Former Yankees Set For 'Hall of Game' Induction

Former New York Yankees pitcher Dwight Gooden will be inducted into the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s “Hall of Game” on Sept. 9 in Kansas City.

Gooden spent three seasons with the Yankees (1996, 1997, 2000) after a standout career with the cross-town New York Mets. He joined the Yankees after not playing in 1995 due to a season-long suspension for testing positive for drugs.

In 1996 he joined the Yankees as a free agent and went 11-7 with a 5.01 ERA in 29 starts. The highlight of the season individually was his only career no-hitter, thrown on May 14 at Yankee Stadium. It was the first no-hitter thrown by a Yankee right-hander since Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, and the first by a Yankee right-hander during the regular season since Allie Reynolds' second no-hitter in 1951.

Gooden did not pitch in the 1996 postseason due to arm fatigue. In 1997 he returned and went 9-5 with a 4.91 ERA.

He left after the 1997 season as a free agent and pitched for Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Houston until he returned to the Yankees in 2000 for its drive to a World Series title. He went 4-2 in 18 games (five starts) for the Yankees. He pitched in the postseason but not in the World Series.

Gooden won 24 games in his incredible 1985 season with the Mets, his second in the Majors. In his age 20 season, Gooden went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA, throwing 16 complete games and striking out 268 to win pitching’s triple crown. He was an All-Star for the second time, won his on NL Cy Young and finished fourth in MVP voting.

He pitched 16 seasons and appeared with the New York Yankees, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Houston. He had a career record of 194-112 with a 3.51 ERA, with 2,293 strikeouts and 954 walks.

He was the 1984 NL Rookie of the Year, won another World Series title with the New York Yankees in 2000 and threw a no-hitter in 1996.

Five pitchers will be inducted next month — Gooden, Vida Blue, Al Downing (also a former Yankees pitcher), Mike Norris and Dontrelle Willis.

The pitchers are part of a group called the “Black Aces,” a term coined by former Major League pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant. The term is used to describe the 15 African-American pitchers that have won at least 20 games in an MLB season. Grant was the first to accomplish the feat in 1965.