Not once, but twice Dwight “Doc” Gooden experienced the tutelage of pitching guru Mel Stottlemyre in New York City.
By the time Gooden burst onto the scene in 1984, the late, great Stottlemyre was in the New York Mets dugout. The teacher-student duo produced an excellent rookie season followed by one of the greatest pitching performances in New York baseball history.
Gooden finished 1985 with a 24-4 record to go along with a sparkling 1.53 ERA, 0.965 WHIP, and 268 strikeouts in 176.2 innings pitched, leading to Gooden’s lone Cy Young award.
Doc took the time to lament about his former mentor, who passed away on Jan.