Mike Piazza Childhood

Michael Joseph Piazza was born on September 4, 1968 in Phoenixville, PA. He is the son of Veronica and Vince Piazza. Growing up, Mike learned the game of baseball from his father. Vince was the driving force in the development of his son’s baseball skill set as the two spent countless days together having batting practice. Also, call it destiny or a coincidence, but Vince grew up in the same neighborhood as former Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager Tommy LaSorda. This connection would impact the Hall of Famer’s baseball future.

Mike Piazza High School Stats and Awards

Piazza attended Phoenixville High School. It was seemed promising by senior year that Piazza was going to be a professional baseball player. Besides setting the school record for home runs, he also had the physique standing at 6’3” and almost 200 lbs. Although the measurements garnered him attention, the talent at the time didn’t. He wasn’t a highly recruited player out of high school. He did, however, get a baseball scholarship to the University of Miami.

Mike Piazza College Career Stats and Notes

Piazza’s time at the University of Miami was short. After not getting playing time during his freshman year, he transferred to Miami-Dade Community College. In 29 games, Piazza hit .364 with three HRs and 23 RBI. The numbers didn’t pop for the first baseman and as a result he ended up being a 62nd round pick in the MLB Draft. The bright spot? He was picked by the Los Angeles Dodgers whose manager was…Tommy LaSorda.

Mike Piazza MLB Career Stats and Notes

Piazza, after successfully changing his position to catcher, made his major league debut on September 1, 1992. He spent his first six and a half seasons in the majors with the Dodgers, winning NL Rookie of the Year in 1993. In 1998, a series of trades involving Piazza had him playing for three franchises in one season. First, in a shocking move, the Dodgers traded Piazza early in the season to the Florida Marlins.

Piazza only played five games for the Marlins before he was traded again, this time to the New York Mets. The young gifted catcher was now the face of New York’s other baseball team. Piazza was able to make the Mets contenders in the late 1990s and early 2000s, culminating in a World Series appearance in 2000.

After eight seasons in New York, piazza headed back to California to play for the San Diego Padres. He played one season in San Diego then he headed up I-5 to play one final season in the major leagues with the Oakland Athletics. Piazza retired after the 2007 season. In 2016, the 12-time All-Star was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mike Piazza Sets New MLB Record for HRs By a Catcher

Catchers aren’t typically known for their power hitting but Piazza made a name for himself with the long ball. Even though he was a great hitter (career .308 BA), his ability to take pitches out of the yard made him one of the most dangerous hitters of all time playing the backstop position.

On May 5, 2004, Piazza made MLB history. The Mets had a home game against the San Francisco Giants. Piazza didn’t waste time making the record books that night. In the bottom of the first, Piazza sent a 3-1 fastball from Jerome Williams over the right field fence. The solo shot was his 352nd career HR as a catcher, breaking the previous MLB record of 351 set by Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk. Piazza would finish his Hall of Fame career with 427 HRs, 396 of them he hit as a catcher which is still a record.

List of Baseball Hall of Fame Members