Q&A: Dwight Gooden Had Plenty to Relate to Watching Corey Kluber’s No-Hitter
As Corey Kluber inched closer and closer to his no-hitter on Wednesday night, Dwight Gooden stopped flipping between channels.
The former pitcher had been shuffling back and forth between the Yankees, the Mets and the NBA play-in game. But when texts began alerting Gooden that Kluber was just a few innings away from history in Texas, the former Yankees hurler couldn’t help but fixate on the current one. After all, it was easy for Gooden to relate to what Kluber was going through, and what he already had.
Gooden threw the ninth no-hitter in Yankees history on May 14, 1996 when he stifled a potent Mariners lineup at Yankee Stadium. Like Kluber, Gooden was a once-electric Cy Young winner elsewhere, in the latter half of his career, and back from an extended absence, albeit for drastically different reasons. Whereas Kluber was limited to just one inning last season because of a torn teres major muscle, Gooden was suspended for the entire 1995 season after the ex-Met continued to test positive for cocaine use.
While the circumstances were not exactly the same, Gooden understood what Kluber was going through against the Rangers and what it took to return to a form that was capable of such a feat. Speaking to Inside the Pinstripes, Gooden discussed watching Kluber’s no-hitter, throwing his own 25 years ago, and recapturing his glory for a night in the Bronx.
*This interview has been edited for clarity and length.*
Inside the Pinstripes: How closely were you watching last night?
Dwight Gooden: I saw bits and pieces. I saw the last couple innings. It was good to see. I was rooting for him because he reminded me of me in '96. I missed the entire year, got off to a slow start, had a lot of doubts whether they'd release me or send me down.
He pitched one inning last year, and then the year before he didn't get to pitch much. So it takes time. He had a slow start this year and then a no-hitter. So there were a lot of similarities there with that, so that made me pull for him even harder… It's an incredible feat and something that he should definitely be very, very proud of.
IP: What were you thinking about as you watched Kluber go? Are you just focused on his no-hit bid, or does it take you back to yours?
DG: You focus on his game, going pitch by pitch. [You ask yourself,] "What would you throw here?" if you were in that situation. As soon as the ball's hit, you hope it doesn't get down, especially with all the shifts and everything now... It's intense. It's almost like you're at their whim, but you're not, and then you're nervous for him because you have no control of the situation.
Once it's over, then I looked back at it, how he got to that point. And then I look at my situation and I can kind of relate because of what I went through being out a year.
IP: Kluber is pretty stoic most of the time, but he let his emotions out and embraced Kyle Higashioka after the final out. What was the final out of your no-hitter like for you, and how did your emotions at that moment compare to what you were feeling throughout the game?
DG: Oh man, it's totally different because you're mentally exhausted once the game's over. The sixth inning on, you start throwing every pitch like it's a big pitch. Normally, when you're pitching, you're thinking, "Just make quality pitches." But once you get to the seventh, eighth, ninth [of a no-hitter], you're thinking, "Just make perfect pitches." So you're mentally drained, and for me, once it was finally over, all the emotions just came out of nowhere.
In my situation, I was supposed to go home to my dad, he was having open-heart surgery the next day. I'm thinking about my dad, I'm thinking about the year before when I was out of baseball, I'm thinking about previously that year when I was put in the bullpen... I'm thinking about doing it at Yankee Stadium where all the legends played. All these different emotions are running through your mind.
(Note: Gooden was demoted to the bullpen after beginning the 1996 season with an 11.48 ERA over three starts. However, he quickly found himself back in the rotation when David Cone was diagnosed with an aneurysm.)
IP: When in the game did you realize that you could pull it off?
DG: During a no-hitter, you never think you can do it until you get to the ninth inning. That's when you feel like you've really got a shot. I started noticing I had one in like the sixth inning when I looked at the scoreboard to see what batters I was going to face. Then you see no runs, no hits, no errors.
IP: You were obviously first known as a Met. You won your Cy Young there, a World Series there. Then your career and your life took some turns, you were out of baseball as you mentioned. The circumstances were different, but Kluber also faced some tough times the last two seasons after being a two-time Cy Young winner in Cleveland. He got to recapture his greatness Wednesday night, and I was just curious what it meant to you to do something similar after everything you had achieved and then endured earlier in your career?
DG: Oh, it was definitely special. It was a great feeling because you figure if you're gonna do it, you're gonna do it early in your career. I would have enjoyed it then, but what was even more special and spectacular was doing it when I was written off and when I had doubts in my own career.
It was way more enjoyable than it would have been had I done it with the Mets, only because of all the circumstances that took place prior to that. It made it that much more special, all the hard work that I put into it... It's something that you always cherish and no one can take away from you.
IP: What can this do for Kluber moving forward? What did your no-hitter do for you moving forward?
DG: I don't know him that well, I've never talked to him about confidence, but success like that definitely builds confidence that he can pitch at the high level that he was at when he won the Cy Youngs. Because before you start thinking, "Okay, I can still be a good pitcher and make pitches, but maybe I'm not as dominant or as good as I was with Cleveland." But when you pitch a no-hitter, in your mind, you say, "I'm back. I'm all the way back now. I can pitch at a high level. I can be great again. Not just good, I can be great." Once you start thinking that, good things start happening. Positive thoughts bring positive things.
IP: What did it mean to you to throw your no-hitter in a Yankees uniform?
DG: That was awesome because the Mets basically wanted to cut ties, which I completely understand at that time. Mr. Steinbrenner had the confidence in me. He gave me the opportunity to come back to New York, where I wanted to play. I wanted to make things right with the fans. I didn't want to leave New York on the note that I did. Throwing it at Yankee Stadium, in New York in front of Yankees fans and Mets fans, and being on the same field that so many greats had played on... That's one of my top three moments in my career from a personal level.
MORE:
- Corey Kluber's Journey Back From Injuries Came Full Circle With No-Hitter in Texas
- Tyler Wade Was 'Difference-Maker' With Big Plays Off Bench in Corey Kluber's No-Hitter
- Yankees Need More Than Hope on Left Side of the Plate
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