Piazza, Griffey await Hall enshrinement
Former Met catcher went from being lowly draft pick to superstar status
Former Met catcher Mike Piazza and outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will become the Hall of Fame's newest inductees.
When they were drafted nearly three decades ago, one was on everybody’s baseball radar, the other a blip at best, picked almost as an afterthought in the final round thanks to a recommendation by an important family friend.
That their baseball paths started so differently — the Seattle Mariners made Ken Griffey Jr. the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft and a year later the Dodgers selected Mike Piazza on the 62nd round with the 1,390th pick, ahead of only five other players — in the end didn’t matter one bit. Two players who wore their hats backward a lot — one for fun, the other because he had to — and left indelible imprints on the game will be rewarded Sunday with induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“It’s incredibly powerful,” said Piazza, by far the lowest draft pick in history elected to the Hall. “This whole year for me has been so euphoric. It’s such an honor.”
Dubbed “The Natural” for his effortless excellence at the plate and in center field, Griffey, the first No. 1 pick to be selected for enshrinement, hasn’t followed form since his selection in January. He’s been feted in Seattle, which likely still has a major league team because of his tenure there, served as honorary starter for NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500, and played a lot of golf to avoid thinking or talking about his induction.
When he visited Cooperstown in late May for a mini-orientation, Griffey chose not to take the customary introductory tour of the Hall that’s become sort of a tradition in recent years. He did attend a series of brief meetings with Hall of Fame staff at a separate location in the village and said he wanted his first walk through the front doors
of the stately building on Main Street to be with his children.
“I wanted to share the moment with them,” Griffey said. “It was important for me to be able to do it with them and not just by myself. I just felt that I wanted to be a member of the Hall of Fame to walk in there.”
Induction day promises to be an extremely emotional moment for Griffey because his mom, Birdie, and father, former Cincinnati Reds star Ken Sr., both cancer survivors and integral to his rise to stardom, also will be part of the celebration.
Griffey played 22 bigleague seasons with the Mariners, Reds and White Sox and was named on a record 99.32 percent of ballots cast, an affirmation of sorts for his squeakyclean performance during baseball’s Steroids Era.
A 13-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, Griffey hit 630 home runs, sixth all-time, and drove in 1,836 runs.
Griffey also was named American League MVP in 1997, drove in at least 100 runs in eight seasons, and won seven Silver Slugger Awards.
In the 1995 ALDS, he became just the second player in major league history to hit five home runs in a single postseason series (Reggie Jackson of the Yankees in the 1977 World Series is the other).
Like Yankees great Mickey Mantle before him, fans are left to wonder what more Griffey might have accomplished had his health not become a hindrance.
From 2001-04 he averaged fewer than 80 games played per year while suffering through hamstring tears, knee problems, a dislocated shoulder, and ankle tendon ruptures.
Healthy again in 2005, Junior slugged 35 home runs and captured the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Two years later, he had his last standout season — 144 games, 30 homers, 93 RBIs — and earned his final All-Star Game selection.
He finished his career with the White Sox and Mariners before retiring early in the 2010 season.
For Piazza, selection to the Hall is validation of an awful lot of hard work.
Taken in the draft after Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, a close friend of Piazza’s father, put in a good word, Piazza struggled. He briefly quit the game while in the minor leagues, returned and persevered despite a heavy workload as he switched from first base to catcher and teammates criticized his erratic play.
“When I first signed with the Dodgers, I knew it was going to be a very difficult path,” Piazza said. “At the time I wasn’t having any fun and decided to quit the game. I was just fortunate that I had great coaches and people looking out for me to encourage me to go back. You don’t make it to the Hall of Fame alone, you have a lot of people looking out for you along the way.”
And then it all clicked almost suddenly for Piazza, hitting 52 home runs in the minors before getting called up by the Dodgers in September 1992. He was there to stay after going 3 for 3 in his debut and was named National League Rookie of the Year the following season after hitting .318 with 35 homers and 112 RBIs.
Piazza played 16 years with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres and Athletics and hit 427 career home runs, including a major league record 396 as a catcher. A 12-time All-Star, Piazza won 10 Silver Slugger Awards and finished in the top five in MVP voting four times.
Perhaps even more impressive, Piazza, a .308 career hitter, posted six seasons with at least 30 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .300 batting average. All other catchers in baseball history combined have posted nine such seasons.
Though the Dodgers gave him his start, Piazza found a home in New York when he was traded to the Mets in May 1998. 6 ½ Furlongs. F&M 3YO and up. MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT. Purse $73,000 [2:41 PM] GRASSARLA: Was second in her debut behind a runaway winner. She pressed a pretty fast pace that day, and the outside draw in this sprint race is a plus; BARBIE ON A BUDGET: Is a full sister to four-time stakes-winner Mineralogist and has flashed some talent in the mornings. John Kimmel’s horses sometimes need a race to get going, but this is one to keep an eye on; WOODVILLE: Fetched $100,000 at auction in 2014 and has an interesting work pattern. She’s a contender if she runs back to her July 12th bullet. 5 ½ Furlongs. Turf. F&M 3YO and up. CLAIMING $40,000. Purse $62,000 [3:15 PM] SWEET BUTTERFLY: Runs the same race almost every time out, and has 13 top-two finishes in 19 turf sprints. She won nicely at Monmouth last out, and Javier Castellano climbs aboard; SUNRISE KITTY: Has burned some money this year but was beaten just a nose at this level last time out at Belmont. She was second in a race at this route last summer; KATIE O.: May be the race’s main speed. She drops down in class second off the claim and could lead them a long way. DIRT SELECTIONS: YOU LIE, ANGIE’S PRIM LADY, GOODBYE SORROW. 1 1/16 Miles. Turf. F&M 3YO and up. MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT. Purse $83,000 [3:49 PM] MORE THAN KISSES: Stretches out to two turns but seems like the main speed. She exits a fast seven-furlong race where she was beaten just a half-length, and the connections must be respected; SASSY LITTLE LILA: Made a middle move in her debut and raced five-wide around the turn. Improvement is logical at second asking, especially with a better trip; STREET STRUT: Has a fantastic pedigree, being a half-sister to Grade 1-placed America. Additionally, her third dam is in the family of two Belmont winners, so this distance should be what she wants. DIRT SELECTIONS: GIRL TALK, RIVER CITY LADY, STREET STRUT. SATURDAY’S SARATOGA RESULTS First 3 (3) Chomsky 3 (3) Money Changer 7.60 4.10 2.90 Off 2:44. Time 1:10.28. Fast. 7 (6) Afleet Martini 4.00 2.90 Scratched—Whitegate, Greyjoy. Pick 3 5 (4) Battle Midway 4.20 (2-5-8) 3 Correct $111.00. Consolation Off 1:00. Time 1:16.01. Fast. Scratched— Pick 3 (2-5-9) 3 Correct Paid $31.80. Benny and Alex. Exacta (3-7) $29.00. Quinella (7-8) $9.50. Superfecta (8-73-1) Superfecta (3-7-5-2) $380.00. Trifecta $96.00. Trifecta (8-7-3) $30.60. (3-7-5) $103.00. Consolation Double (5-9) $3.70.
Daily Double (5-8) $11.40. Exacta (8-7) Second
$16.00. 2 (2) Conquest Sure Shot15.00 6.60 1 (1) Master Merion 4.20 Fifth 4 (4) Unbridled Eagle 5 (3) Big Rock Off 1:33. Time 1:44.03. Firm. 8 (5) Lord of Love Scratched—It’s Your Nickel, Red 10 (6) Cort Again, Everybodyluvsrudy, Kahramani. Off 3:16. Time 1:02.14. Firm. Daily Double (3-2) $59.00. Exacta Scratched—Entertainer, Delta Outlaw, (2-1) $56.50. Quinella (1-2) $21.20. Superfecta Evolution, Gentrify. Pick 5 (3-2-56/8/9-5) (2-1-4-3) $6,015.00. Trifecta 5 Correct $4,281.00. Pick 4 (2-1-4) $879.00. (2-5-6/8/9-5) 4 Correct Paid $797.00.
Pick 3 (5-8-5) 3 Correct Paid $90.00. Third Consolation Pick 3 (5-9-5) 3 Correct Sanford S. Paid $29.20. Superfecta (5-8-10-2) 5 (5) Bitumen $2,362.00. Daily Double (8-5) $38.20. 2 (2) Random Walk Exacta (5-8) $140.00. Trifecta (5-8-10) 1 (1) Zartera $722.00. Off 2:07. Time 1:10.68. Fast. Pick 3 Sixth (3-2-5) 3 Correct $131.00. Daily Double
8 (8) One Liner (2-5) $31.80. Exacta (5-2) $7.30.
7 (7) Royal Copy Superfecta (5-2-1-4) $22.80. Trifecta
2 (2) Pretty Boy Flash (5-2-1) $15.60.
Off 3:50. Time 1:04.89. Fast. Fourth Scratched—Magnolia Mountain. Pick 3 8 (7) Come as You Are 4.60 (8-5-8) 3 Correct $158.50. Daily Double 7 (6) Onlytheshadowknows (5-8) $53.50. Exacta (8-7) $47.80. Superfecta 3.90 2.50 2.70 2.90 3.70 4.70 3.30 9.50 2.10 2.20 2.80 2.10 2.50 15.40 7.80 8.00 9.90 4.70 6.40 2.40 5.30 5.40 4.00 3.60 3.90 4.30 1 Mile. Turf. Open 3YO and up. STARTER ALLOWANCE $50,000. Purse $55,000 [6:54 PM] DATA DRIVEN: Had an adventurous trip last out at this level. He gets off the rail here, which should help, and Rosario staying on is a plus; MAV: Was second behind a next-out winner and gets stepped up in class after being claimed back by George Weaver. His lone victory came going two turns, and he seems to be on the improve; YOWL: Finished behind a few of today’s rivals last out, but Irad Ortiz, Jr., comes back aboard, and that could make a big difference. DIRT SELECTIONS: SHADOW RIDER, DATA DRIVEN, BANKERS HOLIDAY. (8-7-2-4) (8-7-2) $295.50. Seventh 8 (7) Ascend 3 (3) Slim Shadey 9 (8) Adirondack Dancer Off 4:28. Time 1:41.78. Firm. Scratched—Hothersal. Pick 3 (5-8-8) 3 Correct $394.00. Daily Double (8-8) $49.00. Exacta (8-3) $62.50. Superfecta (8-3-9-1) $3,892.00. Trifecta (8-3-9) $388.50. Eighth 2 (1) Our Way 3 (3) Tizzarunner 9 (9) Hockey School Off 5:05. Time 1:35.50. Firm. Scratched—Scissors and Tape. Pick 3 (8-8-2) 3 Correct $431.00. Daily Double (8-2) $87.50. Exacta (2-3) $150.00. Superfecta (2-3-9-6) $11,197.00. Trifecta (2-3-9) $1,776.00. a-Coupled. Ninth 5 (5) Tale of Verve 4.40 4 (4) My Man Sam 2.20 2 (2) Cadeyrn 4.50 Off 5:41. Time 1:50.49. Fast. Pick 3 (82-5) 3 Correct $1,808.00. Daily Double (2-5) $431.50. Exacta (5-4) $94.00. Superfecta (5-4-2-1) $975.00. Trifecta (5-4-2) $507.00. $3,416.00. Trifecta 9.40 22.00 10.00 9.00 37.40 4.60 6.40 7.80 2.60 3.30 4.00 6.20 6.10 5.40 6.90 Tenth Diana S. 6 (6) Dacita 4.20 7 (7) Recepta 5.90 9 (9) Rainha Da Bateria 11.20 Off 6:18. Time 1:46.25. Firm. Pick 3 (25-6) 3 Correct $4,169.00. Grand Slam (3/8/9-2/3/9-2/4/5-6) 4 Correct Paid $199.00. Daily Double (5-6) $290.00. Exacta (6-7) $95.50. Superfecta (6-7-9-2) $7,871.00. Trifecta (6-7-9) $1,217.00. 11th 4 (3) Procurement 10 (9) Dream Man 3 (2) Aripeka Off 6:59. Time 1:41.15. Firm. Scratched—Status of Forces, All Over Me. Pick 6 (8/11-8-2-5-6-4) 5 Correct $17,412.00. Pick 4 (2-5-6-4) 4 Correct Paid $24,749.00. Pick 3 (5-6-4) 3 Correct Paid $2,668.00. Trifecta (4-10-3) $429.50. Superfecta (4-10-3-2) $1,243.00. Daily Double (6-4) $108.00. Exacta (4-10) $92.50. Attendance 30,708. IST $18,397,671. Handle $5,039,481. Total Handle $23,437,152. 10.20 14.60 5.70 8.30 7.50 6.00 4.50 3.90 2.90