Former Dodgers Catcher Makes Bold Confession About Time in L.A.: 'I Ruined It'

Mike Piazza is "alive and well and living in Italy," blares the latest headline about the former Dodgers catcher from New York Magazine.

To say that Piazza is "living the dream" stretches the truth only a bit. The professional soccer team he purchased, A.C. Reggiana 1919, ran into financial troubles and failed to deliver on Piazza's investment.

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However, the connection between Piazza and his ancestral homeland always went beyond one team. He played for Team Italy in the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic before serving as the team’s hitting coach during the 2009 and 2013 tournaments. He managed the Italian entry in the 2023 WBC.

Now, Piazza is enjoying life as a private citizen in Italy, comfortable reflecting publicly on his successes and failures. That includes his time in Los Angeles, which ended unceremoniously with a May 1998 trade to the Miami Marlins.

Once a #MarlinsAlum, always a #MarlinsAlum. Congratulations @mikepiazza31 on being elected into the @BaseballHall! pic.twitter.com/HZkl7jhohw
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) January 6, 2016

Piazza's Hall of Fame plaque depicts him in a New York Mets hat. His affection for the Mets, and the city of New York, is mutual. His affection for Los Angeles was squandered amid a contract dispute with ownership (Rupert Murdoch's News Corp), which culminated in the trade to the Marlins.

Bob Daly, who in 1998 became News Corp's handpicked chairman and CEO of the Dodgers, recalled in a 2000 interview with the Los Angeles Times: "I went to a yogurt place in Malibu after lunch, and when I went to pay the woman, she looked me straight in the eye and said, 'I’d give you this for nothing if you got back Mike Piazza.' ”

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Piazza's off-the-field persona suffered as a result of the dispute.

“And I’ll give my first agent credit," Piazza told New York Magazine. "He said, 'just because you have numbers doesn’t mean you’re going to get paid — you have to create a persona, you have to be visible, you have to do the interviews.'

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"The PR side is very important because when fans hear you say, 'I want $10 million a year,' or whatever the case may be, if they know who you are and the team is not treating you well, then you’re going to build that fan sentiment. And obviously, I ruined it very quickly in L.A. with the contract squabble there!"

In parts of seven major league seasons as a Dodger, Piazza hit 177 home runs, drove in 563 runs, and slashed .331/.394/.572 — arguably the best offensive run of any catcher in MLB history.

Although Dodger fans fondly remember Piazza's prowess on the field, many are still quick to lament how his time in Los Angeles ended. Piazza, to his credit, has embraced the gift of hindsight and is comfortable sharing in fans' lament.

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