The best Mets who also played for the Yankees

Dwight Gooden

Dwight Gooden was THE phenom. He burst onto the scene and was immediately anointed as the best pitcher the Mets have ever had. Well…most figured he would easily surpass Tom Seaver’s accomplishments. But it would never happen.

Believe it or not, Gooden was with the Mets from 1984 to 1994, but other than his first three seasons where he was absolutely overpowering, Gooden was a mere mortal. True, he did have a couple of seasons thrown in there where he won 18 and 19 games, but he was nowhere close to being the Doc Gooden of 1984-86.

During his 11 seasons pitching for the Mets, he won 157 games with a 3.10 ERA. He threw 67 complete games, 23 shutouts.

He was out of baseball the entire 1995 season due to a suspension handed down by Major League Baseball.

Once again, George Steinbrenner would rescue a former New York Met and sign Gooden to a free agent contract prior to the 1996 season. And, once again, Steinbrenner would be rewarded. On May 14, 1996. Doc would throw his only career no-hitter against the Mariners at Yankee Stadium.

Gooden would leave the Yankees after the ’97 season but would return for his third as a Yankee in 2000.

Gooden was somewhat effective winning 24 games as a Yankee and was around for one World Championship. But he will always be the Mets’ Doctor K whose windup was memorialized on the side of a Manhattan building for 10 years.