Will the Mets be competitive or not in 2024? That’s still to be determined (although they almost definitely will be). However, we officially have something else to look forward to: watching Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden get their respective numbers retired at Citi Field.
No. 16 and No. 18: Forever enshrined in Mets history.
Next season, we will retire Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry’s numbers. pic.twitter.com/WvgZ0SuxvA
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 24, 2023
It’s about damn time, people. Doc and Darryl will be the second and third members of New York’s 1986 championship team to get their numbers retired, joining Keith Hernandez.
While it was the veteran acquisitions of guys like Keith and Gary Carter that ultimately put the Mets over the top, the Amazins wouldn’t have achieved October glory without Gooden and Strawberry.
Gooden is one of the most dominant pitchers in Mets history. Across 11 years and 2,159.2 innings in Queens, Doc went 157-85 with a 3.10 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and 1,875 strikeouts. The right-hander also captured NL Rookie of the Year honors, four All-Star appearances, a Silver Slugger, and a Cy Young Award during his tenure.
That 1985 Cy Young Award also came with winning the pitching triple crown. He led the league in wins (24), ERA (1.53), and strikeouts (268). His 52.4 career fWAR as a member of the Mets is second all-time to only Tom Seaver (67.7).
We’ve spent lots of time talking about how the Mets have never seen a power hitter come through their farm system like Pete Alonso. Before the Polar Bear came along, though, Strawberry was the standard.
The 1983 NL Rookie of the Year Award winner represented the Mets at seven All-Star Games. He also won two Silver Sluggers and finished top-three in NL MVP voting twice. Once he departed New York via free agency following the 1990 season, he held several franchise records. This included rookie home runs in a season (26), single-season home runs overall (39), and career home runs (252). He’s still the all-time leader, for the time being.
As good as these two were, they’re also some of the biggest “What if?” questions in franchise history because of their off-the-field vices (ESPN’s Doc and Darryl documentary is a must-watch). But still, they’ve been members of the Mets Hall of Fame since 2010. It was beyond time for them to get their numbers retired.
In addition to joining Herandez, Doc and Darryl will see their numbers next to Seaver, Mike Piazza, Jerry Koosman, Willie Mays, Gil Hodges, and Casey Stengel in the Citi Field rafters (as well as Jackie Robinson).
Next up? My guess is it’s either going to be Carter or David Wright. Or both.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
