Editing Mike Piazza (section)

==Major league career==

===Los Angeles Dodgers===
After his father asked Lasorda to select Piazza as a favor,<ref name="schwarz20080521">{{cite news|last=Schwarz|first=Alan|title=Piazza Calls It Quits After 16 Years and 427 Homers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/sports/baseball/21piazza.html|access-date=October 6, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 21, 2008}}</ref> the [[Miami-Dade Community College]] student was drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the [[1988 Major League Baseball draft|1988 MLB amateur draft]] as the 1,390th player picked out of 1,395 players.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?query_type=year_round&year_ID=1988&draft_round=62&draft_type=junreg 62nd Round of the 1988 MLB June Amateur Draft]</ref>{{r|coffey19980607}} Lasorda asked Piazza to give up his first base position and learn how to catch to improve his chances of reaching the major leagues and helped him attend a special training camp for catchers in the Dominican Republic.{{r|coffey19980607}} Piazza became an excellent hitter, especially for a catcher.{{r|schwarz20080521}} His MLB debut came with the Dodgers on September 1, 1992, against the [[Chicago Cubs]]. He drew a walk in his first plate appearance and then doubled to deep center field in his first official at-bat, against [[Mike Harkey]] of the Cubs.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN199209010.shtml Dodgers vs. Cubs September 1, 1992 Boxscore]</ref> He hit his first home run on September 12, 1992, against [[Steve Reed (baseball)|Steve Reed]] of the [[San Francisco Giants]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN199209120.shtml Dodgers vs. Giants September 12, 1992, box score]</ref> He only appeared in 21 games that season, hitting .232.

Piazza won the NL [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year Award]] in 1993 after appearing in 149 games, hitting .318, slugging 35 home runs, and driving in 112 RBI. He was also selected to the [[1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]], his first of 10 consecutive (and 12 total) All-Star appearances. Until [[Joc Pederson]] passed him in 2015, Piazza's 18 home runs before the All-Star break was a Dodgers' rookie record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.truebluela.com/2015/6/22/8827309/dodgers-cubs-recap-home-run-derby-lights-out|title=Dodgers lose home run derby to Cubs on dark night at Wrigley|work=SB Nation|first=Eric|last=Stephen|date=June 22, 2015|access-date=June 23, 2015|archive-date=June 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623165419/http://www.truebluela.com/2015/6/22/8827309/dodgers-cubs-recap-home-run-derby-lights-out|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1996, Piazza hit .336 with 36 home runs and 105 RBI, finishing second in NL [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|MVP]] voting, behind [[Ken Caminiti]]. Piazza's best season with the Dodgers came in 1997, when he hit .362, with 40 home runs, 124 RBI, an [[on-base percentage]] of .431, and a [[slugging percentage]] of .638. He became the first catcher in MLB history to get 200 hits in a season. He finished second in NL [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|MVP]] voting for the second straight year, behind [[Larry Walker]].

===Florida Marlins===
{{multiple image
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 | footer = Piazza with the Marlins on May 18, 1998, three days after being traded by the Dodgers and four days before being traded to the Mets
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During the 1997-98 offseason, Piazza wanted a new contract prior to his eligibility for arbitration; Piazza wanted $105&nbsp;million for seven years while the Dodgers offered $76&nbsp;million for six years. Piazza blasted the Dodgers when his demands were criticized by fans and the media, blaming [[Vin Scully]] in particular.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-xpm-2013-feb-13-la-sp-dn-dodgers-mike-piazza-vin-scully-book-20130213-story.html |title=Dodgers: Mike Piazza calls out Vin Scully in book |date=February 13, 2013 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |first=Bil |last=Shaikin |access-date=August 4, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-01-sp-34982-story.html |title=Slammed From Both Sides |date=April 1, 1998 |location=St. Louis |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |first=Jason |last=Reid |access-date=August 4, 2022}}</ref> 

On May 15, 1998, the Dodgers traded Piazza and [[Todd Zeile]] to the Marlins in return for [[Gary Sheffield]], [[Charles Johnson (catcher)|Charles Johnson]], [[Bobby Bonilla]], Manuel Barrios, and [[Jim Eisenreich]]. He appeared in five games with the Marlins, where he hit .278.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-trade-of-piazza-revisited | title=Dodgers trekked long trail from Piazza to Ethier | website=[[MLB.com]] }}</ref>

===New York Mets===
<!-- {{MLBBioRet
|Image  = Mets31.png
|Name   = Mike Piazza
|Number = 31
|Team   = New York Mets
|Year   = 2016
|}} -->
On May 22, the Marlins traded Piazza to the New York Mets for [[Preston Wilson]], [[Ed Yarnall]], and Geoff Goetz.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/who-won-mike-piazza-trade-mets-marlins | title=24 years ago, Mets got Piazza. But did they win the trade? | website=[[MLB.com]] }}</ref> Piazza finished the 1998 season batting .328 with 32 home runs and 111 RBI, becoming 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Players with 30 or more home runs in a season, minimum 1 game played for 3 or more franchises |url=https://stathead.com/baseball/player-batting-season-finder.cgi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724042046/https://stathead.com/tiny/7WdzM |archive-date=July 24, 2024 |access-date=July 24, 2024 |website=[[Sports Reference|Stathead]] |language=en}}</ref>

Piazza helped the Mets to two consecutive playoff appearances in 1999 and 2000. In the former season, Piazza tied his career highs of 40 home runs and 124 RBI. He also set the record for most home runs in a season without ever hitting more than one in a game, passing a mark previously set by [[Rogers Hornsby]] in 1929.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stathead.com/baseball/game_finder.cgi?request=1&match=gmatchPYr&order_by=HR&class=player&type=b&ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&cval%5B1%5D=1&cstat%5B1%5D=HR&exactness=anymarked&GF=anyGF&location=pob&locationMatch=is&temperature_max=120&wind_speed_max=90|title=Player Batting Game Finder|website=Stathead.com|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Mike Piazza (1999) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Piazza with the Mets in May 1999]]
The following year, Piazza led the Mets to an NL pennant and a [[2000 World Series|World Series]] appearance in the 2000 [[Subway Series]]. He became known as "The Monster" after coach [[John Stearns]] was caught on tape during the [[2000 National League Championship Series]] after a Piazza [[Hit (baseball)|hit]] saying "The Monster is out of the Cage".<ref name=noble>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080927&content_id=3559400&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym |title=Piazza's post-9/11 shot became iconic Slugger's dramatic game-winning homer added to legacy |access-date=March 4, 2009|last=Noble |first=Marty|date=September 27, 2008|work=[[MLB.com]]}}</ref>

Piazza was involved in a bizarre incident during the [[2000 World Series]]. Earlier in the season during interleague play, Yankees [[pitcher]] [[Roger Clemens]] hit Piazza in the head with a fastball. Piazza suffered a [[concussion]] and was forced to miss the [[2000 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2000 MLB All-Star Game]]. Clemens was widely criticized by Mets fans for the incident, but Clemens maintained that the pitch was not intentional. Clemens and Piazza would go on to face each other again in the first inning of World Series Game 2. During the at-bat, Clemens threw a pitch that broke Piazza's bat as he fouled it off, sending the barrel and a sharp edge of the broken bat directly at Clemens on the mound just as he finished his delivery. Clemens caught the barrel and threw it across the first base line towards the Yankees' dugout and just past Piazza who was running down to first. Piazza gave a long stare at Clemens and slowly started walking towards Clemens to confront him, and Clemens asked the umpire for a new ball as if nothing had happened. [http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=20053773 During replays], Clemens can be seen shouting "I thought it was the ball!" and asking the umpire for a new ball multiple times as the two benches cleared and met at the mound. Words were exchanged between the two players, but no punches were thrown from either team and nobody was ejected. Piazza later caught for Clemens when both were on the NL team in the [[2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2004 All-Star Game]]. Clemens gave up six runs in the first inning.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/07132004.shtml |title=2004 All-Star Game Box Score |access-date=October 5, 2008 |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007201122/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/07132004.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Mike Piazza spring of 2004.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Piazza in 2004]]
Piazza's game-winning 8th-inning home run in the first professional baseball game played in New York following the [[September 11 attacks|9/11 attacks]] has been called iconic, therapeutic, and symbolic.<ref name=noble /> The jersey he wore in that September 21, 2001 game was purchased in April 2016 for $365,000, the highest price ever paid for a modern-day jersey, and is displayed on a rotating basis among the [[9/11 Memorial Museum]], [[Citi Field]], and the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://nypost.com/2016/04/14/mets-fans-spend-big-to-rescue-piazza-911-jersey-as-museum-piece/ | title=Mets fans spend big to rescue Piazza 9/11 jersey as museum piece | newspaper=New York Post | date=April 14, 2016 | author=Kernan, Kevin | access-date=July 21, 2017 | archive-date=July 28, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728141940/http://nypost.com/2016/04/14/mets-fans-spend-big-to-rescue-piazza-911-jersey-as-museum-piece/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2016/04/05/mike-piazza-just-cant-believe-mets-sold-his-famed-911-jersey/ |title=Frustrated Mike Piazza speaks out on Mets' 9/11 jersey shocker |newspaper=New York Post |date=April 5, 2016 |last=Kernan |first=Kevin |access-date=July 21, 2017 |archive-date=July 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728145804/http://nypost.com/2016/04/05/mike-piazza-just-cant-believe-mets-sold-his-famed-911-jersey/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

To ease the stress on his deteriorating knees, Piazza began to split his time between catching and playing first base during the 2004 season, an experiment which was abandoned before the end of the season because of Piazza's defensive deficiencies. {{citation needed|date=April 2012}} Although recognized as a great hitter, Piazza has had some notable defensive accomplishments. Among them, Piazza caught two [[no-hitter]]s thrown by [[Ramón Martínez (pitcher)|Ramón Martínez]] and [[Hideo Nomo]] while playing with the Dodgers. Nomo's was particularly impressive because it happened at [[Coors Field]], notorious for being a hitter-friendly ballpark. Additionally, Piazza's .997 fielding percentage was the highest among NL catchers in 2000.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/piazzmi01-field.shtml#advanced_fielding_c::0 Mike Piazza Fielding Stats]</ref>

On May 5, 2004, Piazza surpassed [[Carlton Fisk]] for most home runs by a catcher with his 352nd.

===San Diego Padres===
[[File:Piazza on 1st (future hall of famer).jpg|thumb|upright|Piazza wearing No. 33 with San Diego in 2006]]
Following the 2005 season, Piazza signed a one-year contract worth $2 million with the San Diego Padres on January 29, 2006.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2311295 |title=Piazza agrees to one-year, $2M deal with Padres |date=January 29, 2006 |website=[[ESPN]] |agency=Associated Press |access-date=April 5, 2025}}</ref>

Serving as the Padres' starting catcher and clean-up hitter, Piazza experienced somewhat of a rejuvenation in 2006, batting .283 with 22 homers and helping the Padres to a division title. On July 21, 2006, Piazza collected his 2,000th career hit.

On August 8, 2006, Piazza played his first game at Shea Stadium since leaving the Mets. Throughout the three-game series, Piazza drew frequent standing ovations from New York fans. It was on par with that of [[Tom Seaver]] on his return to pitch at Shea Stadium in 1977 and 1978. Even more telling was during that series, on August 9, he drew a rare [[curtain call]] in the opposing park following a home run off Mets pitcher (and former Dodgers and Mets teammate) [[Pedro Martínez]] in the fourth inning. Not done for the day, Piazza went deep off Martinez again in the sixth. With the Mets ahead 4–2 in the eighth, and two runners aboard, Piazza hit one to the wall in center, nearly bashing his third homer of the day and putting the Padres ahead.

===Oakland Athletics===
Piazza signed as a free agent with the [[Oakland Athletics]] for $8.5 million on December 8, 2006.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2688662} |title=Piazza joins A's, who also add Embree |date=December 6, 2006 |website=ESPN |access-date=April 5, 2025}}</ref> He exclusively played at [[designated hitter]] with the Athletics.

On July 25, 2007, in the top of the ninth inning in a game between the [[2007 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim season|Angels]] and Athletics at [[Angel Stadium of Anaheim|Angel Stadium]], a fan threw a water bottle that hit Piazza, who had homered earlier in the game. Piazza pointed his bat in the stands at the fan he believed threw the water bottle to get the attention of security. The fan, who was identified as Roland Flores from [[La Puente, California]], was arrested by the ballpark security. Piazza pressed charges against Flores,<ref>[https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2949665 ESPN – Piazza to press charges against fan who threw bottle – MLB<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and Flores was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years of probation on March 27, 2008. On September 26, against the [[Boston Red Sox]] at [[Fenway Park]], Piazza hit his 427th and what would be his final major league home run of his career, off of rookie pitcher [[Jon Lester]].

After not being signed to any MLB team for the [[2008 MLB season|2008 season]], Piazza announced his retirement on May 20, 2008, saying, "After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it is time to start a new chapter in my life. It has been an amazing journey."<ref name="espn3405188">{{cite news| url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3405188 | title=Piazza, one of greatest hitting catchers in MLB history, retires | agency=[[Associated Press]] | date=May 20, 2008 | access-date=May 20, 2008}}</ref>

===Retirement===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Alg MikePiazza-TomSeaver.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Mike Piazza catching the final pitch at [[Shea Stadium]] from [[New York Mets]] [[Tom Seaver]]. {{deletable image-caption}}]] -->Piazza made a return to Shea Stadium during the "Shea Goodbye" closing ceremony on September 28, 2008, where he received the final pitch in the history of the stadium from Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. Piazza and Seaver also officially "closed" Shea when they walked off together into the center field exit and closed the door on the park after waving goodbye to the capacity crowd. On April 13, 2009, Piazza received the very first pitch in the new [[Citi Field]] from Seaver before the Mets' opening game against the Padres.