Doc Gooden, who has struggled with drug use, was arrested in New Jersey last month for cocaine possession and DUI.
Dwight Gooden was arrested last month in Holmdel, NJ for cocaine possession and driving under the influence, according to court documents obtained by Lia Eustachewich of the New York Post.
Gooden was stopped by Holmdel Police on June 7 for excessively-tinted windows and driving too slowly. According to Eustachewich’s report, officers found “two small green zip-lock style plastic baggies containing suspected cocaine.”
He was arrested and charged with third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence. A conviction carries a maximum of five years imprisonment.
The pitcher has had numerous legal issues that have marred an otherwise stellar baseball career. His most previous arrest came in March 2010 when was charged with driving while intoxicated, endangering a child’s welfare, and leaving the scene of an accident in Franklin Lakes, NJ.
Gooden is perhaps best known for his role in the New York Mets prosperity in the 1980s. He racked up 157 wins in a Mets uniform and struck out 1,875 with a 3.10 ERA over 11 seasons.
In 1986, he helped guide the Mets to their second World Series title. Gooden did not attend the subsequent victory parade and later admitted to ESPN in 2011 he was too inebriated to partake.
After sitting out the entire 1995 season due to a suspension, Gooden joined the New York Yankees. He would go on to throw to become a valuable commodity in the Yankee rotation after fellow former Met David Cone went down in an injury.
His most notable Yankee moment came in May 1996, when he threw a no-hitter in The Bronx against Seattle. Injuries held Gooden out of the ensuing postseason, but was nonetheless credited as a major contributor to the Yankees ending their 18-year World Series drought.
Gooden played one more season with the Yankees before brief tenures in Cleveland and Tampa Bay. He would return for one final season with the Yankees in 2000 and departed with one last World Series ring. The Yankees would defeat the Mets in that fall’s championship series.
Gooden has since remained active in local baseball. He served in the front offices of both the Yankees and the independent Newark Bears. The Mets inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2010.
An initial court date for Gooden’s latest arrest has not been set.
