Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry honored to join Mets' legion of retired numbers, solidifying their place in team lore

Dwight Gooden was speaking on a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday when someone noted the conspicuous décor behind him.

Was that a wall painted half in blue, half in orange?

It was, Gooden confirmed, speaking from his basement as he pointed to pictures of scenes from his life as a Met, several of which included Darryl Strawberry.

“A lot of Darryl in my house,” Gooden said, as Strawberry himself laughed inside another box in the video news conference grid.

It was that kind of day for the two old friends, as the Mets announced the dates for their uniform number retirements during the coming season.

Gooden and his No. 16 will be honored when the Mets host the Royals on April 14. Strawberry and No. 18 get their turn when the Diamondbacks visit on June 1.

Individual tickets for the 2024 season go on sale on Friday.

The two stars of the 1980s learned last summer their numbers would be retired. But Wednesday’s news of the actual dates gave them a chance to recall their forever ties to the franchise in advance of their big days.

Even though both had success elsewhere, including championships won with the crosstown Yankees, their first major league love remains in Queens.

“My heart and soul bleed blue and orange – always have, always will,” Strawberry said.

Said Gooden, “Wherever my journey went, even joining the Yankees, I always considered myself a Met. I’ve always wanted to retire a Met, and now I get the opportunity.”

Both players thanked current ownership for its interest in them and Mets fans for their loyalty. But their histories with the organization and baseball in general are complicated by their past struggles with substance abuse.

It is a complex legacy, but there is no disputing the impact the two had when they were young and healthy and helping the Mets win the 1986 World Series.

Strawberry was the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year, and in eight seasons with the Mets had 252 home runs and 733 RBIs, making seven All-Star teams.

Gooden was the 1984 NL Rookie of the Year and 1985 NL Cy Young Award winner, and in 11 seasons with the Mets was 157-85 with a 3.10 ERA and 1,875 strikeouts.

“I wouldn't trade my career,” Strawberry said. “I wouldn't trade my mistakes. I wouldn't trade it for anything. It all was a learning lesson in life.

“To be at this place today and to be able to have this honor where your number is going to be retired, that's forever, and it's bigger than just going into the Hall of Fame.”

Strawberry and Gooden both seemed on track for the Hall of Fame in the mid-‘80s before things went awry, and both acknowledged on Wednesday that they wonder what might have been had they led healthier lives.

“If I could’ve stayed on track and followed [the lifestyle] Gary Carter and Mookie Wilson were living,” Strawberry said, “I probably would have ended up one heck of a ballplayer in Queens for the rest of my career.”

But Gooden said that he has gotten past his regrets and appreciates what he did accomplish in the game.

“I can't beat myself up with that anymore or hold that against myself,” he said.

Gooden won a second World Series with the Yankees in 1996, and Strawberry won three in pinstripes. Both said they valued their time in the Bronx, but that it was not quite the same as their bond with the franchise in which they came up.

“All the other teams that I played for, they were just teams,” Strawberry said. “The Mets are my team. That's what I grew up under.”

Said Gooden, “I’m always going to be a Met . . . The fans will always be special to me. They cared about me and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. That gave me hope to go on. It's something that you don't forget.”

The two hit a rough patch in their relationship that became public in 2017. But they have grown close again, and they soon will have their old numbers hanging close together at Citi Field.

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.