A Home Run for the Soul

In the bottom of the 8th inning, Mike Piazza stepped up to the plate, in this jersey, under the watching eyes of an entire nation. Down 2-1 to the Atlanta Braves, with Edgardo Alfonzo on first base, Piazza nailed the game-winning homer to center field. The more than 41,000 in attendance erupted as Piazza rounded the bases, which became a metaphor for the resilience of New Yorkers. After the game, Piazza added that the home run “told the rest of the country and the rest of the world what New York is about.”