If Your Birthday is September 4th...

...you share it with Mike Piazza, the greatest hitting catcher in baseball history.  427 career homers and .308 lifetime average -- topping those of Bench, Berra and Campanella -- punched his ticket to Cooperstown.

Drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of baseball's amateur draft as a favor by Tommy Lasorda to Mike's dad, a longtime family friend, the Phoenixville, PA native became the 1993 NL Rookie of the Year, but wasn't able to hammer out a long-term contract to stay in LA.  Instead, he was flipped in 1998 to the Marlins and then the Mets -- leading them to the 2000 pennant and a place alongside the Yankees in the most recent all-New York World Series.  The emotional peak of his career came the following year with a dramatic walk-off homer for the Mets in their first game after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

Mike finished his career with the Padres -- whom he led to a 2005 NL West title and A's before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, the same year the Mets retired his number 31.

My images are from July 31st, 2016 when Piazza's number 31 was retired by the Mets. Note the covering being lifted off the plaque atop the left field stands at Citi Field.

 

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