Mets to retire Dwight Gooden’s and Darryl Strawberry’s numbers in 2024

Via Twitter X, the Mets announced that they will retire both Dwight Gooden’s #16 and Darryl Strawberry’s #18 next season. It is not clear if they will be retired in the same ceremony or in different ceremonies, nor have any dates been announced yet.

The duo of Strawberry and Gooden have been linked since before their Met debuts, as both were highly regarded prospects, but no one could’ve predicted the way both players took New York by storm in the mid-80s. Gooden’s 1985 is still the gold standard for Mets’ pitching, and Strawberry still holds the team record for home runs thirty three years after playing his final game for the team.

Both careers were cut short by drug-related issues, and both men have been public about their struggles with sobriety since retiring. Both men are integral pieces to the most iconic era of Mets baseball, and we are all thrilled that both men have been able to keep their addictions at bay and still be with us years after retirement. We look forward to seeing both at Citi Field next summer, taking their rightful place in Mets’ history.

Congrats Doc. Congrats Darryl.