Dwight Gooden sees a little of himself in Cam Schlittler, and he’s not shy about saying it.
The former Cy Young winner said Thursday that the Yankees right-hander has the same kind of mound presence that once made Gooden one of the game’s most intimidating arms.
“That kid has so much mound presence,” Gooden said in a telephone interview. “It’s his confidence, it’s his mannerisms.
Even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he knows he can still beat you. I love it.
It’s obvious he’s the Yankees’ best pitcher.”
The comparison starts with the numbers. Gooden’s breakout season in 1985 ended with a 24-4 record and a 1.53 ERA.
Schlittler’s year wasn’t far off, as he went 17-6 with a 1.95 ERA. Both pitchers also won the Cy Young Award unanimously, which is part of why Gooden said, “I see myself when I think of what Cam is doing.”
But Gooden also knows what comes next.
“It’s going to get tougher for him now,” he said, pointing to what happened to him early in the following season in 1986.
Gooden recalled a complete-game shutout of the Cardinals, a 9-0 win in which he allowed five hits and struck out only five. Even after that performance, he said the questions he got afterward were all about strikeouts.
“Doc, what’s wrong? What happened?” he remembered being asked.
He said he tried to brush it off at the time, telling reporters, “Strikeouts aren’t important, all I care about is winning.” But the reaction stuck with him.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it even after I’d gotten home,” Gooden said. “It totally took the fun out of winning that game. My next 3-4 starts, I went out there thinking I had to strike out 10-11 guys just to prove myself.
“That was a mistake. You can’t dominate every time, especially when everyone in the league is gunning for you.”
If he ever gets the chance to talk to Schlittler, Gooden already knows the advice he’d give.
“I’d say, ‘No matter what you do, people are going to compare you to last year,’” Gooden said. “It’s going to be tough to top that.
There’s going to be a lot of pressure. Maybe Schlittler can do it, I don’t know.
But if he doesn’t, it’s ok. The most important thing is helping your team win.”
Gooden said the weight of those expectations wore on him in 1986, even though the Mets went on to win their first World Series in 17 years. He never matched the magic of his 1985 season.
He also made clear that he still follows the Yankees closely. Gooden pitched for the club in 1996-97, winning a World Series ring and throwing a no-hitter during that stretch.
“First off, I’m still a big Yankees fan, I want to say that,” he said.
He said he saw the Yankees and Rays in the Division Series and was at Games 1-2 in Tampa with his nephew Gary Sheffield. The way the Yankees were swept, followed by the Rays’ loss to the Brewers in the World Series, left a bad impression on him.
“The way they got swept, and then the way the Rays got beat by the Brewers (in the World Series), that made the Yankees look really bad. It was embarrassing to them,” Gooden said.
“The Boss (George Steinbrenner) would’ve gone crazy. There’s no way he would’ve accepted that.
The Yankees played terrible defense. No defense at all.
It made me think they’ve stopped getting players who are made for New York. They’re just going after guys who have great stats.
Doesn’t mean you’re going to be a great Yankee.
“It’s not an easy place to play. Tough crowds, tough media.
It’s not for everyone. Some guys are just better off in Pittsburgh or Minnesota.”
Gooden then turned to the Mets, and his tone shifted.
When asked whether that might explain why the Mets are in worse shape than the Yankees, he paused before answering.
“The Mets are No. 1 in my heart, they always will be,” he said. “I’m in their Hall of Fame, so I feel like I’m part of the organization.
But what’s happened to them is an embarrassment, worse than the Yankees. They’ve gotten to the point where the players have to be held accountable.
“I felt bad for (manager Carlos) Mendoza because he got fired. But the truth is, it was the players who got him fired. Someone has to step up and say, ‘It’s on us, we’re the ones who got Mendoza fired.’
“Look at the back of their baseball cards. These players are better than what they’ve shown. I hope they bring a different attitude to spring training because wearing that “New York” across your chest, it’s a privilege.”
Gooden said he roots for both teams and still watches as much baseball as he can.
“I root for them both,” he said. “I still watch every game I can.”
Then he added a line that sounded like it could have come from any era.
“Darryl (Strawberry) is always asking me, ‘Why are you in front of the TV all the time?’ I tell him, ‘it’s because I still love baseball.’”
For Gooden, that much hasn’t changed.
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