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LISTEN: Mike Piazza Offers Some Advice To Giancarlo Stanton

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Mike Piazza knows exactly what Giancarlo Stanton is going through.

In 1998, Piazza was the All-Star slugger who was traded to a New York team -- coincidentally also coming from the Marlins.

So what advice does the Mets great have for Stanton, whom the Yankees acquired this past weekend?

"I would say first off don't try too hard to do too much too early," Piazza told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Tuesday. "I think that was one of the things when I got there. I was pressing a little bit. You want to be the guy, obviously, that gets the big hit, the big home run, and sometimes baseball is a very cruel game in a sense. When you try to do things outside of what you're capable of doing, it can come back and kind of really hurt you.

Mike Piazza
Mike Piazza waves to the crowd at Clark Sports Center after the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 24, 2016 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

"For me, just tell him, 'Hey, take your walks. If they're going to pitch around you, take your walks. Don't worry so much about hitting 60 home runs,' even though he's capable of doing that. I think he's going to do very well there."

Piazza also discussed becoming a Hall of Famer and his propensity to hit clutch home runs, including his iconic game-winning homer in the Mets' first home game following 9/11.

"It's so very touching, the way people remember that home run," Piazza said. "It's an honor for me. It still brings me so much joy when I talk to people and they tell me where they were if they were in the building that night. So, yeah, it's something that, again, I'm a man of faith, and I just remember before that night just praying. I was like, 'God, please, just help me get through this night' because it was just a crazy, emotional week, something you really can't describe."

To listen to the interview, click on the audio player above.

 

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