Mike Piazza Misses Hall Of Fame Cut, Falls Short For Third Time

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mike Piazza has not been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility.

The slugger received 69.9 percent of the vote (384 of 549 votes) from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, short of the 75 percent needed for election.

Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and John Smoltz were elected to Cooperstown in their first year on the ballot. Craig Biggio was elected in his third year.

In his first year on the ballot on 2013, the Mets legend received 57.8 percent of the vote. He got 62.2 percent in 2013.

Widely regarded as the greatest-hitting catcher of all time, Piazza hit .308 in 16 seasons. He belted 427 home runs, drove in 1,335 runs and posted a .377 on-base percentage. The 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner hit over .300 nine times, smacked over 30 home runs nine times and had 100 RBIs in six different campaigns.

The 12-time All-Star had 2,127 hits — 344 of which were doubles — and scored 1,048 runs. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1993 and the All-Star Game MVP in 1996.

Among catchers, Piazza ranks first in home runs, fourth in RBIs, fourth in batting average, ninth in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, first in OPS, eighth in doubles and fourth in total bases.

Piazza has never failed a drug test or been linked to illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Because he played in the heart of the so-called "Steroids Era," however, he's lumped in with such embattled sluggers as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro.

In his memoir, Piazza admitted to using substances — androstenedione and Ephedra — before they were banned by baseball. He insisted he never took anything that would have put him in violation of MLB rules.

"I just don't understand what part of 'no' people don't understand," Piazza told WFAN radio in February 2013. "I guess it's just something that, unfortunately, is a black mark on the game. And I hate the fact that it happened in the game because I'll always love the game. It's given me everything."

Former Mets general manager Steve Phillips called Piazza's snubbing "a travesty" in his first year of eligibility in 2013. Last year, retired Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone — whose proteges, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, made the cut in 2014 — told WFAN that Piazza belongs in Cooperstown.

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