In Photos: Mets honor Dwight Gooden by retiring No. 16, cementing team Hall of Famer's place in history
Dwight Gooden hasn't quite attained baseball immortality, but the longtime New York Mets legend has been cemented in the franchise history as one of its best players. He had already been inducted into the team's personal Hall of Fame (though not Cooperstown), and now his jersey number will remain untouched in the blue and orange.
Gooden was one of the best players the Mets have ever employed. They have their fair share of MLB Hall of Famers, but Gooden has been given his flowers. He was a Cy Young winner, a Rookie of the Year, a Triple Crown winner, a four-time All-Star, a two-time champion, an ERA champion and even a Silver Slugger.
Gooden pitched for the Mets for a decade before taking a year off and then playing for the New York Yankees and others as he bounced around the league a bit. He ultimately retired in 2000.
His on-field achievements were worthy of praise, but even he admitted that he felt like some off-field controversy had hindered his chances of getting that No. 16 jersey hung up in New York.
Dwight Gooden confirmed as one of the Mets' best players ever
Dwight Gooden recorded 157 wins (second in Mets history), 1,875 strikeouts (second in franchise history) and a 3.10 ERA over his career in New York. That would make for an excellent career, and the Mets decided to honor him as such today.
The Mets also honored him by having all current players don hats with the No. 16 patch. Gooden was an icon for the franchise, and all players played the game today with his number on the back.
Gooden said of the ceremony, via SNY:
"I had to take a deep breath back and just suck it in. Obviously, I teared up a little bit. It’s a situation that you want to share with your dad but unfortunately he’s not here, but I get the opportunity to share it with my kids, my grandkids, great-grandkids, my family, and that’s what it’s all about."
The Mets had previously only retired seven numbers of their own plus Jackie Robinson, including Keith Robinson, Mike Piazza and Casey Stengel.