MV Piazza : Dodger Returns Home a Hero in NL’s 6-0 All-Star Victory

Hadn’t he said it was honor and thrill enough to return to his roots as the National League’s starting catcher and leading vote-getter in the All-Star game?

Hadn’t he said that alone was realization of a dream?

For Mike Piazza, however, there was more.

The Dodger catcher won the most valuable player award of the 67th All-Star game Tuesday night.

He hit a prodigious home run in the second inning and a two-out, run-scoring double in the third to lead the National League to a 6-0 victory over the American League before a Veterans Stadium crowd of 62,670.

That crowd included about 50 of Piazza’s family and friends, including his father, Vince.

It was Vince Piazza who threw countless hours of batting practice to his young son and continually prodded the player who was undrafted out of high school and a 62nd-round selection out of community college, to never give up, to believe in himself.

Tuesday night, the senior Piazza said, was a dream fulfilled for father and son.

“What else is left?” Vince Piazza said. “I keep pinching myself that this is for real. Each year gets better and better.”

Said Mike Piazza: “I’m running out of words to describe all this. It really hit me when I caught Mike Schmidt’s [honorary] first pitch. I grew up watching him from the seats behind third base, dreaming of emulating him as a major league player. To have him write on the [ceremonial] ball, ‘wishing you the best . . . . I think you’re the best,’ and then to hit a home run and become the MVP is just indescribable.”

Piazza, who had homered off Kenny Rogers in his last at-bat of last year’s All-Star game, homered off Charles Nagy of the Cleveland Indians in his first at-bat of this one, becoming the first player since Gary Carter in 1981 to homer in consecutive All-Star at bats.

Most Piazza homers are powered to the opposite field, but he pulled a Nagy fastball into the upper deck in left center, estimated at 445 feet. It was only the 60th upper deck homer since Vets Stadium opened in 1971.

The third-inning double off Chuck Finley of the Angels was more typical, lined through the gap in right center.

“He’s a tremendous hitter,” Cleveland and AL Manager Mike Hargrove said. “He hit every mistake we threw him.”

John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves, the NL’s starting pitcher, said of Piazza:

“The man is real scary. When he’s totally on, he’s about as intimidating as it gets. It was nice watching him do all of that for you instead of against you.”

Added Atlanta and NL Manager Bobby Cox: “He’s one of the strongest guys in baseball. I’ve never seen a hitter with his opposite field strength. He can hit it 450 that way. You don’t often see him pull it to left, but he hit this one 450, too. He’s a great kid, a pleasure to be around, and I’m pleased that he had a great night in his hometown. I think it was important to him.”

There were other highlights as the NL made it three in a row for a 40-26-1 advantage overall:

--Ozzie Smith, in his final All-Star appearance, played the final three innings in the field and grounded out in his only at-bat after receiving a standing ovation when he went to the plate and fought to restrain tears as he backed in and out of the box several times.

“It’s a very emotional and sad time for me,” he said. “I’m trying to fight it, not to think about it, but I had a lot of butterflies tonight.

“I can’t thank the fans enough for the response tonight and the way they’ve treated me throughout my career. It’s been a wonderful tour and this was another wonderful experience.”

--Controversial Albert Belle struck out three times and lined out and was booed loudly every time he went to the plate.

“Albert was booed less tonight than anywhere we’ve been in the last month,” Hargrove said. “Did it affect his performance here? I don’t know, but he wouldn’t be human if it didn’t.”

--All nine of the available NL pitchers participated in the seven-hit shutout, the seventh in All-Star history.

“They can bomb the ball out of any park,” Cox said of the AL lineup, “but our guys made some exceptional pitches. They hit their spots almost all night.”

--NL center fielder Lance Johnson, who played the entire game, had two singles and a double, stole a base and made a marvelous running catch of Belle’s liner with two on and two out in the eighth, enabling Todd Worrell of the Dodgers to pitch a scoreless inning.

--Troy Percival, the Angels closer, pitched a scoreless seventh, and Finley, despite yielding the Piazza double, struck out four in two innings, becoming the first pitcher since Lee Smith in 1987 to record that many.

--Cal Ripken Jr. was hitless in three at-bats after having his nose broken in a freak pregame accident.

--A 12-hit National attack included a solo homer by San Diego third baseman Ken Caminiti, who replaced injured Matt Williams.

The night belonged to the Piazzas, however, and the son called it a tribute to the father who never let him give in or give up.

“I gave him the tools and he used them,” said Vince Piazza in the Vets Stadium basement. “He never resented the fact that I pushed him.

“What he’s done, where he’s come from, should be a great inspiration to every kid who has a dream.”

It must have also been special for Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, recovering from a heart attack at his Fullerton home.

“This should make him feel better,” said Vince Piazza, Lasorda’s longtime friend.

Added Mike: “I talked to Tommy and he told me to have fun and not put any pressure on myself. I never really imagined doing anything heroic or out of a storybook. I just didn’t want to look bad.”

He did a little better than that.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Dodger All-Star MVPs

* 1962: Maury Wills*

* 1974: Steve Garvey

* 1977: Don Sutton

* 1978: Steve Garvey

* 1996: Mike Piazza

* first game

Note: award was instituted in 1962

Dodgers, Angels at a Glance

MIKE PIAZZA

AB: 3

R: 1

H: 2

RBI: 2

BB: 0

SO: 1

Piazza launched a ball 445 feet into the left-field bleachers for his second career All-Star game home run, drilled a run-scoring double to right-center and walked away with the MVP award. He is now hitting .333 (4 for 12) in four games.

TODD WORRELL

Inn.: 1

H: 2

R: 0

ER: 0

BB: 0

SO: 1

Worrell, playing in his first All-Star game for the Dodgers (he didn’t play after being selected last year), gave up hits to Joe Carter and Chuck Knoblauch but got out of trouble when Albert Belle lined to center. He also struck out Travis Fryman.

CHUCK FINLEY

Inn.: 2

H: 3

R: 1

ER: 1

BB: 0

SO: 4

Finley, playing in his second All-Star game (he has been selected four times), gave up Piazza’s run-scoring double, but struck out Fred McGriff, Dante Bichette, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell to finish the game with more strikeouts than any pitcher.

TROY PERCIVAL

Inn.: 1

H: 1

R: 0

ER: 0

BB: 0

SO: 1

After entering the game in the seventh inning, Percival gave up a single to Lance Johnson before retiring Ozzie Smith and Gary Sheffield. Then, Percival reared back and blew three straight fastballs by Ken Caminiti, who struck out swinging.