Piazza has a date in Cooperstown in five years

Mike Piazza quietly ended his big league baseball career Tuesday, officially setting up his Hall of Fame election in 2013.

Piazza, the greatest hitting catcher in history, leaves the game with a record 396 home runs as a catcher – Carlton Fisk is a distant second with 351 – and a .308 batting average. His 1997 season, when he hit .362 with 40 homers and 124 RBIs, is probably the best offensive season ever by a backstop.

The former 62^nd round draft choice of the Dodgers had incredible opposite-field power, and defensively Piazza evolved from clumsy to credible over the course of time.

Few hitters – at any position – instilled fear in pitchers like Piazza did in his prime.