The last week of July is shaping up to be quite a party for Mike Piazza.
Six days after the catcher is enshrined at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., the Mets will retire his No. 31 jersey in a July 30 ceremony at Citi Field.
The honor will be the centerpiece of "Mike Piazza Weekend" in Queens, with a Piazza replica jersey to be given away to fans the night before and a Piazza bobblehead giveaway the day after.
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Piazza will become the fourth Met to have his number retired, joining Tom Seaver (41), Gil Hodges (14) and Casey Stengel (37) — though the latter two were honored for their work as managers.
"It is such a tremendous honor to have my number retired alongside the great Tom Seaver," Piazza said in a statement released by the team. "My time as a Met was truly special and I want to thank [owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon] and the entire organization for this incredible gesture."
Inducted in 1992, Seaver has been the only Hall of Famer with a Mets logo on the cap on his plaque in Cooperstown, but Piazza will double the size of that club at the July 24 ceremony. Though Piazza spent the first six and a half seasons of his big-league career with the Dodgers, he made it clear after being elected in January that he feels a stronger tie to the Mets.
