Mike Piazza discusses his beef with seven-time Cy Young pitcher: "Difference between guys pitching inside and trying to take your head clean off"
Mike Piazza had an illustrious career in which he hit 427 home runs en route to the Hall of Fame. He got the better of a great many pitchers, but none took it more personally than Roger Clemens.
The seven-time Cy Young winner and Piazza had a longstanding conflict that largely stemmed from Clemens throwing pitches at Piazza, who had good success off of him.
"I have no problem with guys pitching inside, but there's a difference between guys pitching inside and someone who's going to try and take your head clean off."
Mike Piazza weighs in on his strange history with Roger Clemens. @Starting9 https://t.co/xzMrSXXqM3
"'I have no problem with guys pitching inside, but there's a difference between guys pitching inside and someone who's going to try and take your head clean off.' Mike Piazza weighs in on his strange history with Roger Clemens." - Barstool Sports
Piazza recounted the beef and said:
"A bunch of the old time guys were like, 'He should have expected he was going to drop him because he was hitting him.' I think I was 8/12 off him with like three home runs before the World Series."
He continued:
"A couple old guys in the old school were saying, 'Ah, he should have been loose in his boots. You know he was going to get dropped.' Then Trot Nixon, which I'll never forget, he goes, 'Well, if he was 0-12 off him, could he then throw his bat at him?' As a hitter, it's the same thing I was talking about."
Piazza routinely got the better of Clemens, and Clemens, who was known for being an intensely fiery competitor, did not appreciate it. The former Cy Young winner was never afraid to throw at people, as evidenced by his conflict with Piazza.
Mike Piazza's career stats
Aside from Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza got the best of a lot of pitchers he faced. Rarely was he disadvantaged when he stepped into the batter's box. He whalloped 427 home runs in the process.
He accumulated 59.5 bWAR across 16 years. He slashed .308/.377/.545. He also knocked in 1,335 RBIs and scored 1,048 runs. He was a reliable catcher and first baseman in his prime, too.
He boasted a career OPS+ of 143, which means he had prolonged excellence over his peers.
He played for eight seasons with the New York Mets, seven with the Los Angeles Dodgers and one with the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics.
He was also a member of the Miami Marlins for a brief period thanks to a trade.