As if a Mets 6-0 win on Opening Day wasn’t enough to make fans grin ear-to-ear, it appears that Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden have rekindled their friendship and have made up over their summer feud.
In a Sunday Instagram post from Strawberry’s account, the two beloved Mets are pictured together with the caption:
“Truly Grateful For Awesome Friends Bringing Me And Doc Gooden Back Together Talking About The Real Friendship And What Life Is All About!! Thanks @chasersowner1 @amyheartlive For Always Being Amazing People❤.. Today Was Real Healing For Me And Doc.. God Is Crazy About People!! Forgiveness Is So We Can Be Made Well Inside Ourselves And God Can Get All The Glory.. Blessings!! Always Trust God.. Proverbs:3:5-6.”
The former ’86 Champs were on hand to see the Mets beat the Braves on Monday, part of the 44,384 fans on hand for Citi Field’s second-largest regular-season crowd in the park’s history.
While at spring training this year, the former ’85 Cy Young winner stated that he hadn’t spoken with Strawberry since last August, when the ’83 Rookie of the Year accused Gooden of being “a complete junkie-addict” to the New York Daily News’ John Harper.
Gooden had failed to show up for a scheduled appearance with Strawberry on WFAN-AM radio with Joe Benigno and was also a no-show at a scheduled FanFest meet and greet honoring the ’96 New York Yankees days later.
Strawberry was using the Daily News as an outlet to try and help Gooden, as he feared the former right-hander had no one else that was going to stand up and say something to try and help the then 51-year-old.
“I feel like I’ve got to get it out there because nobody else is doing anything to help him, and it might be the only way to stop him.” (New York Daily News)
The duo appeared to be in good spirits at the ballpark Monday, being mobbed by fans upon entering the gates, and chatting with John Franco in a luxury suite. Gooden even sent a Tweet Sunday night, saying “Life is too short for madness,” while posing with his son, Strawberry, and Amy Heart, who in a later Tweet said she was filming a new show with the former teammates.
While at spring training with the Mets, Gooden insisted he held no grudges with Strawberry, however, he told Kristie Ackert of the Daily News that, “Maybe one day we’ll get together and talk, right now is not the time.”
It’s good to see Doc and Darryl back together again, as they will always hold a special place in Mets fans memories. They are champions, they are All-Stars, they had fantastic moments on the field, and demons off it. But one thing they are again as of today, friends.
