Mike Piazza made what can only be described as a very strange decision.
Piazza is a Baseball Hall of Famer who made 12 All-Star appearances during his MLB career. Now 54 years old, the former catcher who hit the most home runs among all players at his position in MLB history is long retired from the game he once dominated. He lives in Italy with his wife and children, and he coaches the Italian national baseball team.
There is absolutely no reason for someone like Piazza to put himself through the vigorous challenges of an intense military-style boot camp at the whim of strict sergeants.
But that is exactly what he did when he signed up for Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test on FOX (premieres Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET). It is an endurance test reality competition where there is no prize money, no craft services, and no special accommodations while living during summertime in Jordan — particularly in Wadi Rum.
The only way to leave the show is to quit, and the main goal is literally just to “survive” these extreme challenges assigned by ex-special operations forces. The experience is demanding, both physically and emotionally, and does not seem like any fun whatsoever.
Piazza was joined by former NBA big man Dwight Howard, Olympic gold medalist Carli Lloyd, former NFL receiver Danny Amendola, former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, actress Jamie Lynn Spears, and several other celebrities of varying fame.
For The Win caught up with the longtime New York Mets star to discuss his experience on the show. He also touched on his former team, Jacob deGrom, the Steve Cohen era, the World Baseball Classic and more.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.