Recently, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden met with
the media to discuss the news that they have achieved immortality in Mets History.
They have always been joined since 1984 and will both have their numbers
retired and flown on the roof of Citifield this year.
They join other Mets immortals: Stengel, Hodges, Seaver,
Piazza, Koosman, Hernandez and Mays, along with MLB immortal Robinson.
As a Mets fan since 1962, it has been, for me, more down
years than up. But following the 1973 World Series, it truly was a painful period,
culminating with the Wednesday Night Massacre where M. Donald Grant traded The
Franchise, Tom Seaver, to the Cincinnati Reds for Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson,
Dan Norman, and Pat Zachary. Without Tom Terrific, there were no terrific times
at Shea for the rest of the decade.
But then, in January 1980, the Payson family sold the
team to a group headed by Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon. Because the Mets
were such failures, especially in 1979, they were positioned first to draft
soon after they closed on that deal. They used that overall number one pick to
choose eighteen-year-old Darryl Strawberry. Suddenly a long-suffering fan, like
me, had reason to hope for a brighter future.
Then, in 1982, the Mets were again in position to draft
number one overall. They used that pick to draft a seventeen-year-old high
school phenom from Tampa, Dwight Gooden.
By May 6, 1983, twenty-one-year -old Strawberry was brought
up to The Show and never went back to the Minors again. That year, he hit .257,
had twenty-six home runs, drove in seventy-four runs batted in, and won the
1983 Rookie of the Year, while only playing in one hundred-twenty-two games.
In 1984, eighteen-year-old Dwight Gooden was unexpectedly
brought up at the start of the season. He only averaged 11.4 strikeouts per
nine innings, struck out 276, won seventeen games and had an ERA of 2.60. Oh,
and he was an All Star, along with Strawberry, and won the 1984 Rookie of the Year
award.
Together, these two players, along with Keith Hernandez
and later, Gary Carter, comprised the Mets’ “Core Four” for the balance of the
1980s. They brought excitement back to Shea Stadium for the balance of the
decade, leading the Mets to winning seasons from 1984 to 1990 and winning two
NL East championships, the pennant in 1986 and the most exciting World Series I
ever saw that same year.
Darryl Strawberry left the Mets after the 1990 Season and
Dwight Gooden left after 1994. They each had some sparks of brilliance after
they left. Strawberry won two more World Series in 1996 and 1999, and Gooden
finally pitched a no-hitter in 1996 and won another World Series in 2000.
We all know what happened to both men in 1987 and the
years after with substance abuse. After battling those demons for much of the
next few decades, each man has used that experience to help others overcome those
devils.
Finally, The Straw Man and Dr K will be honored with the
highest tribute any team can bestow on its players. They were asked about it
during an interview and each claimed they were humbled to be so recognized.
As for me, as a long-suffering and loyal Mets fan, “Orange
and Blue Since ‘62”, I can tell you it is finally about time. I am happy to see
that the current Mets’ ownership recognizes the team’s history and is making
good on what should have been done since Seaver’s number was retired so long
ago.
Congrats Darryl and Doc. You deserve it! Lets Go Mets!!
