On November 19, 1985, New York Mets right-hander Dwight Gooden was named the National League Cy Young Award winner. At just 20 years old, the fireballer became the youngest pitcher ever to capture the honor.
In the regular season, Gooden achieved the pitching Triple Crown, compiling a 24–4 record and a league-leading 1.53 ERA, 268 strikeouts, and 16 complete games.
Considered by many to be the ‘pitcher of the future,’ Gooden’s well-publicized substance abuse problems and reckless behavior derailed both his career and his life. While he was able to right the ship enough to win 194 wins and strike out over 2,000 batters in his tenure in the big leagues, most experts agree that he would have been an all-time great had he avoided the pitfalls of fame.
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