Dwight Gooden’s No. 16 and Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18 will be retired by the New York Mets in separate pregame ceremonies next year honoring players who were keys to the team’s last World Series title in 1986.
New York will have retired nine numbers of players and managers following the decision announced Friday, up from four before Steve Cohen bought the team in November 2020.
“I’m thrilled that two iconic members of the 1986 championship club will have their numbers retired in 2024,” Cohen said in a press release. “Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden each had an enormous impact on our franchise and it’s my honor to continue our commitment to celebrating our wonderful history.”
After being selected with the first overall pick in the 1980 MLB Draft, Strawberry had an immediate impact with the Amazins, earning National League Rookie of the Year honors after belting a then-team rookie record 26 home runs. He won a silver slugger two times, including when he led the NL in home runs in 1988 with 39.
“Darryl Strawberry’s sweet left-handed swing made him one of the most feared hitters in the National League as his monster moon shots bounced off Shea’s scoreboard,” Cohen said. “Strawberry’s arrival to the Big Apple in 1983 re-energized the franchise and it’s very appropriate that the club’s all-time homer leader will have his No. 18 retired.”
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Strawberry is still the all-time leader in homers for the Mets (252), second in RBIs (733) and walks (580), and third in extra-base hits (469) and runs (662). He was selected to the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010
"When I got the call from Steve, I welled up with tears of joy,” Strawberry said. “I started to reflect on my journey through the organization. I had some ups and downs, but in the end, I am proud of my time in New York. I owe so much to Mets fans – they are simply the best. It’s really amazing to me that No. 18 will be forever remembered."
As for Gooden, he was an electric member of the Mets for 11 seasons. Like Strawberry, he was part of a young core that reenergized the fanbase in the early 1980s, winning the 1984 NL Rookie of the Year award while setting a major league rookie record with 276 strikeouts. That same season, he became the youngest player ever named to an All-Star team at age 19.
The following year, Gooden became the youngest pitcher to ever win the Cy Young Award, capturing the "triple crown" of pitching as he led the league in wins (24), strikeouts (268) and ERA (1.53).
"I was completely overwhelmed when I got the call,” Gooden said. “I want to say ‘thank you’ to the fans who supported me through the good times and bad times. I couldn’t have made it through without their encouragement. There is no greater honor a player can receive than having his number retired."
Also like Strawberry, Gooden was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010. He is second in franchise history in wind (157) and strikeouts (1,875) and third in innings pitched (2,169.2), complete games, (67), starts (303) and quality starts (209).
“There was no more electric place to be than at Shea Stadium on a Friday night in the 80’s when Dwight Gooden was on the mound,” Cohen said. “Doc continues the pitching-rich lineage of retired numbers joining Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. It’s fitting that his No. 16 will forever hang in left field where his legendary K-Korner was located.”
Gooden and Strawberry were integral parts of the 1986 Mets, who went a major league-best 108-54 and beat Boston in a seven-game World Series, then derailed their careers with drug problems.
Gooden’s Mets career ended when he was suspended by Major League Baseball for 60 days in June 1994 for violating his drug aftercare program. He became a free agent after the season and was suspended by MLB for the entire 1995 season for repeated violations for his aftercare program and MLB’s drug policy.
