On January 6, 2016, former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving a vote on 83% of the ballots.
Earning the nod in his fourth year of eligibility, the 12-time All-Star, who was most known for his big league prominence with the Dodgers and New York Mets, capped off his stellar career with baseball’s highest honor of recognition. At the time, Piazza became the 48th player with ties to the Dodgers franchise to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Piazza, who made his MLB debut in 1992, completed his career as a .308 batter with 2,127 hits, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBI.
Earning National League Rookie of the Year as a member of the Dodgers in 1993, it’s arguable that Piazza’s best season with the team came in 1997, as the year saw him set what was the organization’s record at the time for home runs in a single season.
On the season he additionally hit for a .362 average to go along with a 1.070 on-base plus slugging percentage and 124 RBI.
A native of Pennsylvania, Piazza’s Hall of Fame nod capped off a career playing for the Dodgers, Florida Marlins, Mets San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics while additionally earning 10 Silver Slugger Awards at the catching position.
Although Piazza burst onto the scene as a Dodgers draft pick, his relationship with the franchise soured after getting traded. As such, Piazza is wearing a Mets cap for his Hall of Fame plaque.
Peter O’Malley puts Dodgers up for sale
In a decision at the time that shocked the baseball world, Peter O’Malley announced on this day in 1997 plans to put the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise up for sale.
Tying the Dodgers ownership to his family for more than 50 years, Peter’s father, Walter, originally purchased part of the franchise from Branch Rickey in 1947. Three years later, he would return and purchase 66.2%, making him the primary owner, and in 1975, purchase the remaining difference to garner full ownership of the club.
Becoming the primary owner after his father’s death in 1979, Peter would continue his father’s vision and help guide the Dodgers to World Championships in 1981 and 1988.
Completing a deal with the Rupert Murdoch News Corporation a little over a year later, O’Malley finalized an agreement to sell the franchise officially for $311 million which was approved by MLB in March of 1998.
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