April 22, 1998; June 6, 2006 – Selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 62ndround of the 1988 draft, behind 1,389 other hopefuls, Michael Joseph Piazza seemed destined to be just another kid with an unfulfilled dream. Instead, the native of Norristown, Pennsylvania, went on to be widely acknowledged as the greatest offensive catcher in major-league history. In a 16-year career with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets and Padres, he hit 427 home runs, including a record 396 as a catcher, and posted a career .308 average.

After initially struggling in the minor leagues, by 1992 he had become the Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year. In 1993 he became the Dodgers starting catcher, made the All-Star team, and was the unanimous choice as NL Rookie of the Year. A 12-time All-Star, he was twice the runner-up in the Most Valuable Player voting, four times finishing in the top five, and won ten consecutive Silver Slugger Awards.

Of his 427 home runs, none was more memorable than the one he hit at Shea Stadium on September 21, 2011. In the first professional sporting event in New York City after the September 11 terrorist attack, Piazza hit an eighth-inning, game-winning homer that not only gave the Mets a come-from-behind win over the Braves but provided a much-needed morale boost to a stunned city. When Shea Stadium closed in September 2008, that home run was chosen as the second-greatest moment in the stadium’s history, and it is even mentioned on his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown. On July 30, 2106, the Mets retired Piazza’s Number 31.

Piazza has long been involved with efforts to enhance the development of baseball in Italy. He was the marquee player for Italy in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, then served as a coach in the 2009 and 2013 Classics.

While his record easily warranted admission to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2013, Piazza was not elected until his fourth time on the ballot. Unsubstantiated rumors of alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs, which Piazza denied, had tainted him with guilt by association, linking him with suspected and avowed steroid users whose names were also on the ballot. His induction in 2016 made him the lowest-drafted player ever to be enshrined in Cooperstown. In his acceptance speech Piazza expressed his gratitude to his father, Vince, in Italian, saying: “Many thanks to the country of Italy for the gift of my father.”