Mike Piazza ’embraced in NYC,’ chooses Mets for Hall of Fame cap

Griffey will be immortalized as a Seattle Mariner in the Hall of Fame, while Piazza will enter as a member of the New York Mets.

Seattle Mariners president Kevin Mather, left, unveils a jersey with former player Ken Griffey Jr.at a news conference Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, in Seattle. It will be part of Ken Griffey Jr. weekend in Seattle. Certainly, being the first player in Mariners’ history to have his number retired is how it should be.

Catcher Mike Piazza was also elected, with 83 percent, and will join Griffey in the July 24 ceremony as the 311th and 312th members of the Hall of Fame.

“We’re looking forward to seeing Ryan in a Mariners uniform”, Dipoto said. “They really choose carefully who they want to embrace, and I knew that was something, in the beginning, was going to be a challenge”. A 13-time All-Star, Griffey won 10 Gold Glove Awards and seven Silver Slugger Awards in a career that also saw him play for his hometown Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. “I’ve never even seen the front of it”, Griffey said. Ten years later, Griffey Jr. invoked his rights as a player of at least 10 seasons, the last five with the same club, to nix the trade to the Mets. “And, for me, I always enjoyed reconnecting here in NY”. Nowhere was this more evident, than in his reaction to finding out that number 24 will hang next to Jackie Robinson’s number 42 in Safeco Field.

But the story of this year’s induction is definitely Ken Griffey Jr.’s ascension to the top of his generation. Piazza spoke Wednesday night about his choice with former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, whose recommendation led to the team drafting him. He fell three votes short, being named on 437 of 440 ballots, and whilst it’s reasonable to query why he wasn’t selected by those three voters (as it’s reasonable to expect all voters to explain how their ballots), it shouldn’t take any attention away from the joy of Griffey’s election and celebration of his wonderful career. But then, (I) eventually made a decision to just try to do the best I could, and the fans responded, and I ended up having an an fantastic experience here in NY.

Speaking to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times and the rest of the media, Griffey said: “I don’t think I did half of what he did”. He will be the first player to wear a Mariners cap in Mariners history.

Growing up, I was a nominal catcher for three years under the direction of my dad, who let me pick the team name despite being a diehard Baltimore-bred Orioles fan. Now I’ve got great friends who are from Japan to Australia, guys I get a chance to play with and meet and I call and text when they do great things. Griffey then made a cross-country trip to Seattle, where a police escort awaited at the airport.

The first sporting event NY hosted after 9/11 was a Mets home game on September 21 in which Piazza crushed a come-from-behind, game-winning home run in the eighth inning to beat the Braves 3-2. “He remains just 28 years old and is just one season removed from being one of the more effective setup relievers in the American League”.