Remembering the Mike Piazza trade

''He's perfect for this city. Fifth Avenue is going to eat him up." - John Franco on Mike Piazza

When Mike Piazza arrived at Shea Stadium for the first time as a member of the New York Mets, he was pleasantly surprised to see the No. 31 jersey hanging in his locker. Piazza had worn the number shortly after he began his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But he knew his friend and newest teammate John Franco had become synonymous with No. 31 since arriving in Queens in 1990. “I just left it up to him,” said Piazza. “I said, 'It's your number. I don't want to disrupt anything.”