Classic SI Photos of Mike Piazza

The greatest hitting catcher of all time, Mike Piazza, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 24, 2016. Piazza finished his career with a .308 batting average, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBIs in 16 seasons, mostly with the Dodgers and Mets. Here are some classic SI photos of the slugging catcher through the years.

Classic SI Photos of Mike Piazza

V.J. Lovero

Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda pinches the cheek of his rookie catcher, Mike Piazza, before a game in June 1993.

V.J. Lovero

Roommates Eric Karros and Mike Piazza feed cereal and donuts to a cut-out of Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda in June 1993.

V.J. Lovero

Mike Piazza appears on his first SI cover in July 1993.

Peter Read Miller

Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza appear on this foldout cover of SI in April 1994.

Brad Mangin

Mike Piazza looks to catch a pop-up during a game against the Giants in April 1996.

V.J. Lovero

Mike Piazza poses with a cigar during this SI photo shoot in May 1996.

Tim DeFrisco

Mike Piazza catches a throw to the plate during a game against the Rockies in Sept. 1997.

Walter Iooss Jr.

Mike Piazza appears on the cover of SI following his trade from the Dodgers to the Marlins in May 1998.

V.J. Lovero

Mike Piazza warms up on the field prior to one of his five games played with the Marlins in May 1998.

John Iacono

Mike Piazza attempts to catch a throw to the plate in one of his first games with the Mets in May 1998.

Chuck Solomon

Down 8-1 to the rival Braves, the Mets scored 10 runs in the eighth inning, capped by Mike Piazza's tie-breaking, three-run homer on June 30, 2000.

Chuck Solomon

Mike Piazza takes a pitch off the helmet from Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens in July 2000.

John Iacono

Mike Piazza appears on the cover of SI in Aug. 2000.

Al Tielemans

Mike Piazza makes a catch in foul territory for an out against the Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2000 NLCS.

Chuck Solomon

Al Leiter and Mike Piazza celebrate after winning Game 5 of the 2000 NLCS against the Cardinals.

John Iacono

Mike Piazza appears on the cover of SI for the Subway Series in Oct. 2000.

Al Tielemans

Mike Piazza exchanges words with Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens after Clemens threw a broken bat at Piazza during Game 2 of the 2000 World Series.

Joe McNally

Mike Piazza sits on a rooftop near the World Trade Center disaster as a plume of smoke comes from the site where the Twin Towers would have stood on Sept. 16, 2001.

John Iacono

Mike Piazza acknowledges the crowd at Shea Stadium after hitting an eighth-inning, game-winning homer against Atlanta to lift the Mets to victory in a game that marked baseball's return to the city for the first time since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 21, 2001.

Lynn Johnson

Mike Piazza sits with Brendan and Nancy Carroll, the son and wife of 9/11 fallen firefighter Mike Carroll, in Nov. 2001.

Chuck Solomon

Jerry Seinfeld and Mike Piazza pose together of Seinfeld threw out the first pitch prior to the Mets game against the Yankees in May 2005.

Chuck Solomon

Mike Piazza acknowledges the crowd at Shea Stadium as he steps up to the plate in his first at-bat with the Padres against the Mets on Aug. 8, 2006.

Brad Mangin

Mike Piazza smiles prior to the Athletics game against the Angels in April 2007.

Erick W. Rasco

Mike Piazza looks to catch Tom Seaver's ceremonial first pitch before the Mets' inaugural game at Citi Field against the Padres on April 13, 2009.

Erick W. Rasco

Darryl Strawberry and Mike Piazza share a laugh during the 2013 All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball game at Citi Field.

Tom Dahlin

Mike Piazza gets a fist-bump from Zach Parise as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the 2015 All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn.