Here’s a trip back to the mid-1980s New York Mets. A roaring Shea Stadium, filled with swagger, talent, and a feeling that something truly special was happening. They were exciting and undeniably dominant. And its soul was the potential of two young superstars, a pitcher with a golden arm and an outfielder with thunder in his bat. Their talent seemed limitless. But behind their success, and the bright lights, another story unfolded, one that haunts their former manager decades later.
Davey Johnson, the ex-Mets skipper, expressed a profound regret in recent comments that resonates with Mets fans everywhere. He didn’t mince words about his time coaching the team in that unforgettable era.
“If I could have changed one thing about my time managing the @Mets, it would have been to keep Doc and Darryl on the straight and narrow and off drugs. The sky was the limit for both of them. If I would have been better at my job, they would both be in the Hall of Fame right now,” Johnson shared openly.
“If I could have changed one thing about my time managing the @Mets, it would have been to keep Doc and Darryl on the straight and narrow and off drugs. The sky was the limit for both of them. If I would have been better at my job, they would both be in the Hall of Fame right… pic.twitter.com/TromHnnrY8
— MetsRewind (@metsrewind) May 2, 2025
This candid moment kinda revealed a burden he carries.
The deep regret for Dwight “Doc” Gooden stems back to Johnson firsthand witnessing arguably the most dominant young pitcher baseball had ever seen. The one that led the NYM to their 1986 WS championship. Dwight Gooden made his major-league debut in 1984 on Johnson’s watch, after a short stint in the minors. At just 19, he was the Rookie of the Year with an out-of-this-world, 276-strikeout season. The following year was pure magic: A 24-4 record, a microscopic 1.53 ERA, and the NL Cy Young Award (the youngest one). Doc was like the undisputed ace of Johnson’s contending Mets teams.
And then the Straw Man, Darryl Strawberry, whose potential was as golden as Gooden’s brilliance. The former top-overall pick, Strawberry, had won Rookie of the Year moments before Johnson got there. He was a perennial All-Star under Davey, smashing with surprising power while swiping bases with unexpected speed. He famously became a member of the 30-30 club (39 homers, 36 steals) in 1987 and led the league in homers with 39 in 1988. Strawberry was the big bat on Johnson’s Mets, another huge part of the ‘86 World Championship puzzle.
Shows what Johnson meant when he said “the sky was the limit.” But…
Echoes of regret: The ’80s Mets’ tale of triumph and turmoil
Gooden’s sensational ascent hit a gathering storm. His problems started after that incredible 1985 season, ballooning repeatedly and even leading to substance abuse by 1986. He was even absent from the World Series parade because of the same. A positive drug test before the 1987 season forced him into rehab, causing him to miss two months. Though he pitched a memorable no-hitter later with the Yankees, suspensions in 1994 and 1995 derailed his path, leaving him with a 16-year career with a record of 194-112 and a 3.51 ERA. And accumulating a career WAR significantly lower than his early trajectory suggested – 53.
And Strawberry also had more or less the same story! Issues from his youth. Introduced to substance abuse in his early years in the majors, he had drinking issues, too, during the Mets’ peak years. Behavioral problems surfaced, including altercations and disciplinary ones. After leaving the Mets following the 1990 season, Strawberry faced multiple suspensions and even colon cancer, which he bravely survived. His career concluded with 335 home runs, exactly 1,000 RBIs, and a .259 batting average – a powerful number, but shadowed by inconsistency and lost time due to addiction.
When their names went on the Hall of Fame ballot, the verdict was swift and brutal. Dwight Gooden received only 3.3% of the vote in 2006 and failed to reach the 5 percent threshold to stay on future ballots. Darryl Strawberry fared even worse a year earlier, with 1.2% and quick dismissal.
Their immense peak talent couldn’t overcome careers significantly affected by substance abuse and the associated suspensions. The required longevity and cumulative stats simply weren’t there for Cooperstown to consider.
Looking back, Davey Johnson’s managerial career is one to be proud of, recording 1372 wins and leading multiple franchises to success, and of course, the Mets to their 1986 World Series win. Yet, his lament on Gooden and Strawberry is like an added poignancy. It’s a reminder on so many levels and that makes us wonder, probably even the best want to become better! Makes sense?
The story of the 80s Mets, filled with triumph and turmoil, continues to echo with the haunting question sparked by Johnson’s regret: What might have been?
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