed amount for admitting he intentionally threw at Dodgers C Mike Piazza in a game played on September 9th. » October 23, 1993: Mike Piazza is the unanimous choice for National League Rookie of the Year. Selected as a favor to a friend of Tommy Lasorda's on the 62nd round of the 1988 draft, Piazza is the first rookie since Walt Dropo in 1950 to hit .300, collect 30 homers, and 100 RBIs. No NL rookie has done that since Wally Berger in 1930. » October 19, 1994: For the third year in a row, a Dodger is named Rookie of the Year. Raul Mondesi, like last year's pick, Mike Piazza, is a unanimous choice. The fleet Dominican OF hit .306 with 16 homers and 16 assists. » July 11, 1995: The National League defeats the American League in the All-Star Game, 3-2, on an 8th inning pinch-hitter home run by Jeff Conine. Conine becomes the 10th player to homer in his 1st All-Star at bat, and is named the Game's MVP. Frank Thomas, Craig Biggio, and Mike Piazza also connect for home runs. » August 27, 1995: Catcher Mike Piazza collects four long hits—2 doubles and two home runs, including a grand slam—good for seven ribbies, to lead the Dodgers to a 9-1 victory over Philadelphia. Piazza is now hitting .367, tied for the lead in the ML. » June 29, 1996: The Dodgers defeat the Rockies, 13-10, after leading 13-0 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. Colorado scores eight runs in the 8th, then adds two more in the 9th to fall three short. C Mike Piazza leads the way for LA with three home runs and six RBIs. » June 30, 1996: Rockies 2B Eric Young steals six bases in Colorado's 16-15 win over the Dodgers to tie a major league record. Three steals come in the 3rd inning when he steals 2B, 3B, and home. The two teams score in 14 of their 18 turns at bat, tying another big league mark. There are seven lead changes in the contest, which is marked by 38 hits, 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases—9 steals when Hideo Nomo is on the mound. Three of the homers come on consecutive pitches as Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, and Raul Mondesi homer off Mark Thompson. The 4-hour and 20-minute game is the longest 9-inning contest in National League history. Mondesi drives home six runs for LA, while Dante Bichette gets five hits and four ribbies for Colorado. » July 9, 1996: The National League defeats the American League, 6-0, in the All-Star Game. Ken Caminiti and Mike Piazza homer for the winners. The game is the first All-Star contest in which no walks are issued by either team. Cal Ripken Jr. starts the game, despite suffering a broken nose when he accidentally catches a forearm from Chicago P Roberto Hernandez. Hernandez slipped on the tarp during the AL team photo shoot. » August 29, 1996: In the battle of brothers, the Dodgers Ramon Martinez beats his brother Pedro Martinez of the Expos, 2–1. Mike Piazza and Eric Karros hit consecutive home runs in the 4th for all the scoring off Pedro, while the Expos manage just three hits. The two had never faced each other before. » November 1, 1996: The major league All-Star team opens their 8-game series in Japan with a 6–5 loss to the Japan All-Stars. Players include Cal Ripken, Sammy Sosa, Steve Finley, Brady Anderson, Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, Hideo Nomo, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, and Shane Reynolds. » June 1, 1997: Whoops. Rookie 2B Wilton Guerrero of the Dodgers is ejected from game in St. Louis for using a corked bat. Guerrero shatters his stick while grounding out to lead off the game. Umpire Steve Rippley sees that the bat has been altered and shows it to crew chief Bruce Froemming, who then ejects Guerrero. Guerrero will earn an 8-day suspension and a $1,000 fine. The Dodgers end their eight-game road losing streak with a 6–1 win when Mike Piazza, Eric Karros and Todd Zeile hit consecutive home runs in the 4th inning. Chan Ho Park (4-2) allows one run in six 2/3 innings for the victory. » August 27, 1997: The Dodgers best the Pirates, 9-5, with the help of five hits by OF Otis Nixon and six RBIs from C Mike Piazza. LA now leads the NL West by one 1/2 games over the Giants. » September 13, 1997: The Dodgers drop a 5-1 decision to the Astros as Tom Candiotti's knuckleball does all sorts of tricks in the 1st inning. Candiotti hit three Houston batters in the frame, and another to lead off the 2nd, to tie a major league mark. C Mike Piazza also records two passed balls in the inning as the Astros score four of their five runs. » April 10, 1998: The Dodgers Mike Piazza becomes the 5th National League player in history to hit grand slams in consecutive games by homering in the Dodgers 7–2 win over the Astros. Piazza also homered with the bags full, while driving in six runs, in last night's 7–2 win over Arizona. He'll hit another on April 24th to tie the major-league record for slams in a month. » May 15, 1998: In one of the biggest trades in recent years, the Dodgers send All-Star C Mike Piazza and 3B Todd Zeile to the Florida Marlins in exchange for outfielders Gary Sheffield and Jim Eisenreich, C Charles Johnson, 3B Bobby Bonilla, and P Manuel Barrios. » May 22, 1998: The Mets acquire C Mike Piazza from the Marlins in exchange for OF Preston Wilson, P Ed Yarnall and a player to be named. Piazza spent a week with Florida following the Dodger trade. » October 26, 1998: The Mets sign C Mike Piazza to a 7-year, $91 million contract, making him the highest–paid player in the game. » April 28, 1999: The Mets defeat the Padres, 4–3, on a 9th inning home run by C Mike Piazza. It is the 1st time that SD has lost a game it was leading after eight innings since July 24, 1996. They were 181–0 in games in which they led after eight in that time. » May 15, 1999: When SS Alex Arias of the Philadelphia Phillies snags Mike Piazza's line drive in the sixth inning he starts the Phillies' 30th franchise triple play and their 10th against a team from New York City. It was just the second triple play turned in Veterans Stadium and the 237th in the National League since 1901. Arias has participated in two triple plays for the Phils, he initiated one last season against the San Francisco Giants. The Mets still win, 9–7. » May 29, 1999: Arizona's Byung-Hyun Kim, 20-year-old Korean, makes his ML debut against the Mets. Relieving in the 9th, he strikes out Mike Piazza to end the game and preserve the 8–7 win. » October 9, 1999: The Mets defeat the Diamondbacks, 4-3, on backup catcher Todd Pratt's 10th inning home run. Pratt is in the game for starter Mike Piazza, who is unable to play because of a thumb injury. The win puts NY into the NLCS against the Braves. John Franco gets the victory in relief for the Mets. » October 15, 1999: Behind the pitching of Tom Glavine, the Braves defeat the Mets, 1-0 for their 3rd win in a row. Atlanta scores an unearned run in the 1st inning with the help of two NY errors. It is the 1st time all year the Mets make two errors in the same inning. With Gerald Williams on 2nd & Bret Boone on 1st, with one out, the Braves pulled off a double steal. Williams scores when Mets C Mike Piazza fires the ball into center field trying to throw out Boone. » October 19, 1999: The Braves defeat the Mets, 10-9 in 11 innings, to take the NLCS, 4-games-to-2. Atlanta blew leads of 5-0 and 7-3, as NY eventually tied the score on a home run by Mike Piazza. A bases loaded walk by Kenny Rogers with one out in the last half of the 11th brings home the winning run. Braves C Eddie Perez is voted MVP of the LCS. » November 9, 1999: Kansas City Royals OF Carlos Beltran is named the American League Rookie of the Year. Beltran was the 1st rookie with 100+ RBI since Mike Piazza had 112 in 1993 and the 1st in the AL since Mark McGwire had 118 in 1987. He is the first rookie with 100 runs /100 RBI since Fred Lynn in 75. » March 29, 2000: The Cubs open the major league season in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, by defeating the Mets, 5-3, in the first big league game ever played outside of North America. Jon Lieber gets the victory and new ace Mike Hampton takes the loss. Shane Andrews hits the first home run of the new millennium. Mark Grace and Mike Piazza also homer. » April 14, 2000: The Mets outlast the Pirates, 8-5, in 12 innings. C Mike Piazza gets five hits for NY, including a double and two home runs. » May 7, 2000: The Marlins calcimine the Mets, 3-0, behind Ryan Dempster's 1-hitter. C Mike Piazza's 6th inning double is NY's only hit. » June 30, 2000: Trailing by a score of 8-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning, the Mets score a team-record tying 10 runs and defeat the Braves, 11-8. Mike Piazza's 3-run home run is the deciding blow as NY score nine of the runs with two outs. » July 3, 2000: The Marlins defeat the Mets, 2-0 on Derrek Lee's 2-run homer in the 9th, off Turk Wendell. Jesus Sanchez, 0–6 versus NY, is the winner. The loss ends C Mike Piazza's streak of 15 consecutive games with an RBI, two short of the major league mark. » July 8, 2000: The Yankees whip the Mets by identical 4-2 scores in both ends of an unusual day-night doubleheader. With the 1st game played at Shea Stadium and the nightcap at Yankee Stadium, it is the 1st time since 1903 that two teams played two games in different stadiums on the same day. Dwight Gooden wins the first game with a six inning effort in his first start since returning to the Yankees. Roger Clemens wins the night cap and precipitate a near brawl when he drills Mike Piazza in the helmet with an inside fastball. Piazza suffers a concussion. » July 18, 2000: The Mets outslug the Blue Jays, 11-7, as C Mike Piazza hits his 3rd grand slam of the season. Toronto OF Shannon Stewart gets a ML record-tying four doubles in the game. » October 12, 2000: The Mets defeat the Cardinals, 6-5, to take a 2-games-to-none lead in the NLCS. Jay Payton drives home the winning run for NY, who wins in its last at bat for the 3rd time this postseason. Mike Piazza homers for the Mets. » October 15, 2000: The Mets defeat the Cardinals, 10-6, to take a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead in the NLCS. NY strokes a record five doubles in the 1st inning, and Mike Piazza slams a home run for the Mets. Glendon Rusch gets the win with three scoreless innings in relief. » October 22, 2000: The Yankees defeat the Mets, 6-5 behind Roger Clemens, to take a 2-games-to-none lead in the World Series. The Mets score five runs in the 9th inning on home runs by Mike Piazza and Jay Payton to throw a scare into the Bombers. In a bizarre incident, Clemens throws a piece of a shattered bat at Piazza in the 1st inning, with both benches clearing. It is the first meeting between the two players since Clemens beaned Piazza during the regular season. On Tuesday, Clemens will be fined $50,000 for his actions. » October 25, 2000: The Yankees defeat the Mets, 3-2, to take a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead in the Series. Derek Jeter homers off Bobby Jones on the 1st pitch of the game for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankee bullpen saves the game with four 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Mike Piazza's 2-run homer accounts for all the Mets scoring. » July 13, 2001: Mets C Mike Piazza hits his 300th career home run in NY's 3–1 loss to Boston. » July 15, 2001: Behind Mike Piazza's three hits and three RBIs, the Mets win, 5–2, over Toronto as both teams celebrate Negro League Tribute Day by wearing old NL uniforms. The Mets wear the NY Cubans, 1947 NL champs, while the Blue Jays are in the uniforms of the Chatham All Stars. In Pittsburgh, the Pirates wear the Homestead Grays and the Royals wear Monarchs uniforms. » August 26, 2001: The Diamondbacks score in the 10th inning to defeat the Phillies, 4–3. Philadelphia rookie SS Jimmy Rollins is caught stealing in the 3rd inning, the first time in his career after a streak of 35 consecutive steals. Luis Gonzalez receives the ultimate compliment when the Phils give him an intentional walk with the bases empty. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Gonzalez joins Manny Ramirez Jason Giambi, Mike Piazza, and Jim Thome as the only players to receive an intentional pass with the bases empty this season. Ramirez is the only one of the group to have been walked intentionally twice this year with no ducks on the pond. » April 30, 2002: Mike Piazza hits two home runs and drives home six as the Mets defeat the Diamondbacks, 10–1. Al Leiter gets the victory for NY and in doing so becomes the first pitcher to have defeated all 30 ML teams. Both Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks and Kevin Brown of the Los Angeles Dodgers have beaten 29 teams, but Johnson needs a win against his own team, the D'Backs, for 30. » May 17, 2002: The Mets score eight runs in the 7th inning, highlighted by Mike Piazza's grand slam, to defeat the Padres, 13–4. » September 2, 2002: Braden Looper (1–5) in his 66th relief appearance of the year, extends the Mets home losing streak to 15 in the 12–inning first game of a doubleheader. Florida wins 3–2. Preston Wilson ties the game in the 9th with a home run, and Juan Encarnacion wins it with an RBI double. The Mets take the nitecap, 11–5, overcoming back-to-back home runs in the 2nd by Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell. Mike Piazza drills a pinch 3-run home run. The win snaps the Mets home loss streak at 15 games, a National League record set the 1911 Braves. They last won at home on July 31. » November 5, 2002: The Silver Slugger Award winners are announced. Barry Bonds and Mike Piazza win their 10th awards.