Video: Mets Retire Dwight Gooden's No. 16 Jersey; Won Cy Young, ROY with Team
April 14, 2024
The New York Mets honored Dwight "Doc" Gooden by retiring his No. 16 jersey ahead of Sunday afternoon's rain-delayed game against the Kansas City Royals.
Gooden, the 1984 Rookie of the Year and 1985 NL Cy Young Award winner, helped lead the Mets to the franchise's last World Series title in 1986.
Gooden was 19 years old when he set an MLB rookie record with 276 strikeouts in 1984, leading to his becoming the youngest player in league history to be named rookie of the year.
The pitcher finished that debut season with a 17-9 record and finished second to Rick Sutcliffe in Cy Young Award voting.
He came back to claim that award during his age-20 season with one of the most dominant pitching campaigns in MLB history.
Gooden led the league in strikeouts for a second straight season while pitching his way to an MLB-best 24-4 record and 1.53 ERA.
He helped lead the Mets to the 1986 World Series the following season.
Gooden went on to pitch nine more seasons with the Mets before he signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees in 1996. He retired in 2001.
No. 16 is the sixth player to have his number retired by the Mets, joining the jerseys of Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Jerry Koosman, Willie Mays and Keith Hernandez, per MLB.com.
That number will increase to seven when the Mets retire Darryl Strawberry's No. 18 on June 1. Strawberry was present for Gooden's jersey retirement Sunday at Citi Field.
