Piggy's Garden

Joe Pignatano played six major league seasons as a catcher, but his baseball legacy grew in the Mets bullpen.

Most New York Mets fans remember Joe Pignatano as a player for the Brooklyn (and Los Angeles) Dodgers, Kansas City Athletics and San Francisco Giants, and briefly as a member of the New York Mets.

Over six major league seasons, Pignatano played in 307 games and compiled a modest .234 batting average. The former catcher could brag about hitting HR’s off Hall of Fame pitchers Robin Roberts, Warren Spahn and Jim Kaat. Pignatano also played in the last game at Ebbets Field and, in his final major league at-bat as a member of the Mets, he hit into a triple play.

But Pignatano’s legacy was born in 1969 when Pignatano discovered a “wild tomato plant” in the Mets bullpen at Shea Stadium. His love for baseball and gardening collided. Pignatano nursed that orphaned tomato plant back to life — and Piggy’s Garden was born.