
Happy 58th birthday to 12-time MLB All-Star, 10-time Silver Slugger, 1993 National League Rookie of the Year and member of the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2016, Mike Piazza!
Piazza famously began his career as a 62nd-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988 as a favor from the legendary Tommy Lasorda to his father. He began as a first baseman, but was immediately sent to the Dominican Republic to learn to become a catcher.
In 1992 he made his Big League debut and he was the Dodgers full-time backstop starting in 1993. He hit .318 with 35 home runs and 112 RBI in 149 games that season to win National League Rookie of the Year and make the first of six-consecutive All-Star teams.
In 1998 Piazza was traded twice in eight days – from the Dodgers, to the Marlins before landing with the Mets – where he’d spend the next eight years of his career. He was an integral part of the team that reached the World Series in 2000 and was involved in one of the most memorable events of that Subway Series when Roger Clemens chucked part of Piazza’s broken bat at him as he ran to first base.
Piazza was granted free agency after the 2005 season, and he spent time with San Diego and Oakland before hanging up his mask following the 2007 campaign. When all was said and done, the former 1,390th-overall draft pick had 2,127 hits, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBI to his name.
Which brings us to today’s quiz. Piazza’s nine 30-homer seasons are far and away the most by a catcher in MLB history. With that being said, how many of the players to hit 30 home runs in a season while primarily playing catcher can you name in five minutes?
Good luck!
Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
More must-reads:
If you enjoy sports quizzes, you'll love Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day Newsletter, home to the best sports quizzes anywhere.
Subscribe now!