Mike Piazza honored to have his number retired by Mets

All-time Mets great Mike Piazza is "beyond excited" to have his number retired at Citi Field. The soon-to-be Hall of Fame catcher will be honored by the Mets during the final weekend of July, when the team hosts the Colorado Rockies.

While fans are excited by the decision to finally retire the slugger's number—as evidenced by the fact that the July 30 game is already sold out—perhaps no one is more enthused than Piazza himself.

"When [Jeff Wilpon] told me this is what they wanted to do, I was beyond excited," Piazza told the New York Post. "This year for me has just been overwhelming. You think of your number being next to Tom Seaver, you can't describe the feeling."

Piazza stressed how important fan pressure was in getting the Mets to retire his number, while also crediting the passion of the fan base as the reason for having an entire weekend of Piazza-related events. The catcher also took to Twitter to reiterate his appreciation:

Struggling to find words! Thank you @Mets Fred & Jeff, The Loyalty and Love of #Mets fans cannot be equaled. INCREDIBLE honor! #Retire31

— Mike Piazza (@mikepiazza31) January 25, 2016

'Mike Piazza weekend' will begin on Friday, July 29, with each fan in attendance receiving a Piazza replica jersey. The main event will take place before Saturday's game, when a special ceremony is held to retire Piazza's number 31. The celebration ends on July 31, exactly one week after Piazza's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, with the first 15,000 fans receiving a Piazza bobblehead.