Doctor, We See You Now

Sunday April 14th is the day when Dwight Gooden, Dr. K., will have his number 16 retired at Citi Field. Doc is, in my opinion, still the measuring stick for all other Mets staters even-though he retired in 2001. His upper 90’s fastball with the sweeping curve was a deadly combination. When a pitcher throws a great curve, it is often referred to as “Uncle Charlie.” Gooden’s curveball was so devastating, it was referred to as “Lord Charles.”

Gooden finished his career with 194 wins and 2,293 strikeouts across 2,800 innings. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1984, the Cy Young Award in 1985 and was a 4-time All-Star. Doctor K completed the Pitching Triple Crown in 1985, leading the league with a 1.53 ERA, 268 strikeouts and 24 wins.  

The #16

It is fitting that his number 16 will be retired, as that was the number of seasons he played in the show. In 1985, as mentioned above, he led the league in all the triple crown categories. What was not mentioned was the number of complete games he had that year. You guessed it, 16 and half of those games were shutouts. To give you some perspective on that stat, and just how amazing it is, Randy Johnson had 100 complete games, in his 22 year career.

The “K Corner”

According to an article in the New York Post by Mike Vaccaro in 2020 the “K Korner” started on Gooden’s debut April 19th, 1984. It was cold, about 40 degrees, it was misty and they were in section 44 down the left field line in what was then Shea Stadium. Who were they? Dennis Scalzitti and Bob Belle two young kids from North Haledon, N.J.

“We knew we had this kid, this phenom on the way,” Scalzitti says, his voice still filled with wonder all these years later. “We knew he’d struck out 300 in Lynchburg the year before, and even though that was Class-A ball you could just sense he was bringing something special with him when he joined the Mets.”

From an article titled “Story behind first fans of Mets great Dwight Gooden: The K Korner

Why were they there? To display white poster boards with huge red K’s on them of course. That first night, they displayed 7 of these homemade boards. Gooden’s ERA in his first 2 games, over 7. It was 7.53 to be exact. Gooden got a no decision, but the Met’s got the win. To give you an idea of how long ago this was, the Mets beat the Expos that night. But two guys, 27 poster boards and some red paint started a tradition that we now see at almost every ballpark in some form or fashion every game. One of those cards was even taken to Cooperstown.

Closing the appointment

On a personal level, I remember watching Doc when I was growing up. He’s a big reason why I am such a big baseball fan. While my 1988 Starting Lineup Doc Gooden figure is now gone (hey, moving happens as we get older), it was one of my favorite early pieces of baseball memorabilia. I was very happy for him when he finally got a no-hitter, even though it wasn’t with the Mets, as it just felt right that he has a no-no to his name. Number retirements are rare in sports, and need to be earned. There is no doubt that Gooden earned this honor. However, the true question of greatness is if the player’s dominance is remembered without the number being retired. I think I speak for all Mets fans in saying that, for Gooden, the answer is an emphatic “Yes it is!” There will be no forgetting Dwight Gooden for us Mets fans. While I won’t be able to be at the game on Sunday, I can’t wait to watch the ceremony. Doc, on behalf of Mets fans everywhere, Congratulations and THANK YOU!!

Photo Credit; Dennis Scalzitti

Do you wonder how the top 10 Mets prospects are doing in the minors? We thought you might, so we published a recent article to give you all that information and more, just click here!

By : Jason Krom

***Are you interested in sports betting? If so make sure to use our promo code below where you can get your deposit matched (up to $1000), use promo code Sportz***

***Have you tried Dubby?? Are you looking for a Pre-Workout??
Use our promo code : WeLikeSportz for 10% off!