Dr. K

One of the best guys out there, @YanksandBeans, recently sent me a surprise PWE with one card in it last week. I sent him one with a Charlie Hayes auto, and he may have felt the need to even the score, which he didn’t need to do. I was happy to send along a dupe to him.

I didn’t know what to expect, but I have to say, I was pretty damn thrilled to add the above Dwight Gooden autograph to my collection!

I didn’t have any Doc Gooden autos, so this on-card beauty was very welcomed. Doc was obviously a polarizing figure, but he really contributed to the Yankees 1996 run. I actually remember in 1996 (I was 12 at the time), driving somewhere with my friend and his dad. I remember two things his Dad asked me in the card, knowing I was a big Yankees fan (and so was here):

1. Why do you suppose the Yankees needed to trade for Luis Sojo?
2. Boy, where would the Yankees be without Doc Gooden?

Overall, his numbers weren’t spectacular, but he really kept the Yankees afloat with valuable innings. David Cone was lost for much of the year with his aneurysm, and Gooden filled in admirably.

His numbers were poor at the beginning of the season (despite his no-hitter) and he tired down the stretch, but in those hot summer months, he gave the team a huge boost that is easy to overlook. In fact, in three starts from July 23-Aug 2, he threw 24 innings and only gave up 2 ERs, including a complete game shutout of the Royals on August 2. On August 12, his ERA sat at a tidy 3.88 (keep in mind offensive numbers during these years). He was reliable, effective, and ended up tossing 170 innings the year after he was suspended from the game.

While he was left off of the post-season roster, Doc helped that 1996 team win a World Series as much as anyone.

Nick, thank you for the awesome card!

Unhittable for a day

 

Back in the 1990’s, every year the Yankees won the World Series, they also had a no-hitter. In 1996, Dwight Gooden no-hit the Mariners. In 1998, David Wells threw his infamous perfect game versus the Twins. Then, just one year later, David Cone pitched a perfect game against the Expos.

In the year 2000, I actually got nervous entering the playoffs. The Yankees didn’t no-hit anyone this year, I thought. I was young, and just figured these types of things went hand-in-hand. Well, the Yanks went on to win World Series titles in both 2000 and 2009 without a no-hitter, so certainly my theory proved incorrect.

In fact, David Cone was the last Yankee to throw a no-hitter back in 1999. Somehow, it’s been 15 years! It just goes to show how hard it is. Many teams wait far, far longer than that. I’m sure I’ll see another Yankees no-no, I’m just not sure when. Will a healthy Masahiro Tanaka or Michael Pineda be the next? Will CC find a few late-career bullets left to throw one well after his prime? What about someone no one would think of, like Nathan Eovaldi? That’s the fun part about no-hitters. They can come from someone you least expect.

That’s why I love this dual relic of Doc Gooden and David Wells. These two are forever linked by no hitters in May, just two years apart. Dwight was not the Doctor K from the mid-80s when it would have been no surprise if he threw a no-hitter. He was a guy who overcame a lot to get back on the mound, figuring out how to pitch without the stuff that made him a Cy Young Award winner. Wells, on the other hand, while a very good pitcher, but had a rough start to his Pinstripes career. Just as it was dubbed for Don Larsen, Wells pitched a perfect game by the imperfect man.

Two pitchers, neither the ace of their staff, unhittable for a day.