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Mike Piazza will wear Mets cap into Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown

Newly elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Mike Piazza on Thursday made clear which cap would sit atop his head on his plaque in Cooperstown this July.

“I’m going to go in as a New York Met,” Piazza said Thursday at his Hall of Fame news conference in Manhattan with Ken Griffey Jr.

The Hall of Fame decides which cap goes on a plaque with input from the player. Piazza spent parts of eight seasons with the Mets after breaking in with the Dodgers in 1992.

Piazza played for the Mets from 1998 to 2005 and was known for his thunderous, clutch home runs and easy smile. He hit 220 of his 427 home runs in a Mets uniform. He is the all-time home run leader among catchers, with 396 while he was in the lineup at that position.

Piazza was a 12-time All-Star. Overall, he hit .308 with a .922 OPS after getting drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft. He was the 1,390th player selected.

With Anthony Rieber.

TALE OF TWO CITIES

Mike Piazza was almost equally successful in Flushing and Los Angeles. Comparing his numbers with the Mets and Dodgers:

MetsDodgers

8Seasons7

972Games726

1,028Hits896

193Doubles115

220HRs177

655RBIs563

.296BA .331

.373OBP.394

.542SLG%.572

.915OPS.966