In the 1988 draft, 1,389 players were chosen before Mike Piazza, who was taken in the 62nd round purely as a favor to his father. This deep dive examines how an afterthought pick backed by immense family resources became a defining athletic and cultural figure and a 427-home-run Hall of Famer.

Connections opened the door, but only relentless work behind the plate kept him there.

• Received a backyard hitting lesson from Ted Williams at age 16 and served as a batboy thanks to family friend Tommy Lasorda.
• Switched to the grueling catcher position on Lasorda's advice, then won a unanimous Rookie of the Year award in 1993.
• Traded twice within a single week in 1998, he still became the first player to hit 30 home runs in a season for three different teams.
• Feuded with Roger Clemens during the 2000 World Series an ...