Outfielder Ken Griffey and catcher Mike Piazza will be inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday, July 24, 2016.
Here’s what you need to know:
What: 2016 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Where: Clark Baseball Center, Cooperstown, N.Y.
When: Sunday, July 24, 2016
Time: 1:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: MLB Network
Livestream: www.baseballhall.org
A former Mets great, Piazza, who was in his fourth year on the ballot, earned 83 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America electorate, surpassing the 75 percent barrier required for induction. Piazza will be joined in Cooperstown later this summer by Ken Griffey Jr., who beat Tom Seaver’s all-time voting percentage record of 98.84 by collecting 99.3 of the vote.
“Words can’t describe this honor,” Piazza said in an interview with MLB Network when he was elected. “Truly, truly humbled, truly blessed. I truly want to thank the writers for recognizing my career. What a tribute to what this country is all about, as far as the opportunity. You can work hard and really focus and try to do the right thing. You can do amazing things. This is just icing on the cake.”
“My wife laughed, she said, ‘I’ve never heard you not say anything. You’ve never been speechless.’ I just sat here with my mouth on the floor.”
Piazza spent the majority of his 16-year career starring with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Mets, though he also played for the Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres and Florida Marlins. Considered by many as the greatest offensive catcher in history, Piazza finished his career with a 308/.377/.545 slash line, .922 OPS, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBI and 12 All-Star nods. His 396 homers as a catcher are the most ever.
Griffey, whose father also was a major-leaguer, was a 13-time All-Star who hit 630 homers — sixth on the all-time list. He played for the Mariners, Reds and White Sox.
“In case you don’t know, I’m really superstitious,” he said. “I’ve played in the Hall of Fame game three times, and I’ve never set foot in the building. I’ve never even seen the front of it. The one time I wanted to go in there, I wanted to be a member.”
