1200 Gay St, Phoenixville, PA 19460, United States
Mike Piazza attended Phoenixville Area High School.
300 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33132, United States
Piazza played college ball at Miami-Dade Community College.
1320 S Dixie Hwy, Coral Gables, FL 33146, United States
Piazza was given opportunities to play college ball at the University of Miami.
2003
755 Hank Aaron Way, Atlanta, GA 30315, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets blows a bubble during the game against the Atlanta Braves on August 27, 2003 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
2003
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Kevin James of "The King of Queens" stands with Mike Piazza of the New York Mets while the national anthem plays at Shea Stadium on September 24, 2003 in Queens, New York.
2003
Mike Piazza looks at a pitch from Kevin Brown fly past him.
2003
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets walks back to the dugout after striking out against Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning.
2003
Mets' catcher Mike Piazza with Kevin James
2003
Mike Piazza in action
2003
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza at practice before a game between the Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Shea Stadium.
2003
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza is back at Shea Stadium for a workout before a game against the San Francisco Giants.
2003
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza slaps hands with his teammates as he returns to the dugout after hitting a game-winning, two-run homer in the 10th inning of the game against the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium.
2003
115 Federal St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets looks on from the field during batting practice before a Major League Baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
2006
1000 Vin Scully Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres attempts to tag sliding Jeff Kent of the Los Angeles Dodgers who scores for a 1-0 lead during the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium on September 15, 2006 in Los Angeles, California.
2006
San Diego, California, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres is unable to catch a foul ball pop-up hit by Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning of the National League Division Series Game 1 on October 3, 2006 in San Diego, California.
2006
San Diego, California, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres hits a fly ball out to the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning of Game Two of the National League Division Series on October 5, 2006 in San Diego, California.
2006
100 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres walks away after striking out during game one of the National League Divisional Series at Petco Park in San Diego, California on October 3, 2006.
2006
San Diego, California, United States
Mike Piazza
2006
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres acknowledges the fans on his first appearance at Shea Stadium since leaving the New York Mets, on August 8, 2006 in New York.
2006
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres runs between bases against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, on August 8, 2006 in New York.
755 Hank Aaron Way, Atlanta, GA 30315, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets swings and watches the flight of his ball against the Atlanta Braves during an MLB baseball game circa 2001 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
755 Hank Aaron Way, Atlanta, GA 30315, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets looks on from the dugout during an MLB baseball game against the Atlanta Braves circa 2001 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
31 Piazza Dr., Port St. Lucie, FL 34986, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets bats against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training MLB baseball game circa 2001 at Digital Domain Park (now Clover Park) in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
123–01 Roosevelt Avenuуe, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets bats during an MLB baseball game circa 2001 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City.
123–01 Roosevelt Avenuуe, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets bats during a Major League Baseball game circa 2000 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City.
123–01 Roosevelt Avenuуe, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets watches the flight of his ball as he runs up the first baseline against the Cincinnati Reds during a Major League Baseball game circa 2002 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City.
2000
Mike Piazza poses for a portrait with the Sporting News' Hillerich & Bradsby C. Silver Slugger Award on April 27, 2000.
2000
Mike Piazza poses for a portrait with the Sporting News' Hillerich & Bradsby C. Silver Slugger Award on April 27, 2000.
2003
755 Hank Aaron Way, Atlanta, GA 30315, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets blows a bubble during the game against the Atlanta Braves on August 27, 2003 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
2003
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Kevin James of "The King of Queens" stands with Mike Piazza of the New York Mets while the national anthem plays at Shea Stadium on September 24, 2003 in Queens, New York.
2003
Mike Piazza looks at a pitch from Kevin Brown fly past him.
2003
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets walks back to the dugout after striking out against Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning.
2003
Mets' catcher Mike Piazza with Kevin James
2003
Mike Piazza in action
2003
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza at practice before a game between the Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Shea Stadium.
2003
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza is back at Shea Stadium for a workout before a game against the San Francisco Giants.
2003
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza slaps hands with his teammates as he returns to the dugout after hitting a game-winning, two-run homer in the 10th inning of the game against the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium.
2003
115 Federal St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets looks on from the field during batting practice before a Major League Baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
2006
1000 Vin Scully Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres attempts to tag sliding Jeff Kent of the Los Angeles Dodgers who scores for a 1-0 lead during the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium on September 15, 2006 in Los Angeles, California.
2006
San Diego, California, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres is unable to catch a foul ball pop-up hit by Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning of the National League Division Series Game 1 on October 3, 2006 in San Diego, California.
2006
San Diego, California, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres hits a fly ball out to the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning of Game Two of the National League Division Series on October 5, 2006 in San Diego, California.
2006
100 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres walks away after striking out during game one of the National League Divisional Series at Petco Park in San Diego, California on October 3, 2006.
2006
San Diego, California, United States
Mike Piazza
2006
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres acknowledges the fans on his first appearance at Shea Stadium since leaving the New York Mets, on August 8, 2006 in New York.
2006
123–01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the San Diego Padres runs between bases against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, on August 8, 2006 in New York.
2018
41 Seaver Way, Queens, NY 11368, United States
Mike Piazza, before he threw out the first pitch before a game between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 9, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
2018
41 Seaver Way, Queens, NY 11368, United States
Mike Piazza waves to fans by the dugout before an interleague MLB baseball game against the New York Yankees on June 9, 2018 at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City.
2019
Miami, Florida, United States
Mike Piazza and Alicia Rickter arrive at the Hublot Collectors Dinner with Haute Living Cover Star French Montana on August 18, 2019 in Miami, Florida.
2019
1819 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States
Mike Piazza and Alicia Rickter arrive at the 30th Anniversary of "Baywatch" at the Viceroy Hotel on September 24, 2019 in Santa Monica, California.
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Mike Piazza attends Build Series to discuss his career in baseball and the 2019 World Series at Build Studio on October 28, 2019 in New York City.
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Mike Piazza attends Build Series to discuss his career in baseball and the 2019 World Series at Build Studio on October 28, 2019 in New York City.
2019
1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, United States
Mike Piazza speaks onstage during ONWARD19: the Future of Search, Day 2, at Marriott Marquis Hotel on October 29, 2019 in New York City.
1200 Gay St, Phoenixville, PA 19460, United States
Mike Piazza attended Phoenixville Area High School.
755 Hank Aaron Way, Atlanta, GA 30315, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets swings and watches the flight of his ball against the Atlanta Braves during an MLB baseball game circa 2001 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
755 Hank Aaron Way, Atlanta, GA 30315, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets looks on from the dugout during an MLB baseball game against the Atlanta Braves circa 2001 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
31 Piazza Dr., Port St. Lucie, FL 34986, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets bats against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training MLB baseball game circa 2001 at Digital Domain Park (now Clover Park) in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
123–01 Roosevelt Avenuуe, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets bats during an MLB baseball game circa 2001 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City.
123–01 Roosevelt Avenuуe, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets bats during a Major League Baseball game circa 2000 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City.
123–01 Roosevelt Avenuуe, Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
Mike Piazza of the New York Mets watches the flight of his ball as he runs up the first baseline against the Cincinnati Reds during a Major League Baseball game circa 2002 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City.
300 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33132, United States
Piazza played college ball at Miami-Dade Community College.
1320 S Dixie Hwy, Coral Gables, FL 33146, United States
Piazza was given opportunities to play college ball at the University of Miami.
Alicia Rickter, Piazza's spouse
Eric Karros, Piazza's friend
Maurizio Franzone, Piazza's friend
Michael Jordan
(Mike tells the story behind his dramatic confrontation wi...)
Mike tells the story behind his dramatic confrontation with Roger Clemens in the 2000 World Series. He addresses the steroid controversy that hovered around him and Major League Baseball during his time and provides a valuable perspective on the subject. Mike also addresses the rumors of being gay and describes the thrill of his game-winning home run on September 21, 2001, the first baseball game played in New York after the 9/11 tragedy. Along the way, he tells terrific stories about teammates and rivals that baseball fans will devour.
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Shot-Mike-Piazza-ebook/dp/B008J4DVVY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1612256183&sr=8-2
2013
(Opposites don't just attract - they hilariously feud and ...)
Opposites don't just attract - they hilariously feud and collide when Sandra Bullock plays an activist lawyer and Hugh Grant is the eccentric tycoon who hires her.
https://www.amazon.com/Two-Weeks-Notice-Hugh-Grant/dp/B0014DQSGW
2002
baseball player manager athlete
Ethnicity:
Mike Piazza is of half Italian and half Slovak ancestry.
Mike Piazza was born on September 4, 1968 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States. He is the second of five sons born to Vincent and Veronica Piazza.
Piazza's father, a high school dropout, worked in a tire plant at night and fixed used cars during the day until he earned enough money to buy a car dealership, which he parlayed into a multimillion-dollar business empire. His mother earned a nursing degree but opted to stay home to care for her sons. When Piazza was eleven, he and his father built a batting cage out of scrap wood in the family's backyard, where Piazza hit 200 to 300 balls each day. In cold weather, Piazza would heat the balls on a gas stove and wrap pipe insulation around his bat to prevent his hands from taking a beating. His father owned box seats along the third baseline at Veterans Stadium, where Piazza had an unencumbered view of the Philadelphia Phillies' third baseman Mike Schmidt, whom he idolized. When the Los Angeles Dodgers came to town, Piazza sat in an even better seat: his father's childhood friend and distant cousin, the Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda, arranged for him to be a batboy.
In the summer of 1984 Ted Williams, the former Boston Red Sox star who once hit over .400 in a season, met Vince Piazza through a mutual friend and found out that he had a son who could hit. He visited the Piazza home to watch the fifteen-year-old slugger in action. Williams said he had never seen a better hitter at such a young age. He recommended that Piazza get his book, The Science of Hitting. When Piazza, who had already read the book, returned from his room with his copy, Williams inscribed it "Don't forget me. One day, I'll be looking for you for tickets to get into the major leagues."
But the major leagues were a long way off for Piazza. Despite batting over .400 and breaking the former Cleveland Indians' slugger Andre Thornton's all-time Phoenixville Area High School home-run record during his senior year, Piazza attracted scant interest from scouts. With Lasorda's help, Piazza was given opportunities to play college ball at the University of Miami and then at Miami-Dade Community College.
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Piazza in the sixty-second round of the June 1988 draft. He was the 1,390th player taken, of 1,433 players selected overall. But Piazza was not signed until months after the draft, when he displayed awesome power during a workout at Dodger Stadium, repeatedly hammering balls into the seats. The exhibition of power piqued the interest of Dodgers' scouting director Ben Wade, but he remained skeptical of Piazza's speed and fielding ability. Wade offered Piazza a $15,000 signing bonus under the condition that he enroll in the Dodgers' Dominican Republic training academy to learn the catching position.
After a stint in spring training in March 1989, Piazza was sent to the rookie league Salem Dodgers in Oregon in June. Piazza was promoted to the Single-A Vero Beach (Florida) Dodgers in March 1990. In June he lost his starting spot to a more polished defensive catcher. Feeling he was being unfairly punished because of Lasorda's perceived favoritism, Piazza quit the team. Four days later he returned and apologized. After the season Dodgers' farm director Charlie Blaney proposed the catcher be released because of his poor attitude. Lasorda intervened, demanding Piazza be given a chance to play every day for a full season. In 1991, Piazza was sent to Class-A Bakersfield (California) and the next year to the Dodgers' Double-A team in San Antonio, Texas, before being promoted to the Triple-A team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was called up to the Dodgers in September 1992 and hit .232 in twenty-one games. In the off-season, Mike Scioscia, the veteran Dodgers catcher, left Los Angeles as a free agent when the team refused to guarantee him a starting position. Piazza was invited to the Dodgers' spring training camp in March 1993. With the starting catching position up for grabs, he hit an astounding .478 and beat out four other players for the job. Piazza did more than just win the starting role; he became an immediate sensation, hitting .318 with 35 homers and 112 runs batted in (RBI) in 1993. He was only the sixth player unanimously selected as the National League Rookie of the Year. He went on to make 6 All-Star teams as a Dodger, capped by a remarkable 1997 season in which he hit .362 with 40 homers and 124 RBI - the best offensive year ever by a catcher.
In 1998, when contract talks between the Dodgers and Piazza broke off, Piazza was traded to the Florida Marlins in a blockbuster seven-player deal. After only five games he was traded to the New York Mets in exchange for three minor leaguers. With Piazza hitting .328, the Mets played their best baseball in years, but they lost their last five games as their catcher struggled, blowing what appeared to be a sure wild-card spot in the play-offs. In what was to become a familiar reprise, fans began to wonder whether the rigors of catching over a full season affected Piazza's hitting late in the year. Despite being roundly booed toward the end of the season, Piazza remained with the Mets, signing a seven-year, $91 million contract in October 1998, making him the highest-paid player in baseball history at the time.
Piazza hit forty home runs in 1999 and collected 124 RBI, but he again struggled toward the end of the year. Unlike the previous campaign, the Mets rebounded in time to salvage their season, winning the last four games to force a one-game playoff against the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets beat the Reds 5-0 to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1988. They then upset the Arizona Diamondbacks three games to one to advance to the National League East playoffs, where they lost to the Atlanta Braves. In 2000 Piazza powered the Mets to the World Series, hitting thirty-eight home runs. However, his season was marked by confrontations with the New York Yankees' pitcher Roger Clemens. Piazza was struck in the head by a fastball thrown by Clemens during an 8 July game, resulting in a concussion. Piazza, who thought that he had been hit intentionally, had harsh words for Clemens after the contest. Later that year the Mets won an exciting playoff series against the San Francisco Giants. They then dominated the St. Louis Cardinals to win the National League pennant and set up a "subway series" match-up with the New York Yankees.
The second game of the subway series brought the much-anticipated rematch between Piazza and Clemens, the first time the two had faced off since the incident in July. In a bizarre set of events, Piazza broke his bat while connecting with a pitch thrown by Clemens. The barrel of the splintered bat shot toward Clemens, who inexplicably picked up the chunk of wood and fired it like a spear in the direction of Piazza. Stunned, Piazza simply stared at Clemens but did not charge at the Yankees pitcher. The umpires allowed Clemens to remain in the game, which the Yankees won, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series. They eventually captured the series four games to one, with Piazza making the last out on a fly ball to centerfield in game five.
After the 2002 season, Piazza represented Major League Baseball during a three-week tour of Europe. He visited London, Berlin, and Rome and offered hitting and fielding clinics for kids, promoted the Italian Olympic Team and had an audience with Pope John Paul II.
On May 5, 2004, Piazza hit a home run against the San Francisco Giants to pass Carlton Fisk as the all-time leader for home runs by a catcher. The home run was number 352 as a catcher and his 363rd overall.
On October 2, 2005, Piazza played his final game as a Met. In his 7½ seasons as a Met, Piazza batted .296 with 220 home runs and 655 RBIs.
Piazza returned to the West Coast for the 2006 season, signing a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the San Diego Padres. During the year with the team, he batted .283 with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs. For the 2007 season, Mike signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Oakland A's. After a shoulder injury, Piazza returned and finished the season with a .275 average, 8 home runs, and 44 RBIs.
In 2006, Mike also played for Italy in the World Baseball Classic and coached the team in 2009 and 2013.
On May 20, 2008, Piazza announced his retirement as a player in a press release issued by his agent, Dan Lozano. Piazza finished his career with 427 home runs, 396 of them as a catcher.
In 2016, Mike Piazza purchased a majority ownership stake of the Italian soccer club A.C. Reggiana. In July 2018, the club ceased operations. Several months later, the team declared bankruptcy.
On November 13, 2019, it was announced that Piazza would manage the Italian National Baseball team in the 2020 European Baseball Championship and the 2021 World Baseball Classic, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, he was unable to do so.
Piazza enjoyed his celebrity. His charm off the field landed him cameo appearances as well as several guest appearances on TV shows like Baywatch and Married…with Children. He has also been seen in commercials, notably several for Pert shampoo and 10-10-220, and in the movie Two Weeks Notice.
Currently, Mike Piazza manages the Italy national baseball team.
Piazza is one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball history, hitting 427 home runs along with a .308 batting average and 1,335 runs batted in (RBI). He is a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
In his first full season in 1993, Piazza hit .318 and crushed 35 home runs on his way to becoming 1993 NL Rookie of the Year. On January 6, 2016, Mike was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 83% of the vote. He was also inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame and the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago.
(Mike tells the story behind his dramatic confrontation wi...)
2013(Opposites don't just attract - they hilariously feud and ...)
2002Piazza is a devout Catholic. He was featured in Champions of Faith and Champions of Faith: Bases of Life.
In October 2020, Mike Piazza participated in a Trump rally in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Mike Piazza has supported the Jason Taylor Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Nevada Cancer Institute. In 1995, he donated $100 for every home run he hit to a fund for all the Dodger Stadium employees who were not paid during the baseball strike.
Quotations:
"Yes, hard is good. When I was in high school, I spent a lot of time on my knees playing with balls. I guess it was only natural that I became a catcher."
"You can't get real happy or real depressed when you play baseball. Baseball is a great sport in that it offers a player a lot of opportunities for atonement."
"I have gone from a player who thought he would spend his whole career with one organization to a player who's been with three organizations in a week. It's like rotisserie baseball."
"Never let your dreams go away."
Piazza is a fan of heavy metal music. He is featured on the album Stronger than Death by Black Label Society.
Physical Characteristics: Mike Piazza is 6 ft 3 inches (190 cm) tall and weighs 200 lb (90 kg).
On January 29, 2005, Mike Piazza married Alicia Rickter. The couple has three children - Nicoletta, Paulina, and Marco.
(born September 21, 1972)
Alicia Rickter is an American model and actress. She appeared as "Laura" in the comedy Buying the Cow and on the TV series Baywatch and The Young and the Restless.
(born 2007)
(born August 3, 2009)
(born July 2013)
(born November 4, 1967)
Eric Karros is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Karros played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1991 to 2004 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics.
(born May 25, 1969)
