Mike Piazza
Mike Piazza
Michael Joseph Piazza /piːˈɑːtsə/is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1992–2007. He played most notably for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, while also having brief stints with the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics. A 12-time All-Star and 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner at catcher, Piazza produced strong offensive numbers at his position; in his career, he recorded 427 home runs—a record 396 of which were...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth4 September 1968
CityNorristown, PA
CountryUnited States of America
It's definitely not fun. It's a hurdle. It's just another thing you have to go through here. I think it's a rite of passage.
It's not feeling any worse, but it's not feeling better,
I'm definitely being spoiled, ... I hope we get a lot more ovations. I'm really honored. It's one of those fortunate things for me.
I'm feeling pretty good, ... I told them it's their call. I'm not trying to win a Purple Heart. But I probably can play.
I like Willie. I mean, I felt bad telling him my hand was broken, ... I said, 'Believe me, this is the last thing I want to have happen to me, it couldn't come at a worse time. But the hand is broken.' It's like a flat tire, you can't drive on it.
It was like we were destined to win that game. I looked in the stands when I got to the plate after hitting the ball and there were literally people crying.
Yes, no question. If you would have asked me, I'm telling you, in San Francisco, there's no way I thought I'd be able to play. This week I'm a lot more optimistic.
Nobody wanted me. Scouts told me to go to school, to forget baseball. Coaches said, 'You're never going to make it.' I appreciated their honesty, because I think when someone tells you something you may not like, you have to use that as fuel for motivation.
I'm not trying to prove anybody wrong, I'm just trying to prove something to myself.
I'm playing baseball because I love it, not because I need the money or attention. That is why I've been so dedicated. I've accomplished a lot of things no one ever thought I could, and I've done it from hard work.
A pitcher never gets me out. I get myself out. That's no disrespect to the pitcher, but there should be no excuse for failure. You can't have an excuse to fail.
Never let your dreams go away.
I long for the days when athletes were revered. I want to see the romance return to sports, to see people enjoy the game purely for the game and the players.
One thing anyone can go through is a slump. Unless you're Greg Maddux, it's going to happen to everybody.