Mariners welcome back Griffey, retiring No

Ken Griffey, Jr. will be enshrined in Cooperstown with a Seattle Mariners hat, and Mike Piazza will have a New York Mets cap.

The voters are tasked with voting in the eligible baseball players they believe are the most deserving to be in the Hall of Fame.

“I was able to sneak into this game, kind of limp in, if you will”, Piazza said.

“I’m starting to remember”, Piazza said. Years played with a particular organization play a significant role, so Piazza’s eight years as a Met beat out his seven years as a Dodger, not to mention more games (972 in NY, 726 in LA), more hits (1,028 to 896), more home runs (220-177), and more RBIs (655 – 563). While fellow electee Ken Griffey Jr. said he was too superstitious to enter the Hall when playing an exhibition game nearby, Piazza bought a ticket and took a tour early in his career, explaining, “I figured the only way I’d get in was to pay”. He still loves the game and follows players, like the Reds’ Billy Hamilton, whom he coached at Cincinnati’s Double AA affiliate in Bakersfield, California. The 12-time All-Star also boasted nine seasons of 30 or more home runs-more than double any other catcher’s total.

Griffey was asked a few months ago by the Hall whether he would want his plaque to show a backward cap, the image of him in the minds of many fans.

But the news here is that Piazza’s election to the Hall creates some wiggle room for the BBWAA because this is a guy who has admitted using androstenedione, a performance-enhancing drug that is now on baseball’s banned substance list.

We walked around Little Italy, which I think I suggested, hoping that an Italian ballplayer cutting la bella figura would bring the neighborhood out to the street.

The 1,390th player drafted in 1988, Mike Piazza was originally a first baseman until moved by legendary manager Tommy Lasorada behind the plate where he never looked back, changing the way catchers are looked at for the rest of time.

In 1999, Piazza hit. The number 24 will go next to the already retired number 42 for Jackie Robinson, that was retired by all Major League teams in honor of Jackie Robinson.

“We are a Met-heavy firehouse – bunch of fans”, Ladder 3 firefighter Eugene Brennan said on Thursday.

The decisions were announced after consultation with the Hall, which has the final say. Unfortunately, we do have to choose one, and for me, it’s just, I always sort of enjoyed reconnecting here in NY.

Newcomers to the ballot in 2017 include former Red Sox star Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Vladimir Guerrero. This time around was the fourth year of eligibility for Piazza and the first year of eligibility for Griffey.

With 75% of the vote required, Griffey Jr.’s entry was not even close while Bonds, McGwire, and Clemens will need to trend upward in the years to come.

Raines stole 808 bases in his 24-year career, surpassing 70 in every season from 1981-86. That is 99.3 percent of the ballots, breaking Tom Seaver’s mark of 98.84 percent in 1992.