Via Twitter X, the Mets announced that they will retire both Dwight Gooden’s #16 and Darryl Strawberry’s #18 next season. It is not clear if they will be retired in the same ceremony or in different ceremonies, nor have any dates been announced yet.
The duo of Strawberry and Gooden have been linked since before their Met debuts, as both were highly regarded prospects, but no one could’ve predicted the way both players took New York by storm in the mid-80s. Gooden’s 1985 is still the gold standard for Mets’ pitching, and Strawberry still holds the team record for home runs thirty three years after playing his final game for the team.