‘I THOUGHT I HAD BLOWN IT...’
Dwight Gooden tells News what it means to have his No. 16 retired and to finally say thanks to Mets fans
T(As told to Jay Horwitz) he date was Oct. 28, 1986. It should have been the happiest day of my life but it turned out to be one of the worst and it still haunts me today. The day before we won the World Series in dramatic style against the Red Sox. While my teammates were being honored by over two million people in a parade down Broadway (The Canyon of Heroes), I was doing drugs in my dealer’s house. That’s the moment I can never recapture.
Another moment is coming up for me which I never thought could happen considering my past mistakes.
On April 14, my number 16 will be retired.
When Steve Cohen called me that day to tell me, I started to cry. I thought I had blown it and would never get a chance to say thanks to the Mets fans. I really appreciate Steve and Alex giving me the opportunity to have another shot at saying goodbye.
Through everything, the suspensions, my time in jail, my bouts with cocaine and drinking, the fans have always been there for me.
In the spring of 1987, I tested positive for cocaine and entered rehab, rather than face suspension. My first game that year was June 5, 1987 at Shea Stadium against the Pirates and I didn’t know what to expect. Would I get booed, would anyone show up? Well, there were over 51,000 people there that night and I got a standing ovation when I went to the mound. I pitched into the seventh inning and we won, 5-1. I still tear up when I think how nice the fans were to me that night.
After I left the Yankees my dream was to come back to the Mets one more time. I called the front office a few times but we couldn’t make a match.
That’s why my night was so key for me. I can give my official goodbyes to people who meant so much to me.
I am already working on my speech. I know I won’t get through it without breaking down. The sad part for me is that my mom and dad (Ella and Dan) won’t be there. The day would have meant so much to them. My dad put the ball in my hand when I was four or five.
When I got to the Mets I spoke to my dad before I spoke to the media. The team had gotten him a television set to watch all of our games. He always told me what I was doing right or wrong. It pains me that the both of them won’t be there with me.
So many people were a part of my success and I guess it
really starts with Davey Johnson. In 1983, Davey was working in our minor league system and he saw me pitch at Lynchburg when I struck out 300 that year. He came over to me and said if I get to manage the Mets next year, you will be with me. He was a man of his words.
It didn’t come without a battle in 1984. I went to camp with No. 64 on my back. I was 19 at the time and some people in our front office thought I should go back to the minors for more seasoning. Davey stuck to his guns.
I didn’t know I made the team until the last day. Davey called me into his office at the old Huggins-Stengel field in St. Petersburg and told me to have a seat. He matter of fact said to go back home and get some suits. You are coming with us to New York.
I was getting No. 35 and I was kind of upset about that. I wore 16 in high school and the minors. It was kind of my good luck charm. That number had belonged to former All-Star Lee Mazzilli and a lot of people felt it was too early to give it to another player. Well Frank (Cashen) pulled some strings and I got my number.
I had to wait until the fourth game of the year in Houston in 1984 for my first start. Boy, was I nervous. Our hotel was close to the Astrodome and I couldn’t wait for the bus so I decided to walk. That was a mistake. When I got there the guards wouldn’t let me in because I didn’t have a pass. They called down to the locker room and spoke to our trainer Steve Garland who was there and he verified that I was going to start for the Mets.
Things could not have worked out better. I went five innings, gave up one run and won, 3-2. The best part of everything was that the Mets flew in my parents and they were able to enjoy everything with me. To this day I never will forget the smile on my dad’s face when I saw him in the locker room. I couldn’t have scripted the 1984 and 1985 seasons better for me. Rookie of the Year in 1984 and a Cy Young in 1985 when I went 24-4 and won the Triple Crown of pitching.
Gary Carter deserves so much credit for my success. He caught for me in the 1984 All-Star Game when I struck out the side and I remember him telling me, wouldn’t it be great if we could do that on a regular basis. Well we got Gary that winter and he guided me to all those wins the following year. The great thing about Gary is that he could go 0-for-4 but he only cared if we won. His goal was for me to strike out double figures each outing. I would go on to lead the NL in strikeouts with 276 and had 41 strikeouts with one walk in my last three starts.
I wanted to give a shout out to the guys who started the K Korner. That really made me feel great. When I was pitching I always told people I never paid attention to the board. Truth is, I always looked at it. When I was at nine it gave me that extra added incentive to get to double figures. I was fortunate to achieve a lot of individual goals in 1984 and 1985. We won 90 or more games each season but still no championship. That spring Davey gave a great speech. He told us not only were we going to win everything but we were going to dominant baseball.
That’s exactly what happened. We won 108 regular season games and eight more in the postseason. Finally, we all had a ring.
I was fortunate to pitch the Division clinching game against the Cubs on Sept. 17. I went nine innings and gave up two runs on six hits.
I remember jumping into Gary’s arms after the final out. I think we had close to 50,000 fans in attendance that night.
I had a no-decision in one of the best outings of the year in Game 5 of the playoffs at home. I went 10 innings against Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. We won 2-1 on Gary’s single in the bottom of the 12th.
One of my most disappointing years with the Mets was 1988. We won 100 games. I went 18-9 with an ERA a little over 3.00. We were to face the Dodgers who owned us during the year, winning 10 of 11 games. I was on the mound for Game 4 of the playoffs. We were ahead two to one and I took a 4-2 lead into the ninth inning. Then I gave up a walk to John Shelby, then a two-run homer to Mike Scioscia and we wound up losing the game in 12 innings and the series in seven games.
Davey has gotten a lot of heat for leaving me in to face Scioscia, we had a lefty in the bullpen, Randy Myers, and some thought he should have been brought in to pitch to Mike. I still felt strong at the time and Davey was just showing his faith in me.
My career with the Mets didn’t end well. In 1994 I was suspended for cocaine which led to me being suspended for the 1995 season.
As you can see my path didn’t have a straight line to it, that’s for sure. I persevered and I am happy with my life now.
People say I should have made the Hall of Fame. That may be true but what I am doing now; going to schools, churches and hospitals, and speaking to kids, is more important than a plaque. I am telling kids basically not to do as I did. No good can come from doing drugs or drinking.
I am glad I can speak to the fans again and express my regrets for some of my mistakes and how I made it difficult for our team.
My speech is done now. I hope my words convey to the Mets fans how important it was for me to say thanks for being with me through everything.