Mike Piazza, former Dodgers great, to take part in a ballet

Former Dodgers All-Star catcher Mike Piazza will make his ballet debut next month in Miami.

Yes, you just read Mike Piazza, ballet and debut in the same sentence. Let it sink in.

Here’s the deal. Piazza, arguably the greatest hitting catcher to play in the majors, will play the role of a gangster on May 3 in a Miami City Ballet production of George Balanchine’s “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.�

Piazza, who retired in 2008 and most recently was the hitting coach for Italy in the World Baseball Classic, won’t have to wear tights and dance around the stage. He’ll be dressed in 1920s-era attire, have a few lines as the protagonist in the ballet and mainly sit on stage during the majority of the performance.

No, he didn’t lose a bet. Piazza said his role is part of a gift to his 6-year-old daughter, who attends the Miami City Ballet School.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun seeing the reaction of my two little girls,� Piazza said in a statement released by the ballet company. “For [Nicoletta] to have the opportunity to see Daddy on stage is my little gift. I’m looking forward to it.�

The ballet is a new take on the 1930s stage musical “On Your Toes.�

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