Dwight Gooden

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Time flies like fastballs once did for Dwight Gooden. He was a native of Tampa, Florida and was drafted in the first round in 1982 by the New York Mets. He was one of the best American pitchers ever, not only African American. Like Gooden, Darryl Strawberry will be documented as well. Their stories are so similar and may even mention each other. They were not just close friends because they played on the same team, but also because of off the field events. Gooden made his Mets’ debut 33 years ago at the age of 19. He quickly developed a reputation with his 98 MPH fastball and sweeping curveball. He was voted the Rookie of The Year, giving the Mets two consecutive winners of that award (Darryl Strawberry had been the recipient in 1983). Gooden…show more content…
Also, in the summer of ’84 he became the youngest player to ever appear in the All-Star Game. Dr. K struck out the first three batters he faced at Candlestick Park. In 1985, Gooden pitched one of the most statistically dominating single seasons in baseball history having the highest WAR in 60 years. There was even media speculation about Gooden's Hall of Fame prospects. That November, Gooden turned 21. While Gooden would be an effective pitcher for several more seasons, he never again approached such heights. 1985 would prove to be the only 20-win season of Gooden's 16-year career. Many reasons have been offered for his decline: early overuse, cocaine addiction, the league catching on to some of his pitches, or the influence of Mets pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, who convinced Gooden to change his pitching motion in the hopes of prolonging his…show more content…
He failed a few drug tests by testing positive for cocaine. Which means he had to sit out for some games and there are even reports saying that even earlier he had teammates take drug tests for him. Gooden checked into a rehabilitation program, so that he would not have to face suspension. Sources say that another reason why he did not get back to the height of his game was because his arm was basically thrown out. He attempted more pitches in two seasons then some accumulate in three to four seasons. Gooden and two other teammates were accused of rape, but charges were never pressed. Injuries also started to affect his game as well. Gooden suffered a shoulder injury, yet he bounced back from that and then suffered another

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