Officially, nothing will change. Mike Piazza is still the Mets’ catcher. He still will be behind the plate the majority of the time for the rest of this season.
But in people’s minds – including Piazza’s – a chapter is now closed. Piazza solidified himself as the greatest power-hitting catcher in history on Wednesday night with a mammoth blast against Giants right-hander Jerome Williams. It was his 352nd homer as a catcher, breaking a tie with Carlton Fisk.
Now, Piazza can transition to first base with a clear mind. It’s the natural progression of his career.
“Somewhere down the road, he’s going to be playing a lot of first base,” Art Howe said.
Howe wasn’t referring to next week, next month or even next year. And yesterday was a day for Piazza and his fans to revel in the team cornerstone’s accomplishment.
His bat will be sent to the Hall of Fame. A ceremony at Shea is pending. Fisk checked in with Piazza by phone, although he was unable to attend a game at Shea this weekend for personal reasons.
Fisk released a statement that left Piazza flabbergasted and reiterated those statements during their conversation.
“He carries himself with great class and dignity, and I am honored that his name now sits atop that list,” Fisk said of Piazza. “Baseball is a sacred game that is very near and dear to my heart. Mike embodies all that is right about our national pastime. I’m very happy for him.”
But what now? What else is left for Piazza? The 400-homer mark? Sure, but he should reach that by the end of next season.
A world championship? Of course, but Piazza confirmed that such a pursuit goes without saying.
It’s pretty apparent that Piazza’s next major quest is learning to become an adequate first baseman.
“There’s always little things that keep you driven,” Piazza said. “I still love to compete. I love the pureness.
“Early in your career, you kind of think about you want to get to the big leagues. When you get to the big leagues, you want to stay there. When you stay there, you wanna . . . it’s just weird.
“Then as you mature and you get older, I don’t want to say your priorities change, but you find new ways to motivate you.”
Howe indicated that there would be no real shift in the amount of first base that Piazza plays in the near future. However, he would like to give him an upcoming day off; Piazza has only sat out one game this season.
Earlier this week, Piazza was testing out a new first baseman’s mitt in front of good friend Todd Zeile, mentioning that he found one to his exact specifications.
If there was some reluctance because of the Mets’ ham-handed attempts in 2003 to shove him out from behind the plate, Piazza harbors no lingering reservations.
“Number one, I’m so happy with the way the situation’s worked out this year,” he said. “I’m really enjoying learning that position, and I feel like I’m getting better at it every day.
“On that note as well, whatever the schedule is is fine with me. And also, I still feel like I have some knowledge and some things I can contribute behind the plate.
“Whatever fits with the ballclub, really. Not that this was ever, ‘OK, let’s get to this point.’ I kinda know that wasn’t the case.
“It’s definitely a day-by-day situation. But again, I think it’s important for me to continue to develop at first base, physically getting into my late thirties.”
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Quote: “Down the road, he’s going to be playing a lot of first base.” -ART HOWE