Dwight “Doc” Gooden’s date with Mets immortality is set for April 14th when the Mets face off against the Kansas City Royals. In his 11 season with the Mets, Dr, K served up a prescription that made him second in franchise history in wins (157), strikeouts (1,875), and WAR (41.6).
Let’s not forget the way he hit MLB like a nuclear bomb, winning Rookie of the Year (1984) and the Cy Young Award (1985) in his first two seasons. A new era of Mets baseball was ushered in by a 19-year-old phenom from Florida.
“Even when I was with the Yankees, I always considered myself a Met…” Gooden would say about the honor. “I can’t thank [owners] Steve and Alex [Cohen] and the board enough to give me this great honor I can share with my teammates, the fans and my family. I’m looking forward to this day. It’s the greatest honor I can achieve in baseball”.
Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18 will be retired in a ceremony scheduled for June 1st before the Mets take on the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The former #1 pick in the 1980 draft is remembered for his sweet lefty swing where in eight seasons with the Mets, Strawberry would help the team capture two division titles, one pennant, and one world Series title. He is also the franchise leader in career home runs (252), second in RBIs (733) and WAR (36.6), third in OPS (.878), fourth in total bases (2,028) and fifth in stolen bases (191).
“I’m so glad we had this opportunity to play in New York City in the National League at Shea Stadium. I wouldn’t trade it in for anything…” Strawberry said. “To be able to have this honor, your number is going to be retired and that’s forever, its bigger than going into the Hall of Fame.”
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