Norristown's Mike Piazza Headed To Hall Of Fame

PHOENIXVILLE, PA - Widely considered one of the greatest catchers of his era, Pennsylvania’s Mike Piazza has been inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Piazza received votes on 83 percent of the 130 Hall of Fame ballots, according to an ESPN report.

The Phoenixville Area High School graduate and Norristown native had a storied baseball career, including lengthy stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers (where he won Rookie of the Year) and the New York Mets.

Piazza was a twelve-time All Star, and won the All-Star MVP Award in 1996. He also won the Silver Slugger Award - the best hitter at his position - ten times throughout this career. Many consider him the greatest hitting catcher of all time.

Piazza was also well known for leading the Mets back to the playoffs, especially during the historic Subway Series of 2000 against the New York Yankees, which the Yankees eventually won.

This will be the fourth year that Piazza was eligible for the Hall, and the fourth time he was put on the ballot.

He was not voted into the Hall by sportswriters the past three years.

Piazza, a 1986 graduate of Phoenixville Area High School, had previously announced his intention to go into the Hall of Fame as a Met.

Piazza joins Ken Griffey Jr., another hero of the 1990s, in the 2016 class. Griffey earned an all-time high 99.3% of the vote in his first year of eligibility.

Players must receive at least 75% of the vote to be admitted.

Image “Mike Piazza spring of 2004” by Original uploader was Jjj222 at en.wikipedia via Commons.