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Copyright Š 2002
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Dwight Gooden
Nickname(s): Doc, Doctor K
Born: 1964

Uncle of Gary Sheffield
[Courtesy Arnie Braunstein]

RHP 1984-2000 Mets, Yankees, Indians, Astros, Devil Rays

All-Star in 1984-86, 88
Rookie of the Year Award in 1984
Cy Young Award in 1985

	IP	W-L	ERA
Career	`2800.2`	`194-112`
League DS	`7.2`	`0-0`	`8.22`
League CS	`42.1`	`0-2`	`2.34`

Books and articles about Dwight Gooden

Gooden had a record-breaking Rookie of the Year season in 1984 after jumping straight to the majors from Lynchburg of the Class-A Carolina League. The Mets' number-one pick in the June 1982 draft (the fifth player taken) had led the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts in 1983, fanning 300 in 191 innings, and Davey Johnson had sworn that wherever he was managing in 1984, he would have Gooden. But after he was named the Mets' manager, he discovered that GM Frank Cashen wanted to bring the 19-year-old Gooden along slowly; Cashen remembered the case of Tim Leary, once a hot New York Mets prospect, who blew out his arm in his 1981 debut on a cold, windy day at Wrigley Field after concealing pain.

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RELATED LINKS

ť 1984: Dr. K's Debut

Book Excerpts
ť "I first saw [Doc] styling along in this Camaro": Terry Leach

Greatest Teams
ť 1986 Mets

Submissions
ť Another Former Met Throws a No Hitter by Sean Lahman
ť In 1985, Doc Gooden was Mr. Met by Christopher Wanko
ť Today's Pitchers are the Best Ever by Harold Friend

Ask The Experts
ť How many players have won 10 games with both the Yankees and Mets?
ť Who was the youngest player to win 20 games in a season?
ť How many one-hitters do the Mets have?

Around the Web
ť Family dysfunction from newsday.com
ť Dwight Gooden from baseball-reference.com
ť Players find life after Rays in post-season action from sptimes.com (10/08/00)

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So Gooden made his debut indoors, on April 7, in the The Houston Astrodome. He went on to set a major league rookie record with 276 strikeouts in only 218 innings. The strikeouts earned him the nickname Doctor K and a rooting section in the upper deck that hung out a red K for each strikeout during his starts. He tied the major league mark for strikeouts in two consecutive games, with 32 in starts on September 12 and 17, which, combined with his September 7 start, gave him a record 43 in three straight games. Going 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA, he instantly became the Mets' ace and made them overnight contenders. He was the youngest All-Star ever, and he and Fernando Valenzuela combined to strike out six consecutive batters, between them breaking Carl Hubbell's record.

Gooden reached new heights in 1985, winning the Cy Young award with the "pitcher's Triple Crown," leading the NL in wins (24-4), ERA (1.53), and strikeouts (268). His 16 complete games also led the league, and his rising fastball and snapping curve dominated NL hitters. Curveballs are referred to by ballplayers as "Uncle Charley," but Gooden's was called "Lord Charles." The shy but poised Gooden was the toast of New York; the only fault that could be found with him was that his big motion meant he had trouble holding runners close to first base. But the Mets, trying to protect their young superstar's future health, gave pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre the assignment of making Gooden less reliant on throwing hard. Perhaps it was that; perhaps it was hitters learning to lay off his rising fastball, which was often above the strike zone.

Whatever it was, Gooden after 1985 was never the totally dominating strikeout king he had been. He went 4-0 in April 1986, but the question in every newspaper's sports section was "What's wrong with Gooden?" after he surrendered a home run to the first batter he faced that year, Pittsburgh's R.J. Reynolds. In contrast to his fine performance in the 1984 All-Star Game, in the 1986 game he gave up a two-run homer to Lou Whitaker and took the loss. No longer overpowering, he finished with 200 strikeouts in 250 innings, a 17-6 record, and a 2.84 ERA.

The Mets won the World Championship, but Gooden went without a postseason win. He took a tough 1-0 loss in the LCS opener as the Astros' Mike Scott overwhelmed the Mets; the Astros' run came on a Glenn Davis home run. Gooden pitched masterfully in the Mets' Game Five victory, surrendering only one run in 10 innings in a matchup against Nolan Ryan; the Mets won in the 12th inning. It was the first time that Davey Johnson had ever let Gooden pitch beyond the ninth inning. Gooden set NLCS records for a seven-game series with 20 strikeouts and eight walks. He pitched less well in the World Series, and lost two games; he has rarely pitched well on three days' rest.

In 1987, following winter problems in his hometown Tampa that included a police beating of Gooden and his nephew Gary Sheffield, who would later be signed by the Brewers, Gooden went into a drug rehabilitation program just before the start of the season. He went 15-7 with a 3.21 ERA after coming back, but the club blamed his absence in the first two months for the Mets' narrow division title loss. In 1988 he declared that he wanted to be called "Doc" instead of "Doctor K" now that he was a different kind of pitcher. His 18-9, 3.19 record led the Mets to a division title, but he again lost the All-Star Game, tying the record for lifetime losses in the mid-summer classic. And again he pitched well in the LCS, but not well enough to win. He took no-decisions in the Mets' Game One victory and their 12th-inning loss in Game Four, giving up a game-tying solo homer to the Dodgers' Mike Scioscia in the ninth inning of the latter contest.

He suffered his first injury in 1989, going down with a sore shoulder in the middle of the year -- exactly the sort of injury the Mets had sought to prevent with their change of his pitching style. At the time, he was 9-4 with a 2.99 ERA and was the only consistently good starter in the Mets' rotation. His loss doomed the team's pennant hopes, although he came back briefly in relief at the end of the season.

However, Gooden's major battles were with his off-season problems, specifically his abuse of hard drugs and alcohol. The Mets of the 1980s had a reputation for partying hard, especially after their World Series victory in '86, and Gooden may have been the poster child. The Mets' front office tried to deal with the substance abuse problem, sending the right-hander to a rehabilitation institute, when he first tested positive for cocaine in '87. But despite the comebacks and smattering of good years between 1987 and 1994, Gooden fell back into the cycle time and again, and was faced with punishment each time. In September 1994, Commissioner Bud Selig suspended him for the rest of 1994, and all of 1995. At what had to be deemed a low point of his life, the day after his '94 suspension, Doc sat in his bedroom with a nine-millimeter gun shoved next to his head, waiting to pull the trigger.

Perhaps no other ballplayer could understand Gooden's dire straits as much as one-time and future teammate Darryl Strawberry. They had both quickly accelerated through the Mets' organization in the go-go '80's, young kids in the bright lights of New York, with promises of money, drugs, and women swirling around them. They both were caught up in the fascination of it all, and both took a dive when the fast pace of their lives caught up with them.

But with a year and a half off from organized baseball between 1994 and spring training 1996, Gooden persevered. He finally defeated his inner demons, and was given another chance when New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner signed the former fireballer to join the club in February 1996. Gooden made the most of the opportunity, pitching 170 innings and compiling an 11-7 record. On May 14, 1996, the Doctor was back for one fleeting moment, hurling a no-hitter against the mighty Seattle Mariners, as his fastball once again hit 95 mph on the radar gun. Even though he was left off the 1996 postseason roster, it seemed that Gooden was on the upswing.

Or maybe not. A misdiagnosed hernia in 1997 cost the Doc much of the first half, and he returned for lackluster starts in the remainder of the season. The Yankees didn't offer Gooden an extension, and he signed on with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent in December 1997. After floundering there, he signed with the Houston Astros as a free agent in January 2000. When he didn't perform up to standards, the Astros traded him to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in April 2000 for cash. He remained with the Rays only briefly, before the team from his hometown released him. The Yankees decided to take another shot at him, signing him to a minor-league contract halfway through the 2000 season. Gooden was brought up to the bigs towards the end of the season, and performed well, posting a 3.36 ERA over 18 games for the eventual World Series victors. The following spring, joined by fellow '86-Met Sid Fernandez in the Yanks' spring training, Gooden posted a 7.90 ERA in just under 14 innings. Opting not to be reassigned to the minors, he retired instead.

Ultimately, Gooden's career must be thought of as a "what could have been" story. When he was just 25 years old, he had won 100 games, and had his eyes set not on the 300-mark, but 400. Unfortunately, his bouts with substance abuse ruined what would have been a Cooperstown career, and by the mid-1990s, he was battling just to stay in organized baseball. (AG/SH)

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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY

ť June 7, 1982: The Cubs select SS Shawon Dunston, who batted .790 this season for Brooklyn's Thomas Jefferson HS, with the first pick in the annual June free-agent draft. The Blue Jays then pick SS Augie Schmidt. The Twins, picking 4th overall, take lefty Brian Oelkers, who will be the first to reach the majors. Dwight Gooden is the 5th overall, taken by the Mets, one of 12 Mets draft picks who will make the igs. The Red Sox with three first round picks, use their first on Sam Horn and their last 1st round choice on FSU slugger Jeff Ledbetter, who hit an NCAA record 42 home runs: at least Horn will make the majors. The Yankees select high school SS Bo Jackson in the 2nd round, but he opts for Auburn instead. The Angels also go for a 2-sport star, taking U of Vermont's Kirk McCaskill, the first college player taken in last years NHL draft. The A's pick Jose Canseco in the 15th round and sign him for $15,000; the Royals mine gold on the 19th round by taking Bret Saberhagen. The Reds strike out in the first round when they select Illini high schooler Scott Jones, but so better with 9th rounder Tom Browning.

ť April 7, 1984: Dwight Gooden allows one run in five innings in his ML debut, earning the win in the Mets' 32 victory over Houston. At 19, he is the youngest National League player.

ť July 10, 1984: On the 50th anniversary of Carl Hubbell's legendary five consecutive strikeouts in the 1934 All-Star Game, National League pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combine to fan six batters in a row for a new All-Star Game record in the NL's 31 triumph. After Valenzuela whiffs Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett in the 4th inning, Gooden, the youngest All-Star ever at age 19, fans Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis in the 5th.

ť September 7, 1984: Dwight Gooden pitches a one-hitter and strikes out 11 in a 100 rout of the Cubs. The only hit is Keith Moreland's slow roller in the 5th inning, which 3B Ray Knight fields but can't get out of his glove. Gooden's 11 strikeouts give him 236 for the season, breaking the National League rookie record set by Grover Alexander in 1911. For Gooden, he will win another nine straight over the Cubs, lose, then win 12 straight.

ť September 12, 1984: Dwight Gooden strikes out 16 Pirates in a 20 victory to break Herb Score's ML rookie strikeout record of 245. Gooden now has 251.

ť September 17, 1984: Dwight Gooden strikes out 16 batters for the 2nd straight start to tie the major-league record of 32 strikeouts in consecutive games, but balks home the winning run in the 8th inning of a 21 loss to the Phillies. It is Gooden's 5th straight outing with 10 or more strikeouts.

ť November 20, 1984: Four days after his 20th birthday, Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden becomes the youngest player ever to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Gooden was 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA and a ML-leading 276 strikeouts.

ť May 30, 1985: Doc Gooden strikes out 14 in pitching the Mets to a 21 victory over the Giants. Alex Trevino's 1st homer of the year is the Giants' only score.

ť August 4, 1985: At Chicago, Doc Gooden wins his 11th straight, a club record, as the Mets beat the Cubs, 41. Doc triggers a 3-run 3rd with a double.

ť August 20, 1985: Dwight Gooden fans 16 batters on the way to his 13th consecutive victory 50 over the Giants, raising his season strikeout total to 208. Gooden (19-3) joins Herb Score as the only pitchers this century to strike out 200 batters in each of their first two seasons.

ť August 25, 1985: Dwight Gooden wins his 14th consecutive game and his 20th of the season 93 over the Padres. Gooden will finish the season 24-4. Gooden, at 20 years, nine months of age, is the youngest pitcher ever to win 20 games. Bob Feller was a month older when he first won 20 in 1939.

ť August 31, 1985: San Francisco's Jim Gott and Mark Davis combine to beat the Mets 32, ending Dwight Gooden's personal 14-game winning streak.

ť September 11, 1985: John Tudor allows three hits in 10 innings for his 3rd consecutive shutout, outdueling Dwight Gooden and the Mets 10 to move St. Louis back into a first-place tie with New York in the National League East. Cesar Cedeno's 10th-inning homer provides the game's only run.

ť October 2, 1985: In a duel of 20-game winners, Doc Gooden (24-4) beats Joaquin Andujar (21-11) to pull the Mets to a game in back of the Cardinals.

ť November 18, 1985: Dwight Gooden (NL) and Bret Saberhagen (American League) win the Cy Young Award in their respective leagues.

ť September 17, 1986: The Mets clinch the National League East Championship with a 42 win over the Cubs at Shea Stadium as Dwight Gooden tosses a 6-hitter. The Mets will win 108 games this season, most in the NL since the 1975 Reds.

ť October 8, 1986: Houston takes a 10 lead over the Mets in the NLCS as Mike Scott ties the NLCS record with 14 strikeouts. Glenn Davis' 2nd-inning solo home run off Dwight Gooden is the game's only run.

ť October 19, 1986: In game two, Boston has 18 hits against Doc Gooden and four relievers to give the Red Sox a 93 win.

ť October 23, 1986: Mets ace Dwight Gooden loses again as Bruce Hurst gives up 10 hits but wins 42 for Boston.

ť April 1, 1987: After testing positive for cocaine during spring training, Mets ace Dwight Gooden avoids suspension by agreeing to enter a drug rehabilitation program.

ť June 5, 1987: Dwight Gooden returns from drug rehabilitation and allows one run in six 2/3 innings to earn the win as the Mets beat the Pirates 51 at Shea Stadium.

ť June 25, 1987: Dwight Gooden (41) and the Mets top the Cubs, 82. For Doc, it is his 10th straight win over Chicago. He'll lose his next decision to them on August 9, then roll off another 12 straight wins.

ť August 9, 1987: With help from Lee Smith, Scott Sanderson beats the Mets, 63, at Shea Stadium. The loser is Doc Gooden, who snaps his 10-game winning streak against the Cubs. He'll start another streak of 12 wins.

ť September 21, 1987: Darryl Strawberry joins Howard Johnson as the first teammates ever to achieve 30 homers and 30 steals in the same season, stealing two bases in the Mets 71 win at Chicago. Strawberry is only the 10th member of the 30-30 club, but the 4th to accomplish the feat this season. The sinning pitcher is Doc Gooden, who had his 10-game win streak over Chicago snapped in August; however, today's win will start him on another 12-game win streak over the Cubs.

ť October 4, 1988: Dwight Gooden and Orel Hershiser start but neither get the decision. New York rallies for three 9th-inning runs to win the opening NLCS game over the Dodgers 32.

ť April 3, 1989: The Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener 84 over St. Louis at Shea Stadium. New York has won on Opening Day in 18 of the last 20 seasons. Dwight Gooden is the winner, helped by a home run by Howard Johnson.

ť June 19, 1989: Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden wins his 100th career game, 53 over the Expos. His 100-37 career record is 2nd only to Whitey Ford's 100-36 start.

ť April 9, 1990: At Shea, the Pirates pound Dwight Gooden (0-1) for five runs in 4.1 innings and go on to win, 123. Doug Drabek gets the win as Bobby Bonilla and Andy Van Slyke homer to back his pitching. Gooden has a losing record for the first time in nine seasons.

ť June 12, 1990: The Mets outhit the Cubs 21 to 16 and outscored them 198. Dave Magadan and Kevin McReynolds homer to back Dwight Gooden (45).

ť April 9, 1992: Prosecutors drop rape charges against Mets P Dwight Gooden and OF Vince Coleman and Daryl Boston. On March 3, a 31yearold woman had accused the players of raping her on March 30, 1991.

ť May 18, 1992: San Diego P Bruce Hurst hurls a one-hit shutout over the Mets, defeating Dwight Gooden by a score of 30. The only hit is a single by the recently acquired Chico Walker. Hurst does it without Tony Gwynn, who breaks the tip of his right middle finger by slamming it in the door of his Porsche on the way to the bank. Gwynn is hitting .369.

ť June 24, 1992: The Mets, behind Doc Gooden, defeat the Cubs, 32 at New York. Jackson takes the loss. Gooden has now beaten the Cubs 12 straight times (according to historian Ed Hartig). Before his loss in August 1987, he had another streak of 10 straight wins over the Cubs.

ť April 26, 1993: Mets P Dwight Gooden hurts his shoulder when he is struck by a golf club teammate Vince Coleman is swinging in the clubhouse.

ť April 4, 1994: Cubs OF Tuffy Rhodes becomes 1st National League player to hit three home runs on opening day when he connects off Dwight Gooden at Wrigley Field, but the Mets beat the Cubs 12-8, with Gooden getting the win over Mike Morgan. Tuffy's three home runs are consecutive and he adds a single.

ť June 28, 1994: Mets P Dwight Gooden receives a 60-day suspension for violating terms of his drug aftercare program.

ť July 22, 1994: Mets P Dwight Gooden is admitted to the Betty Ford Center in California for treatment of substance abuse.

ť September 15, 1994: The Mets are informed that P Dwight Gooden is in violation of his aftercare program for substance abuse.

ť November 4, 1994: Dwight Gooden receives a year-long suspension for violating his aftercare program. He reportedly has continued to test positive for cocaine.

ť June 14, 1995: The Dodgers Hideo Nomo strikes out 16 Pirates. Nomo is the 1st pitcher since Dwight Gooden in 1985 to record a 14 K and 16 K game in the same season. Both of Gooden's games came against the Giants' Jim Gott, now a reliever for the Pirates.

ť October 16, 1995: The Yankees sign P Dwight Gooden, who has been on suspension for violation of his substance abuse program.

ť April 27, 1996: New York's David Cone misses his first start in nine years when he experiences a numbing in the fingers off his pitching hand. His replacement, Dwight Gooden, fashions a decent outing, allowing one run in six innings against the Twins. He has seven strikeouts using a shorter stride off the mound. But the Yankee bullpen can't match the Doc and the Twins score four runs on six hits off Bob Wickman in the 10th to win, 86.

ť May 14, 1996: Dwight Gooden, on the verge of being dropped from the Yankees just two weeks ago, twirls a no-hitter to sink the Mariners, 20. Dr. No walks two in the 9th, but retires Ken Griffey, Jr., K's Jay Buhner, and induces Paul Sorrento to pop out to end it. Gerald Williams saves the no-hitter when he runs down a 400-foot Alex Rodriguez liner in the first inning and turns it into a double play. Gooden (23) has now thrown 16 straight innings of hitless ball.

ť May 22, 1996: The Athletics spoil Dwight Gooden Day in New York City by hitting five solo homers -- three by Yankee-killer Geronimo Berroa -- to beat the Yankees 51. The five runs, all coming on homers, ties the ML mark.

ť June 19, 1996: Atlanta defeats San Diego, 5-1, behind John Smoltz's 2-hitter, his 14th straight victory. Smoltz retires the first 19 batters. The victory gives the Braves' righthander a record of 14-1. Smoltz has not lost since April 4th, when SF beat him. He's the first NLer to win 14 in a row since Dwight Gooden in 1985.

ť August 15, 1997: The Orioles and Mariners split a day-night twinbill, the O's taking the opener, 43 and the M's the nitecap, 83. Randy Johnson drops the first game, despite striking out 13 batters; he has now struck out 32 in two games to tie Luis Tiant (1968), Nolan Ryan (1974) and Dwight Gooden (1984).

ť December 8, 1997: The Indians sign free agent OF Kenny Lofton to a 3-year contract, and free agent P Dwight Gooden to a 2-year pact. They also trade OF Marquis Grissom and P Jeff Juden to the Brewers in exchange for Ps Ben McDonald, Ron Villone, and Mike Fetters. Fetters is then sent to the Athletics in exchange for P Steve Karsay.

ť September 9, 1998: In Toronto's 63 loss to the Indians in 13 innings, the Jays' Alex Gonzalez strikes out six times. Tribe starter Dwight Gooden K's him the first three times, with three relievers add strikeouts.

ť May 7, 1999: At Jacobs Field, the Indians overcome a 9-1 deficit by scoring four runs in the 6th, seven runs in the 7th, and seven more in the 8th, to defeat the Devil Rays, 20-11. Down eight and winning by nine is the biggest swing since July 8, 1990, according to historian Tom Ruane. Roberto Alomar and David Justice each drive home five runs for the Tribe, who have five players get three or more hits. Tampa Bay's Fred McGriff hits a 2-run shot off another Tampa native, Dwight Gooden. For McGriff, it is the 34th ML park he has homered in, a new ML record. He was tied with Gary Gaetti and Ellis Burks.

ť July 5, 1999: The Cardinals defeat the Diamondbacks, 1-0, as Jose Jimenez hurls a 2-hitter to defeat Randy Johnson. Jimenez no-hit the Diamondbacks in his last appearance against them. Johnson loses his 3rd game in a row, during which Arizona has not scored a run and only made three hits. He K's 12 Cardinals to tie Dwight Gooden's National League mark of 43 strikeouts over three starts. He also reaches 200 strikeouts for the year and ends St. Louis rookie Joe McEwing's 25-game hitting streak, the 5th longest ever for a rookie.

ť April 13, 2000: The Devil Rays obtain P Dwight Gooden from the Astros in exchange for cash.

ť July 8, 2000: The Yankees whip the Mets by identical 4-2 scores in both ends of an unusual day-night doubleheader. With the 1st game played at Shea Stadium and the nightcap at Yankee Stadium, it is the 1st time since 1903 that two teams played two games in different stadiums on the same day. Dwight Gooden wins the first game with a six inning effort in his first start since returning to the Yankees. Roger Clemens wins the night cap and precipitate a near brawl when he drills Mike Piazza in the helmet with an inside fastball. Piazza suffers a concussion.

ť March 23, 2001: The Reds announce the retirement of 1B Hal Morris. Pitcher Tim Belcher retires tomorrow, and Dwight Gooden on the 30th.

ť November 5, 2002: Arizona's Randy Johnson wins the National League Cy Young Award, his 5th overall and 4th in a row. Johnson is the first NL player since the Mets' Dwight Gooden to win the pitching triple crown, going 245 with a 2.37 ERA and 334 strikeouts. He led the major leagues in strikeouts for the ninth time.