The number 13 was certainly a lucky one for baseball great Mike Piazza. He wore that number while playing high school baseball for the Phoenixville (Pa.) Phantoms in 1985 and 1986.
Phoenixville’s favorite son returned home on April 28 to take part in a ceremony retiring his number 13. The event took place shortly after noon on a cool and overcast day at “Doc” Kennedy Field. Piazza strode onto the field between the conclusion of Phoenixville’s varsity game and the start of the junior varsity contest.
After shaking hands with several Phantoms alumni, Piazza listened as the master of ceremonies recalled some of Piazza’s greatest high school baseball achievements. Piazza, who played first base during his high school days and graduated from the Phoenixville Area School District in 1986, had a 17-game hitting streak his junior year and an 18-game streak his senior year. He hit .525 his junior year and had a homer once every five at bats and an extra base hit once every four at bats. Predictably nicknamed “Pizza,” the slugger hit .470 over the course of his junior and senior years.
Mayor Leo Scoda formally introduced Piazza and welcomed him back to Phoenixville. Scoda said, “It’s not just statistics” that residents admire about Piazza but also the way he conducted himself on and off the field. Scoda added that there were “busloads” of area residents ready to travel to Cooperstown, N.Y., in 2013 to witness Piazza being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. (Having played his last season in 2007, Piazza will be eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time in 2013).
Looking trim and fit enough to still be an active player, Piazza took the microphone and addressed the crowd of about 200 people, which included Piazza’s parents, Vince and Veronica, according to the emcee. Piazza said he was “blessed to be from this area.” He stressed the importance of “family, friends and community,” and said the support and prayers he received from Phoenixville and other Chester County residents were essential to his success. He said he was “truly honored and truly humbled” to have his high school number retired, and said he “looked forward to visiting several times in the future.”
After his speech, Piazza met with the Phoenixville Phantoms junior varsity team that was preparing for its upcoming contest following the ceremonies. Piazza then walked out to the right field fence to admire the banner now unveiled in his honor. The banner was in the purple and white Phantoms colors and contained the numeral 13 in purple sitting inside a large white baseball. The name Piazza was on the banner above the number and the baseball.
Returning to the infield and moving into foul territory, Piazza took time to speak to the media, give autographs to fans and youngsters, and pose for pictures.
A 62nd-round draft pick taken by the Dodgers primarily as a favor to manager Tom Lasorda, who was friends with Piazza’s dad, Piazza became arguably the greatest hitting catcher in baseball history. According to the baseball-reference.com, Piazza finished with 427 homers. Of these 396 were hit as a catcher, eclipsing the record held by Carlton Fisk for the most homers hit by a catcher. Piazza was a 12-time All-Star, the 1993 Rookie of the Year, and a 10-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award given to the best player at every position based on offensive production. He also finished with a lifetime .308 batting average, a tremendous accomplishment for a catcher. Piazza played primarily with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, and also had brief stints with the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics. He wore number 31 for most of his Major League career, which was his high school number 13 flipped around. His Major League number 31 has not yet been retired by the Mets or the Dodgers. But his high school number 13 now has been, and it will never again be worn by a Phoenixville Phantoms player.
The borough of Phoenixville, where Piazza once called home, sits about 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia and has a population of about 16,500. During Pennsylvania’s industrial heyday, Phoenixville was an important producer of iron and steel. Today it is partly a bedroom community for residents who work in King of Prussia, Great Valley and other suburban office sites.
Sources:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/piazzmi01.shtml
The author of this article attended this ceremony.
