Dwight 'Doc' Gooden Bashes Former New York Mets Ownership At Number Retirement Ceremony

Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight "Doc" Gooden used part of his number retirement ceremony to bash the former ownership of the team.

The four-time All Star and 1985 Cy Young-award winner had his No. 16 retired at Citi Field on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Gooden played for the Mets for 11 years starting in 1984, and was a part of the 1986 World Series team that defeated the Boston Red Sox.

In 1994, New York officially released him, in which he recorded his worst season with the team (3-4 record, 6.31 ERA). However, he desperately wanted to return to the organization that he dearly loved, and called then principal owner Fred Wilpon to see if he could get a spot back on the team (his comments on this begin at roughly the 15:00 mark).

"This is not to point fingers at anyone," Gooden said. "I didn’t want to leave on the note I did (in 1994). Unfortunately they thought it was best we went our separate ways. After the ‘97 season, I called the Mets to try to come back. Unfortunately there was no room, they didn’t have a spot for me."

He said that he tried to get back on the roster on multiple occasions, but that he never got the chance to return to the organization (he would end up signing elsewhere after each attempt).

"I’ll go to Triple AAA, I’ll do anything," Gooden recalled telling Wilpon. "I wanted to sign a one-day contract to retire a Met."

Unfortunately, the team never made that happen.

Gooden (throwing the ball) was a legend for New York.  (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

For this incident and many other reasons, the Wilpons (both Fred and then later Jeff, his son) were highly disliked owners by nearly everyone who rooted for the Mets. Both men were prone to committing tasteless oversights in honoring the legends of the franchise, and Gooden was one of those overlooked people.

Nevertheless, the Mets have turned a corner under Steve Cohen in how they treat former players, like Gooden. As such, the legend finally got honored for all the achievements and success he brought to the franchise.

And that made him incredibly happy.

"Today I get to retire as a Met. And I want you guys to know, you’re a part of this," Gooden said as the crowd roared in applause.