Doc’s Rookie Record

Dwight “Doc” Gooden was one of the top pitchers in baseball during the 1980s. He had an incredible rookie campaign in 1984, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award, finishing runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award and earning an All-Star nod. On September 12, 1984, the nineteen-year-old righthander made MLB history. Gooden pitched a complete-game shutout with 16 strikeouts to reach his 246th punchout of the season, breaking the old rookie record held by Herb Score for 29 years. Doc ended the season with an MLB-best 276 strikeouts. During his Mets tenure, Gooden would win the 1985 NL Cy Young Award and make four total All-Star teams. He remains second in franchise history for strikeouts with 1,875.