If you can’t make it to Cooperstown this weekend for Mike Piazza’s Hall of Fame induction, don’t worry — you’ll get a chance to see his bronze likeness in person next weekend in Flushing.
Piazza’s plaque will be temporarily removed from the Baseball Hall of Fame for a road trip to Citi Field, less than a week after he and Ken Griffey Jr.’s induction ceremony.
Piazza’s plaque will make the trek from Cooperstown to Citi Field on July 29. It’ll be on display all weekend before being reinstalled at the Baseball Hall of Fame on Aug. 1.
PhotosMike Piazza's Topps baseball cardsPhotosNotable moments, numbers in Piazza’s career
The plaque’s visit coincides with Mike Piazza Weekend, the Mets’ three-day tribute to their former All-Star catcher. The Mets will retire Piazza’s number 31 on Saturday and will have Piazza-themed giveaways on Friday and Sunday.
Piazza, who played for the Mets from 1998 to 2005, is widely regarded as baseball’s best hitting catcher. He had a .308 batting average, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBIs in 16 career seasons and was elected into the Hall in his fourth year of eligibility. He’ll be the first player to go into the Hall with a Mets cap on his plaque since Tom Seaver in 1992.
Likewise, Griffey’s plaque will be removed from the Hall of Fame on Aug. 3 and displayed at Seattle’s Safeco Field on Aug. 5-6 before being returned to Cooperstown on Aug. 8.
With AP
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