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Mike Piazza to have his Number 31 Retired By New York Mets

By Christian Kouroupakis

Oct 30, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets former catcher Mike Piazza waves to the crowd before throwing the ceremonial first pitch before game three of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets former catcher Mike Piazza waves to the crowd before throwing the ceremonial first pitch before game three of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mike Piazza will receive yet another honor. On top of being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the New York Mets will retire his number 31 jersey on Saturday, July 30, at Citi Field. 

The New York Mets will hold a pregame ceremony at 6:30 p.m. before the scheduled 7:10 game vs. the Colorado Rockies on July 30th to honor Mike Piazza and his induction into the MLB Hall of Fame. This ceremony is part of a weekend long celebration called “Mike Piazza Weekend” where the Mets give fans every reason in the world to come out to Citi Field.

“My time as a Met was truly special and I want to thank Fred (Wilpon), Saul (Katz), Jeff (Wilpon) and the entire organization for this incredible gesture.”-Mike Piazza

On Friday, all fans will receive a Mike Piazza replica jersey. On Saturday, the ceremony will take place and then on Sunday, the first 15,000 fans will receive Mike Piazza bobble-heads.

Piazza will join Tom Seaver (41), Gil Hodges (14) and Casey Stengel (37) as the only Mets to have their numbers retired. New York made the announcement fresh after Piazza was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame after receiving 83 percent of the vote in his fourth year on the ballot.

Piazza is by far the greatest hitting catcher of all time. He spent eight years with the Mets and helped them reach the 2000 World Series. He slugged 427 home runs overall in a 16-year career that also included stints with with the Dodgers, who picked him in the 1988 draft, a brief stint with the Marlins, the Mets and one year each with the Padres and A’s.

Related Story: Piazza's Top 5 Moments as a Met

It will be an emotion filled weekend for everyone involved, as Piazza is one of the most iconic Mets in recent history. It will be an experience and something to remember for anyone who is lucky enough to attend the game in late July.

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