Coming off of a seven-game road trip, the Mets traveled back home to take on the Angels for the first of a three-game series on Friday night. Fittingly, it was Japanese Heritage Night at the ballpark with not only Kodai Senga on the mound, but with Shohei Ohtani making his first visit to Queens. In a game with very little offense, it was Ohtani’s team that came out on top 3-1, sending the...
The Mets played their second game of a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants late Friday night. Joey Lucchesi, who hadn’t pitched in a major league game since the 2021 season, got the start for the Mets in place of the injured Carlos Carrasco. Meanwhile, starting for the Giants was Anthony DeSclafani, who had been pitching excellently through his first three starts of the...
He established a rookie record for strikeouts, posted an ERA of 2.60, went 17-9 and completely captivated New York. It’s hard to believe Dwight Gooden almost didn’t start the ’84 season in the major leagues. Davey Johnson, the Mets’ first-year manager who saw Gooden up-close when the teenager helped his Triple-A Tidewater club, insisted upon it. Johnson eased the...
No Mets pitcher—not Tom Seaver, not Jacob deGrom, and not Matt Harvey—began his career with a better blend of fanfare and success than Dwight Gooden. He debuted on April 7, 1984 at all of 19 years old and embarked on one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. With his blazing fastball, “Dr. K” set down opposing hitters at an astonishing pace. His 276 strikeouts in ’84 set a major...
