Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

The two newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza, were inducted on Sunday afternoon.

Griffey, an outfielder who started and ended his career with the Mariners, and Piazza, a Mets catcher, both spoke during a ceremony at the hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York. Griffey, a 13-time All Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, told the crowd he is "damn proud to be a Seattle Mariner," and there are "two misconceptions about me — I didn't work hard and everything I did I made look easy. Just because I made it look easy doesn't mean that it was. You don't become a Hall of Famer by not working, but working day in and day out." He thanked his parents, especially his mother, who is "the only woman I know that lives in one house and runs five others."

Piazza, a 12-time All-Star and recipient of 10 Silver Slugger Awards, also shared his gratitude for his mother and father, and remarked on the home run he hit in the first sporting event played in New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "To witness the darkest evil of the human heart…will be forever burned in my soul," he said. "But from tragedy and sorrow came bravery, love, compassion, character, and eventual healing." Griffey was the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft and the highest draft pick ever inducted into the Hall of Fame, while Piazza, the 62nd-round pick in 1988, is the lowest.

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