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Drafted 5th overall in the 1982 draft, Dwight Gooden debuted as a 19-year old for the New York Mets. The flame-throwing right hander won 17 games and earned the Rookie of the Year Award.

An All Star in his first season, Gooden struck out three batters in the Mid Summer Classic. By season’s end he was tops in the NL in whiffs, second in ERA, and third in wins. The teenager finished as the runner-up in Cy Young balloting.

The following season in ’85, Gooden was spectacular. A unanimous choice for the Cy Young Award, he led the Major Leagues in wins (24), ERA (1.53), and strikeouts (268).

An All Star for the third straight season in ’86, Gooden again topped the 200-K mark. His Mets won the World Series. Gooden was the toast of the town.

At 21-years old, Gooden was on the fast track to Cooperstown.

Few in baseball predicted how quickly that would change. A positive test for cocaine in spring of ’87 put the pitcher in rehab for the first two months of the season.

In ’88 Gooden regained his All Star form to help New York to a NL-best 100 wins. In the NLCS New York faced Tommy Lasorda’s Dodger team. The Mets had reason to be confident, having beaten Los Angeles in 10 of 11 regular season games.

The postseason proved to be a different story. The Mets ran into the red-hot Dodgers and their ace Orel Hershiser. In 24 2/3 inning Hershiser allowed just three earned runs as Los Angeles ousted Gooden and the Mets.

The loss to the Dodgers closed the window to the postseason for the talented New York club.

Gooden turned 24 a month after the Mets ’88 season ended. Through his first five big league seasons the right-hander made four All Star appearances, earned the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards. He posted a 2.62 ERA while averaging 18 wins and 213 strikeouts. During that time the hurler’s ERA+ was 34% better than the league average.

Gooden battled drug addiction for the remainder of his career. In 1994 he tested positive for cocaine and was handed a 60-game suspension. While he was out he tested positive again. His suspension was extended through the entire ’95 season.

From 1989 until he retired in 2000 Gooden’s ERA was 4.15. He averaged nine wins and 111 strikeouts per season. Gooden’s ERA+ was a league-average 100.

A Hall of Fame talent, Gooden finished his career with a 194-112 record. He appeared on the Cooperstown ballot just once, drawing 3.3% of the vote in 2006.

The image above shows a 1984 Topps Traded card autographed by Dwight Gooden.

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The New York Mets of the mid-1980s were one of baseball’s most dynamic teams. Led by the hitting of Darryl Strawberry, Gary Carter, and Keith Hernandez, New York also boasted the electric Dwight Gooden on the hill.

Strawberry and Gooden won the Rookie of the Year Award in consecutive seasons starting in 1983. Behind their dynamic duo, the Mets earned baseball’s ultimate prize in 1986 as World Series champions.

As spectacular as the Mets’ rise was, their fall was even greater. Both Gooden and Strawberry fell victim to drug addiction that derailed their paths to Cooperstown.

In the collection is this 8×10 photo of the pair signed by both Mets youngsters in silver marker. A close inspection of the image reveals another autograph hidden near Strawberry’s neck.

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When Jim “Mudcat” Grant won a league-leading 21 games in 1965, he became the American League’s first African-American 20-game winner. Later he published his autobiography under the title, The Black Aces: Baseball’s Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners.

The term, “Black Aces” came to represent 20-game winners of African-American descent. The first member of the club was Don Newcombe of the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers. A Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP, Newk’ had 20 or more wins on three occasions including a league-leading 27 in 1956.

Four years later Sam Jones of the San Francisco Giants posted an NL-best 21 victories to join Newcombe. First AL Black Ace Mudcat Grant earned his 20th win of 1965 on September 25; eight days later the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson became the club’s fourth member. Gibson reached the 20-win plateau again in 1966, ’68, ’69, and ’70.

In 1967 Fergie Jenkins and Earl Wilson gained membership by winning 20 and 22 games respectively. Jenkins proved to be the most prolific of the 20-game winners, reaching the mark in seven seasons.

Vida Blue had the first of his three 20-win seasons in 1971 when he was voted the American League Most Valuable Player. That same year Al Downing captured the NL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award by winning 20 contests.

Flamethrower JR Richard secured his spot with the Black Aces in 1976 with exactly 20 victories while Mike Norris joined him as a 22-game winner in 1980 with the A’s.

Dwight Gooden had perhaps the finest season of any of the aces in 1985. It was a Triple Crown campaign for Doc who led the NL in wins (24), ERA (1.53) and strikeouts (268). That same decade, Dave Stewart dominated AL hitters by winning 20+ in four consecutive seasons started in 1987.

Former Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis became the first Black Ace of the 21st century with 22 victories in 2005. Five years later CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees led the league with 21 triumphs to join his mates. The most recent addition to the exclusive club is David Price who won exactly 20 in his Cy Young campaign of 2012.

Shown here is the 1974 player’s contract for the third member of the Black Aces Bob Gibson. That year Gibson joined Walter Johnson as the first two men to strike out 3,000 batters in their careers.