4. July 8, 2000: Clemens VS Piazza, Episode I
The first of many altercations between Piazza and Clemens initiated on this pitch in July of the same year that the two would square off in the World Series.
After allowing a grand slam to the now-Hall Of Fame catcher, Clemens came up and in with a fastball and drilled the beloved Mets’ backstop in the head.
After being drilled, Piazza continued to stay on the ground for several minutes and was held out of action for a week with a concussion.
That healed. What didn’t heal, though, was the hostile relationship the hit-by-pitch nurtured between two of baseball’s top superstars. You bet they would see each other again, and what was at stake would be even larger.
