This video features two of the best pitchers of the decade of the 1980’s in Major League Baseball in New York Mets Dwight Gooden and the Red Sox Roger Clemens…..who happened to play the game during a time when cocaine was the “drug of choice” in America, including athletes in all sports….while PED’s and steroids” were being used by athletes of all types as the “chic drug of speed and power”…..and little did ESPN’s Chris Berman and George Grande know how both of these great pitchers would be affected by the two at the time of this interview.
Dwight “Doc” Gooden (born November 16, 1964), nicknamed “Dr. K”, is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB)…..while pitching from 1984 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2000 for the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays…..in a career spanning 430 games in which he pitched 2,8002⁄3 innings….while posting career record of 194 – 112….with a 3.51 earned run average (ERA), and 2,293 strikeouts.
Gooden made his MLB debut in 1984 for the Mets….and quickly established himself as one of the league’s most talented pitchers….when as a 19-year-old rookie, he earned the first of four All-Star selections….won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award….and led the league in strikeouts. In 1985, he won the NL Cy Young Award….while achieving the pitching Triple Crown by compiling a 24 – 4 record….along with a league-leading 1.53 ERA….while striking out 268….and throwing 16 complete games. The following season, he was the NL starter in the All Star Game…..as seen in this video herewith…..and then helped the Mets win the 1986 World Series.
Dwight Gooden remained an effective pitcher throughout the balance of his career…..but his career was ultimately derailed by cocaine and alcohol addiction…..when after posting a losing record in each season from 1992 to 1994….and that is when Gooden was suspended for the 1995 season after a positive drug test while serving a prior suspension.
As a member of the Yankees in 1996, Gooden pitched a no-hitter and helped the team on its path to a World Series championship. He pitched four additional years for as many teams, but never approached the success of his peak years with his Mets. In 2010, Gooden was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.
Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed “Rocket”, is an American former baseball pitcher….who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams….including the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Rockets and New York Yankees. Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history…..while tallying 354 wins….a 3.12 earned run average (ERA)…..and 4,672 strikeouts….which is the 3rd most all time. An 11-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion….he also won seven Cy Young Awards during his career….which is more than any other pitcher in history. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and hard-throwing pitching style….which he used to intimidate batters by throwing lots of “bow ties” at 97 mph.
Clemens debuted in the major leagues in 1984 with the Boston Red Sox….whose pitching staff he anchored for 12 years. In 1986, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award, the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award and the All-Star Game MVP Award….plus, he struck out an MLB-record 20 batters in a single game.
After the 1996 season, Clemens left Boston via free agency and joined the Toronto Blue Jays….where in each of his two seasons with Toronto, Clemens won a Cy Young Award….as well as the pitching triple crown by leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Prior to the 1999 season, Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees where he won his two World Series titles. In 2003, he reached his 300th win and 4,000th strikeout in the same game….then Rocket left for the Houston Astros in 2004….where he spent three seasons and won his seventh Cy Young Award. He rejoined the Yankees in 2007 for one last season before retiring. He is the only pitcher in major league history to record over 350 wins and strikeout over 4,500 batters.
Clemens was alleged by the Mitchell Report to have used anabolic steroids during his late career….which was mainly based on testimony given by his former trainer, Brian McNamee…..of which Clemens firmly denied these allegations under oath before the United States Congress….which led congressional leaders to refer his case to the Justice Department on suspicions of perjury. On August 19, 2010, a federal grand jury at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., indicted Clemens on six felony counts involving perjury, false statements and Contempt of Congress….to which Clemens pleaded not guilty….but proceedings were complicated by prosecutorial misconduct….which led to a mistrial.The verdict from his second trial came in June 2012….when Clemens was found not guilty on all six counts of lying to Congress.
