How Mets legend Dwight Gooden got No. 16 — and almost gave it up

Mets, Dwight Gooden

Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden, top right, acknowledges fans during a ceremony to retire his number at Citi Field before a baseball game between the Mets and the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, April 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)AP

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NEW YORK — When Mets legend Dwight Gooden, 59, made his MLB debut in 1984, he became an instant sensation. A little more than 40 years later, after years of mental health battles and substance abuse, a refreshed Gooden returned to Queens where his No. 16 was hung in the rafters right next to Willie Mays’s No. 24.

Gooden revealed his origins with No. 16 in the media room in Citi Field on Sunday. How he wound up with the number, which he never wore until becoming a pro baseball player, and nearly gave it up during his second season with the Mets.

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