Mike Piazza's iconic jersey from the Mets' first game at Shea Stadium after the 9/11 attacks will stay in New York.
Three deep-pocketed Mets fans have reached an agreement in principle to buy the jersey for about $355,000, the New York Post reported Thursday.
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Piazza wore the jersey the night of Sept. 21, 2001, when he hit a two-run home run off Steve Karsay in the eighth inning that lifted the Mets to a 3-2 victory over the first-place Braves in the team's first home game since the World Trade Center attacks 10 days earlier.
The fate of the jersey has hung in the balance since its current owner put it up for sale recently via Goldin Auctions. Piazza has expressed his disappointment about the auction considering the jersey's place in Mets and New York sports history, prompting some bidders to step forward in an effort to ensure it remains in the public eye in some form.
That apparently is the goal of Anthony Scaramucci, Tony Lauto and another unnamed partner, who have pledged to keep the jersey on display at Citi Field, the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“What Mike did on that night was something we’ll all never forget and what it symbolizes,’’ Scaramucci told the Post. “This jersey represents so much. There is tremendous artistic symbolism to this thing. This is about picking yourself up, no matter what happens in life, and going back into life and hitting home runs.”
Scaramucci and Lauto, investment bankers by trade, convinced Goldin Auctions to take their bid rather than letting the sale move to an online auction open to all comers.
Piazza's father, Vince, had attempted to buy the jersey himself earlier in the process but dropped out when online bidding hit $90,000.