Dwight Gooden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dwight Gooden |
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Gooden with the New York Mets in 1986
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: November 16, 1964 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 7, 1984, for the New York Mets | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 29, 2000, for the New York Yankees | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 194–112 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.51 | ||
| Strikeouts | 2,293 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Dwight Eugene Gooden (born November 16, 1964), often called "Dr. K" or "Doc", is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Gooden pitched from 1984 to 1994 and again from 1996 to 2000. He played for the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. During his career, he played 430 games. He had a win–loss record of 194–112, a 3.51 earned run average (ERA), and 2,293 strikeouts.
Gooden started his MLB career in 1984 with the Mets. He quickly became known as a very talented pitcher. As a 19-year-old rookie, he was chosen for the All-Star Game four times. He also won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award. He even led the league in strikeouts that year.
In 1985, Gooden won the NL Cy Young Award, which is given to the best pitcher. He also achieved the pitching Triple Crown. This means he led the league in wins (24–4 record), ERA (1.53), and strikeouts (268). He also pitched 16 complete games. The next year, in 1986, he helped the Mets win the 1986 World Series.
After facing some challenges, Gooden was unable to play during the 1995 season. When he joined the Yankees in 1996, Gooden pitched a no-hitter. This helped the team win the World Series that year. He played four more years for different teams. However, he did not reach the same level of success he had with the Mets. In 2010, Gooden was added to the New York Mets Hall of Fame. On April 14, 2024, the New York Mets retired his number 16.
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Dwight Gooden's Baseball Journey
Gooden went to Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida. He played baseball there with Vance Lovelace. Gooden was born in Tampa, Florida. He was chosen in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft in 1982. He was the fifth player picked overall.
He spent one season playing in the minor leagues. There, he led the Class-A Carolina League in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. This was while he played for the Lynchburg Mets. Gooden had 300 strikeouts in 191 innings. This amazing performance convinced his future Mets manager, Davey Johnson, to bring him up to the Triple-A Tidewater Tides for their postseason.
Early Years with the New York Mets (1984–1994)
Rookie Season: 1984
Gooden made a rare jump directly to the major leagues. He skipped Double-A and Triple-A teams. He played his first major league game on April 7, 1984. He was only 19 years old and played for the New York Mets. He quickly became known for his fast pitches, which reached 98 miles per hour (158 km/h). He also had a great curveball called "Lord Charles." People started calling him "Dr. K" because "K" is the symbol for a strikeout. This nickname was soon shortened to "Doc." Gooden even had a fan section at Shea Stadium called "The K Korner." They would hold up red "K" cards for each of his strikeouts.
On July 10, 1984, Gooden became the youngest player to appear in an All-Star Game. He was pitching in the fifth inning. He made history by striking out three batters in a row: Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis. Before him, NL Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela had also struck out three batters in a row in the fourth inning. Their combined performance broke an All-Star game record. This record was set by Carl Hubbell in 1934, who had five consecutive strikeouts.
That season, Gooden won 17 games. This was the most wins by a 19-year-old since 1964. It was also the second most wins for a Mets rookie. Gooden won eight of his last nine starts. In his final three starts of 1984, he had 41 strikeouts and only 1 walk. Gooden led the league in strikeouts with 276. This broke the rookie record of 245 set in 1955. He also set a record for most strikeouts in three straight starts with 43. As a 19-year-old rookie, Gooden set a major league record for strikeouts per 9 innings, with 11.39. He was voted the Rookie of the Year. This made him the third Mets pitcher to win the award. Gooden finished second in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
Amazing Season: 1985
In 1985, Gooden had one of the best pitching seasons in baseball history. He led Major League Baseball with 24 wins, 268 strikeouts, and a 1.53 ERA. This ERA was the second-lowest in the "live-ball era" of baseball. Gooden earned the major leagues' pitching Triple Crown. He also led the National League in complete games (16) and innings pitched (2762⁄3).
From his second start onward, Gooden's ERA never went above 2.00. At 20 years old, he was the youngest pitcher in 50 years to have an ERA+ above 200. Gooden's ERA+ was 229. From August 31 to September 16, Gooden pitched 31 scoreless innings over four games. Through October 2, he pitched 49 innings over seven games without allowing an earned run. He had a "quality start" in 33 of his 35 games in 1985.
In September, he pitched two nine-inning games without allowing any runs. However, he did not get a win or loss in either game. In his four losses, Gooden allowed few hits and walks. The Mets finished second in their division in 1985. His teammates jokingly blamed Gooden for losing 4 games, saying it cost them the division title. That year, Gooden became one of only 15 black pitchers to win 20 games. Gooden became the youngest person to win the Cy Young Award and Pitcher of the Year Award. People even started talking about him going to the Hall of Fame. Gooden turned 21 that November.
In New York City, a huge photo of Gooden was displayed at Pennsylvania Station. It showed his strikeout totals as the year went on. Also, a 102-foot-tall Sports Illustrated mural of Gooden was painted on a building in Times Square. It asked, "How does it feel to look down the barrel of a loaded gun?" From August 11, 1984, to May 6, 1986, Gooden had an amazing record of 37 wins and 5 losses. His ERA was 1.38, with 412 strikeouts and 90 walks in 406 innings.
World Series Champion: 1986
In 1986, Gooden had a 17–6 record. His 200 strikeouts were fifth in the National League. However, this was a big drop from his first two seasons. As the 1986 season went on, Gooden noticed his fastball was not as fast as it used to be. He said that its "impossible-to-track, impossible-to-time movement deserted me in 1986, and never returned." Gooden had a high strikeout rate in his first two seasons. For the rest of his career, his strikeout rate was lower.
In another All-Star record, Gooden became the youngest pitcher to start an All-Star Game in 1986. He was 21 years old. Gooden was the Mets' top pitcher going into the playoffs. His postseason started well. He lost a close 1–0 game in the NLCS opener. Then, in Game 5, he pitched 10 innings and allowed only one run, but did not get a win or loss. He did not pitch as well in the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. He did not pitch past the 5th inning in either of his two starts. Still, the Mets won four of the games he didn't start and won the championship. Gooden did not attend the team's victory parade.
Postseason Challenges: 1988
In 1988, Gooden had an 18–9 record. The Mets made it to the postseason again. In the first game of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gooden faced Orel Hershiser. Hershiser had just finished the regular season with a 59-inning scoreless streak. Gooden pitched well, allowing only 4 hits and getting 10 strikeouts. But he left after seven innings, trailing 2–0.
In his next start in Game 4, Gooden was leading 4–2 in the ninth inning. This would have given his Mets a big 3–1 lead in the series. But he allowed a home run that tied the game to Mike Scioscia. The Dodgers eventually won the game in 12 innings. They also won the series, 4 games to 3.
Injuries and Decline (1989–1991)
Gooden hurt his shoulder in 1989. This limited him to only 17 starts, where he had a 9–4 record. He bounced back in 1990, with a 19–7 season and 223 strikeouts. This was second only to his teammate David Cone. However, after another injury in 1991, Gooden's career changed a lot.
It is thought that Gooden threw over 10,800 pitches from 1983 to 1985. During this time, he was only 18 to 20 years old. Gooden pitched 276 innings in his amazing 1985 season. By the end of the 2017 season, only two other pitchers had thrown that many innings. By his 21st birthday, Gooden had already gotten 928 strikeouts in both minor and major leagues.
On August 9, 1990, Phillies pitcher Pat Combs hit Gooden in the knee with a pitch. Gooden thought this was on purpose because he had hit two Phillies batters earlier. He charged the mound, which started a fight between the teams. Gooden was one of six players who were sent out of the game.
Challenges (1992–1995)
The 1992 season was Gooden's first time having more losses than wins (10–13). It was also the first time he lost 10 games. The 1993 season was not much better, as Gooden finished 12–15. During the 1993 season, Sports Illustrated magazine wrote a story about Gooden.
During the 1994 season, which was shorter due to a strike, Gooden had a 3–4 record with a 6.31 ERA. He was unable to play during the entire 1995 season.
In July 1995, a famous large mural of Dwight Gooden in Times Square was replaced. The Dwight Gooden mural had been a part of the New York City landscape for over ten years.
Later Career with the New York Yankees and Other Teams (1996–2000)
Gooden signed with the New York Yankees in 1996. After pitching poorly in April, he was sent to the minor leagues. There, he worked on his pitching style and soon returned. He pitched a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners on May 14 at Yankee Stadium. This was the first no-hitter by a Yankee right-handed pitcher in a regular season game since 1951. He finished the 1996 season with an 11–7 record. This was his first winning record since 1991. He showed flashes of his old form, going 10–2 with a 3.09 ERA from April 27 to August 12. He was very helpful to the Yankees that season, especially when David Cone was out with an injury.
Gooden was not on the 1996 postseason team due to injury and tiredness. In 1997, he had a good 9–5 record with a 4.91 ERA. He had one start for the Yankees in the 1997 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians. He faced Orel Hershiser again. Gooden left Game 4 in the sixth inning with a 2–1 lead. However, the Yankees' relief pitchers struggled, and Gooden did not get a win or loss.
Gooden then signed with the Cleveland Indians. He had some success in 1998, with an 8–6 record and a 3.76 ERA. He started two games in the 1998 postseason. He did not get a win or loss against the Boston Red Sox, and lost to his former team, the Yankees. He stayed with the Indians in 1999 but did not pitch as well as the year before, with a 3–4 record and a 6.26 ERA.
In 1999, Gooden released a book about his life called Heat.
Gooden started the 2000 season with short periods playing for the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. But he found himself back with the Yankees in the middle of the season. He had a good second time with the Yankees, with a 4–2 record and a 3.36 ERA. He pitched as a spot starter and long relief pitcher. This included a win against his former team, the Mets, on July 8. He made one relief appearance in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Gooden did not pitch in the 2000 World Series against the Mets. However, 2000 was the third time Gooden received a World Series ring in his career.
Postseason Performance
Gooden did not win a postseason game. He had a record of 0–4 in nine postseason starts over eight series. However, in the 1986 National League Championship Series, he had a very low earned run average of only 1.06. He started two games and allowed only two earned runs in 17 innings pitched.
Hitting and Fielding Skills
For a pitcher, Gooden was a good hitter. He had a .196 batting average (145 hits in 741 tries). He also had 60 runs, 15 doubles, 5 triples, 8 home runs, 67 RBI, and 14 bases on balls. His fielding percentage was .950, which was a bit lower than the average for pitchers.
Retirement from Baseball
Gooden retired in 2001 after the Yankees released him during spring training. He ended his career with a record of 194 wins and 112 losses. More than half of his wins happened before he turned 25.
Gooden was considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. However, he did not receive enough votes to be considered in the future.
After retiring, Gooden worked for the Yankees' front office. He helped with contract talks between his nephew, Gary Sheffield, and the Yankees in 2004. In July 2009, he was hired as a vice president for community relations for the Atlantic League's Newark Bears. He left that job in November of the same year.
Gooden appeared at the Shea Stadium final celebration on September 28, 2008. This was his first time at Shea Stadium since 2000. On April 13, 2009, he visited the new Citi Field. Gooden signed his name on a wall inside the stadium. The Mets at first thought about removing the signature. But then they decided to move that part of the wall to a different area of the stadium. They also planned to get signatures from other popular former players. On August 1, 2010, he was officially added to the Mets Hall of Fame. He was inducted along with Darryl Strawberry, Frank Cashen, and Davey Johnson. He also threw out the first pitch that day to Gary Carter.
In August 2023, the Mets announced that they will retire Gooden's number 16. They will also retire the number 18 of his former teammate Darryl Strawberry in 2024.
Images for kids
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Dwight Gooden on September 28, 2008
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- Major League Baseball Triple Crown
