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jazzeum
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Dr. K: August 20, 1985
The below article was written by Marty Noble for MLB, who used to work for Newsday, on the 30th anniversary of Doc Gooden's 16 strikeout performance against the Giants on August 20, 1985.
****
The victory, the 72nd of the 98 the Mets would amass that season, was all but secure. Seven additional outs were necessary to complete their engagement against the visiting Giants. To the 32,000 folks who had assembled at Shea Stadium, victory was a fait accompli because Dwight Gooden was pitching, and he was very much in charge.
The Doctor had struck out the first two batters in the seventh inning to increase the number of upper-case K's hanging from the upper deck in left field to 14. The K-aficionados wanted more, at least five more to equal the record, and preferably six more to make Gooden the King of the Hill. The 20-strikeout games of Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood -- Clemens would have two -- hadn't happened yet. Six more K's, and the Doctor would be atop the list.
Dan Gladden, the Giants' left fielder and leadoff batter, was next in line. He already had struck out once. Shea was in a frenzy, demanding that Gooden strike out the side and keep alive his chance for 20.
Then, Gladden denied the masses -- he made contact. The baseball was neither solidly struck nor properly placed. His right-handed swing launched a soft popup into foul territory behind first base.
And as soon as the Gooden constituency recognized the ball would remain in play, first baseman Keith Hernandez was encouraged -- no, implored -- to let the ball fall harmlessly to the turf and afford his 20-year-old colleague another chance for another strikeout.
No laissez faire for the man who already had won seven Gold Gloves, though. Hernandez allowed the baseball to drop into his glove, and as he turned for the dugout, he was roundly booed. The K the fans had coveted had instead become the first letter of killjoy.
If only Dave Kingman still were the Mets' first baseman, Gooden might have had a second chance for a 15th strikeout.
"Can't please everybody all the time," Hernandez after Gooden had put the finishing touches on a 3-0 shutout. "It's OK," Gooden said. "I forgave him."
So 30 years ago today, Aug. 20, 1985, Gooden had to settle for a seven-hit, three-walk, 16-strikeout complete game. "I'll take it," he said. "My mom told me never to be too greedy."
A masterpiece? Not quite.
"Too many walks," Gooden said. "And seven hits... that's too many, too."
That's how he accepted the 19th victory of his second big league season: as a good, but flawed performance.
That's how it was in Flushing, N.Y., in 1985. Gooden was such a dominating force that fans would trade an out for the opportunity to watch him reduce another batter to rubble. They were blindly confident.
Doctor K was the primary force in the big leagues, and that was not open to debate. His right arm was a lethal weapon, his fastball a most formidable force and his curve a piece of splendid deception. Gooden's image was something akin to that of Superman wearing Batman's utility belt.
Gooden wasn't unbeatable. Indeed, the record that was a striking part of his National League Cy Young Award resume was 24-4. But Gooden's ERA in his four losses was 2.89, lower than the overall ERAs of all but 10 pitchers in the big leagues that year. He won the pitchers Triple Crown, leading the big leagues in victories, ERA (1.53) and strikeouts (268). Gooden's 1985 ERA remains the lowest in the big leagues, other than Bob Gibson's unapproachable 1.12 in 1968, since 1919, when Walter Johnson produced a 1.49 ERA.
Gooden threw an NL-high 16 complete games, as well as eight shutouts, and he led the league in innings with 276 2/3.
Gooden's election as the NL Cy Young Award winner was unanimous, and he placed fourth in balloting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award.
"It was better than great," Gooden said. "I couldn't believe it when it was happening -- that year went by so fast -- and I can't believe it now. You always dream when you're young. But I didn't dream like that. No way. I wanted to be in the big leagues, yeah. And when Davey [Johnson] told me I was going north for sure, I was just hoping I wouldn't get embarrassed. What happened after that was like a dream... but not any dream I ever had."
It was during an 18-game unbeaten streak -- Gooden won 14 times -- that summer when Cubs catcher Jody Davis provided insight that probably was shared by a vast majority of NL hitters.
In the aftermath of the Doctor's 17th victory -- he had allowed an unearned run in a complete game in Chicago -- Davis said, "I've never seen anything like it. The whole league is up to beat him. We just want to prove he can be beaten. I mean, he seems like a good kid. Nobody hates him. Just everybody wants to kick his butt, and we can't touch him."
Gooden became a deity in New York. Decades before there were Harvey Days and Jacob deGrom nights, Gooden owned the city to a greater extent than Ron Guidry had seven summers earlier when he produced a 25-3 record and a 1.74 ERA for the Yankees.
The combination of Gooden's youth, innocence and the Mets' emergence made him different from Guidry, who had produced his signature season for a defending World Series champion.
Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter had more to do with the Mets' ascent than a pitcher who participated once every five days. But it was the Doctor who made the Big City a Mets town. The Yankees, with Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, MVP Don Mattingly and all that legacy, paled in comparison. Shea Stadium became the place to go, the place to be seen, mostly because the Doctor hung his shingle there.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner saw it coming. He recognized the threat to his empire in March 1984, even before Gooden became a household name. In Spring Training, the Boss ordered his minions to prepare rookie Jose Rijo for immediate big league duty in hopes of offsetting the loud buzz prompted by Gooden's promise. Steinbrenner's plan failed. Gooden was much more than buzz.
Mattingly became the most beloved Yankee since Mickey Mantle. But it was Gooden who had captured the market, Gooden whose huge painted likeness was visible on the side of a building in Times Square, Gooden who could have leapt that building in a single bound.
The Doctor eventually abdicated his position. A series of developments, including two suspensions for testing positive for cocaine, severely tarnished his image. And after a successful month and a half in 1986, his performance level dropped. Gooden had his moments subsequently, but he never again was the shooting star he had been in 1984 and '85.
How could he have maintained? Shooting stars, by definition, fade rather quickly no matter how brilliant they have been. Gooden's big league career lasted until 2000, and it included a no-hitter for the Yankees. He remains an extraordinary figure in New York's rich baseball history.
Any time a young pitcher makes a splash in this city and folks are stirred by his combination of age and achievement, they need to pause and consider all Gooden had accomplished before he was old enough to vote or rent a car -- 41 victories, 23 complete games, 11 shutouts, 544 strikeouts in 494 2/3 innings, the NL Rookie of the Year Award and the NL Cy Young Award.
Matt Harvey and deGrom, neither of whom threw a big league pitch until their 22nd birthday had passed, have a composite record of 43-29. They have combined for one complete game and one shutout. And both are embraced -- rightfully -- by the Mets' public as special and young.
Then, there was Dwight Gooden in 1985.
"That anyone is able to succeed at the big league level is something special," Hernandez said recently. "That Doc was able to reach this level as a teenager was amazing. And that he dominated to the degree he did at the age he was still amazes me. I saw every day of it, I was part of it. And I still can't believe it."
*****
The below article was written by Marty Noble for MLB, who used to work for Newsday, on the 30th anniversary of Doc Gooden's 16 strikeout performance against the Giants on August 20, 1985.
****
The victory, the 72nd of the 98 the Mets would amass that season, was all but secure. Seven additional outs were necessary to complete their engagement against the visiting Giants. To the 32,000 folks who had assembled at Shea Stadium, victory was a fait accompli because Dwight Gooden was pitching, and he was very much in charge.
The Doctor had struck out the first two batters in the seventh inning to increase the number of upper-case K's hanging from the upper deck in left field to 14. The K-aficionados wanted more, at least five more to equal the record, and preferably six more to make Gooden the King of the Hill. The 20-strikeout games of Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood -- Clemens would have two -- hadn't happened yet. Six more K's, and the Doctor would be atop the list.
Dan Gladden, the Giants' left fielder and leadoff batter, was next in line. He already had struck out once. Shea was in a frenzy, demanding that Gooden strike out the side and keep alive his chance for 20.
Then, Gladden denied the masses -- he made contact. The baseball was neither solidly struck nor properly placed. His right-handed swing launched a soft popup into foul territory behind first base.
And as soon as the Gooden constituency recognized the ball would remain in play, first baseman Keith Hernandez was encouraged -- no, implored -- to let the ball fall harmlessly to the turf and afford his 20-year-old colleague another chance for another strikeout.
No laissez faire for the man who already had won seven Gold Gloves, though. Hernandez allowed the baseball to drop into his glove, and as he turned for the dugout, he was roundly booed. The K the fans had coveted had instead become the first letter of killjoy.
If only Dave Kingman still were the Mets' first baseman, Gooden might have had a second chance for a 15th strikeout.
"Can't please everybody all the time," Hernandez after Gooden had put the finishing touches on a 3-0 shutout. "It's OK," Gooden said. "I forgave him."
So 30 years ago today, Aug. 20, 1985, Gooden had to settle for a seven-hit, three-walk, 16-strikeout complete game. "I'll take it," he said. "My mom told me never to be too greedy."
A masterpiece? Not quite.
"Too many walks," Gooden said. "And seven hits... that's too many, too."
That's how he accepted the 19th victory of his second big league season: as a good, but flawed performance.
That's how it was in Flushing, N.Y., in 1985. Gooden was such a dominating force that fans would trade an out for the opportunity to watch him reduce another batter to rubble. They were blindly confident.
Doctor K was the primary force in the big leagues, and that was not open to debate. His right arm was a lethal weapon, his fastball a most formidable force and his curve a piece of splendid deception. Gooden's image was something akin to that of Superman wearing Batman's utility belt.
Gooden wasn't unbeatable. Indeed, the record that was a striking part of his National League Cy Young Award resume was 24-4. But Gooden's ERA in his four losses was 2.89, lower than the overall ERAs of all but 10 pitchers in the big leagues that year. He won the pitchers Triple Crown, leading the big leagues in victories, ERA (1.53) and strikeouts (268). Gooden's 1985 ERA remains the lowest in the big leagues, other than Bob Gibson's unapproachable 1.12 in 1968, since 1919, when Walter Johnson produced a 1.49 ERA.
Gooden threw an NL-high 16 complete games, as well as eight shutouts, and he led the league in innings with 276 2/3.
Gooden's election as the NL Cy Young Award winner was unanimous, and he placed fourth in balloting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award.
"It was better than great," Gooden said. "I couldn't believe it when it was happening -- that year went by so fast -- and I can't believe it now. You always dream when you're young. But I didn't dream like that. No way. I wanted to be in the big leagues, yeah. And when Davey [Johnson] told me I was going north for sure, I was just hoping I wouldn't get embarrassed. What happened after that was like a dream... but not any dream I ever had."
It was during an 18-game unbeaten streak -- Gooden won 14 times -- that summer when Cubs catcher Jody Davis provided insight that probably was shared by a vast majority of NL hitters.
In the aftermath of the Doctor's 17th victory -- he had allowed an unearned run in a complete game in Chicago -- Davis said, "I've never seen anything like it. The whole league is up to beat him. We just want to prove he can be beaten. I mean, he seems like a good kid. Nobody hates him. Just everybody wants to kick his butt, and we can't touch him."
Gooden became a deity in New York. Decades before there were Harvey Days and Jacob deGrom nights, Gooden owned the city to a greater extent than Ron Guidry had seven summers earlier when he produced a 25-3 record and a 1.74 ERA for the Yankees.
The combination of Gooden's youth, innocence and the Mets' emergence made him different from Guidry, who had produced his signature season for a defending World Series champion.
Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter had more to do with the Mets' ascent than a pitcher who participated once every five days. But it was the Doctor who made the Big City a Mets town. The Yankees, with Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, MVP Don Mattingly and all that legacy, paled in comparison. Shea Stadium became the place to go, the place to be seen, mostly because the Doctor hung his shingle there.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner saw it coming. He recognized the threat to his empire in March 1984, even before Gooden became a household name. In Spring Training, the Boss ordered his minions to prepare rookie Jose Rijo for immediate big league duty in hopes of offsetting the loud buzz prompted by Gooden's promise. Steinbrenner's plan failed. Gooden was much more than buzz.
Mattingly became the most beloved Yankee since Mickey Mantle. But it was Gooden who had captured the market, Gooden whose huge painted likeness was visible on the side of a building in Times Square, Gooden who could have leapt that building in a single bound.
The Doctor eventually abdicated his position. A series of developments, including two suspensions for testing positive for cocaine, severely tarnished his image. And after a successful month and a half in 1986, his performance level dropped. Gooden had his moments subsequently, but he never again was the shooting star he had been in 1984 and '85.
How could he have maintained? Shooting stars, by definition, fade rather quickly no matter how brilliant they have been. Gooden's big league career lasted until 2000, and it included a no-hitter for the Yankees. He remains an extraordinary figure in New York's rich baseball history.
Any time a young pitcher makes a splash in this city and folks are stirred by his combination of age and achievement, they need to pause and consider all Gooden had accomplished before he was old enough to vote or rent a car -- 41 victories, 23 complete games, 11 shutouts, 544 strikeouts in 494 2/3 innings, the NL Rookie of the Year Award and the NL Cy Young Award.
Matt Harvey and deGrom, neither of whom threw a big league pitch until their 22nd birthday had passed, have a composite record of 43-29. They have combined for one complete game and one shutout. And both are embraced -- rightfully -- by the Mets' public as special and young.
Then, there was Dwight Gooden in 1985.
"That anyone is able to succeed at the big league level is something special," Hernandez said recently. "That Doc was able to reach this level as a teenager was amazing. And that he dominated to the degree he did at the age he was still amazes me. I saw every day of it, I was part of it. And I still can't believe it."
*****
Couple of disappointing efforts by the Nats and the O's tonight. Nats reverted to form, scoring only 2 runs and losing 3-2. Only got 4 hits (2 by Harper who continues to reach base at a high rate, 11 times in 18 PA in this series) and a giant Hr by Taylor but it wasn't enough. Once again, the bullpen (aka., the Arsonists) couldn't get the big outs so the Nats end this important road trip at 3-7, basically a disaster.
The O's gave a very poor effort, low-lighted by a terrible starting effort by Gonzalez (7 runs in 5 innings) and an equally poor job by the usually reliable bullpen. Very poor effort all around. As I write this, the score is 14-0 Twins, in the 8th. The good news for the O's is that the NYY's lost so no ground lost to them but idle Toronto gains a half game on the O's.
As a matter of interest, former O's pitcher, Jake Arrieta, now of the Cubs, won his 15th game tonight. His record is now 15-6, with a 2.30 ERA. It figures. -- Al
The O's gave a very poor effort, low-lighted by a terrible starting effort by Gonzalez (7 runs in 5 innings) and an equally poor job by the usually reliable bullpen. Very poor effort all around. As I write this, the score is 14-0 Twins, in the 8th. The good news for the O's is that the NYY's lost so no ground lost to them but idle Toronto gains a half game on the O's.
As a matter of interest, former O's pitcher, Jake Arrieta, now of the Cubs, won his 15th game tonight. His record is now 15-6, with a 2.30 ERA. It figures. -- Al
jazzeum
Four Star General
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I think that when it comes to our team, we always see the glass as more than half empty. Seeing the bullpen falter in the last few games will do it for you.
Yes, the Nats had a miserable trip but on the plus side, they won two out of the last three and (although I only watched a small part of the game) Scherzer pitched pretty well, after a few bad outings. They are home now and the schedule gets easier, not to mention that the Mets are on the road and the road has not been kind to them (although better as of late). 4 games out in the loss is not impossible to make up so maybe the glass is half full ^&grin
Yes, the Nats had a miserable trip but on the plus side, they won two out of the last three and (although I only watched a small part of the game) Scherzer pitched pretty well, after a few bad outings. They are home now and the schedule gets easier, not to mention that the Mets are on the road and the road has not been kind to them (although better as of late). 4 games out in the loss is not impossible to make up so maybe the glass is half full ^&grin
Brad, the Nats have been so bad since the break that I have little confidence that the ship can be righted. I have not given up but my glass is definitely on the low side. We'll see whether home cooking does any good. :wink2: -- Al
jazzeum
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Al,
I know it looks a little bad right now but didn't the Nats do this a couple of years ago where they looked really bad and then woke up towards the end and almost got in.
Maybe the proverbial baseball gods are punishing them for shelving Strasberg in the playoffs a few years back. This weekend the Mets are planning to skip Harvey feeling they have the "luxury" in the standings to do so. I'm not sure that's the right decision and maybe they're tempting fate although -- who knows -- maybe Harvey has told them he needs a little break.
Brad
I know it looks a little bad right now but didn't the Nats do this a couple of years ago where they looked really bad and then woke up towards the end and almost got in.
Maybe the proverbial baseball gods are punishing them for shelving Strasberg in the playoffs a few years back. This weekend the Mets are planning to skip Harvey feeling they have the "luxury" in the standings to do so. I'm not sure that's the right decision and maybe they're tempting fate although -- who knows -- maybe Harvey has told them he needs a little break.
Brad
You have a good memory, Brad. Nats underperformed most of 2013 and didn't wake up until into August. It was too late to catch Atlanta however and they missed the playoffs which was a major disappointment after the run of 2012. They are flirting with the same disaster this time and they have yet to wake up. -- Al
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Al/Brad:
At this point it will be either the Nats or Mets in the playoffs as division champs as it seems the wild card is not a possibility. That is a tough spot for me because I want each respective team in it for both of you. I will refrain from cheering for either one until the payoffs begin as I consider both of you friends and respect you as dedicated baseball fans.
In the mean time, GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!
-Jason
At this point it will be either the Nats or Mets in the playoffs as division champs as it seems the wild card is not a possibility. That is a tough spot for me because I want each respective team in it for both of you. I will refrain from cheering for either one until the payoffs begin as I consider both of you friends and respect you as dedicated baseball fans.
In the mean time, GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!
-Jason
Thanks, Jason. By the same token, I hope the Giants can catch the Dodgers or at least close the gap and make the WC. After all, the Giants are my 2nd favorite NL team.:wink2: -- Al
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The Giants need to keep pace with the Dodgers so that it will all come down to their series at the very end of the season. The Marlon Byrd acquisition is huge.
Lots of teams related to forum members are still in it, the last month and playoffs are going to be awesome!
Little surprised that Turner has been called up this early. Nats just put another player on the DL, so there you go. Turner was slated as a September call-up. A pennant race is a tough place to break in a 22 y.o. rookie. -- Al
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He is the same age as Harper. Sometimes it seems that Harper is a vet, hard to believe he has been in the league for just about 3.5 years.
jazzeum
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Nowadays talented players are called up earlier. Mets promoted Michael Conforto and he's only been in pro ball only a year. He hasn't set the world on fire but has played nicely. The question is whether he will be sent down when David Wright comes back on Monday. He would be back a week later when rosters open up on September 1 but then he wouldn't qualify for post season play.
Once again the inconsistent O's have squandered a QS by Chen who left the game after 6 with a 3-1 lead. O's lost the game 4-3 after O'Day failed in relief. Chen deserves a far better fate and record than he has. His 7-6 record should probably be 14-6 but he just has no luck. He has 16 QS on the season, 5 more than the next closest O's starter, yet he has the fewest wins of the 4 main starters. The other 3 have 9 wins each. Chen's ERA is down to 3.13, far below the other 3 @ 3.97, 4.54, and 4.73. Chen is by far the O's best starter this year and has very little to show for his efforts. Baseball can be cruel.
Meanwhile, the Nats have choked another one away. Bad starting pitching left them in a 5-1 hole after 5 and then The Arsonists (aka the bullpen) took over and made a bad situation hopeless by giving up 5 more runs in the next 2 innings. I can't remember the last time the bullpen had a good night and did their jobs. The Nats lost this game 10-3 and are now under .500 again. SMELL-O-RAMA, something stinks in DC.:rolleyes2: -- Al
Meanwhile, the Nats have choked another one away. Bad starting pitching left them in a 5-1 hole after 5 and then The Arsonists (aka the bullpen) took over and made a bad situation hopeless by giving up 5 more runs in the next 2 innings. I can't remember the last time the bullpen had a good night and did their jobs. The Nats lost this game 10-3 and are now under .500 again. SMELL-O-RAMA, something stinks in DC.:rolleyes2: -- Al
I hate baseball in Colorado. More like softball. -- Al
Bums got them a game closer tonight as the Dodgers got no-hit. I like SF's chances to take the division. LA is strictly a 2 man rotation, Greinke and Kershaw and hope for 3 rainouts. The rest of the Dodgers starters aren't very good. -- Al