Dwight Eugene “Doc” Gooden (November 16, 1964-) finished his 1983 season with a 19-4 record with the Lynchburg Mets and burst into the Major Leagues, continuing his winning ways, as he went 17-9 with a league leading 276 strikeouts en route to the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The New York Mets selected Dwight with the fifth overall pick of the 1982 MLB June Amateur Draft and he debuted with New York as a 19-year-old. Following his record setting rookie campaign, Gooden led the league in wins (24), strikeouts (268) and ERA (1.53) winning not only the Triple Crown for pitching, but the National League Cy Young Award by unanimous decision. That same season, he was also named The Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year. In reverence to Julius Erving, “Dr. J”, Gooden earned the nickname Dr. K for his dominance against batter early on in his career as he used a 98 mph fastball and sweeping curve to buckle the knees of some of the NL’s greats. Doc Gooden was a four-time All-Star and won the 1992 Silver Slugger Award. He pitched 16 years in the Major Leagues with the Mets (1984-1994), the New York Yankees (1996-1997, 2000), the Cleveland Indians (1998-1999), the Houston Astros (2000) and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000). Despite arm issues and run-ins with the law, Doc Gooden was a member of three World Series champions (1986, 1996, 2000) and no-hit the Seattle Mariners on May 14, 1996. Dwight Gooden finished his career with a 194-112 career record including 68 complete games and 24 shutouts as well as 2,293 strikeouts and a 3.51 career ERA in 430 appearances.
