Originally published Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Mike Piazza calls it quits "with no regrets"

Mike Piazza is retiring from baseball after a 16-season career in which he became one of the top-hitting catchers in history. "After discussing my options...

By The Associated Press

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Mike Piazza

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Mike Piazza is retiring from baseball after a 16-season career in which he became one of the top-hitting catchers in history.

"After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it was time to start a new chapter in my life," he said in a statement released Tuesday by his agent. "It has been an amazing journey ... So today, I walk away with no regrets.

"I knew this day was coming and over the last two years I started to make my peace with it. I gave it my all and left everything on the field."

The 39-year-old Piazza batted .275 with eight homers and 44 runs batted in as a designated hitter for Oakland last season, became a free agent and did not re-sign.

Taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 62nd round of the 1988 amateur draft, Piazza became a 12-time All-Star, making the NL team 10 consecutive times starting in 1993.

"He was one of those hitters who could change the game with one swing. He was certainly the greatest-hitting catcher of our time, and arguably of all time," said Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine, Piazza's former teammate on the New York Mets.

Piazza finished with a .308 career average, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBI for the Dodgers (1992-98), Florida (1998), Mets (1998-05), San Diego (2006) and Oakland (2007).

"It's the end of a Hall of Fame career," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "It was a privilege to manage him for the short time that I did."

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia was a teammate of Piazza's on the 1992 Los Angeles Dodgers and remembered back to Piazza's first season in the majors and what he accomplished.

"To put yourself in the same ballpark with what a guy like Roy Campanella did is saying something and Mike is definitely up there with what Roy did," Scioscia said.

Piazza's 396 homers are easily the most as a catcher, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Carlton Fisk is second with 351, followed by Johnny Bench (327) and Yogi Berra (306).

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