And He Never Quite Made It Back

There was about a five-second window when all was right with the New York Mets, when Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden wore Met uniforms together. This was June 6, 1987, the day after Gooden returned from drug rehab to beat the Pirates and the day Seaver began his final attempt at pitching after injury and collusion had kept him sidelined since September of ’86. Other than simulated games and an exhibition start against the Tides, Tom never pitched for the Mets after October 1, 1983 and, sadly, was never actually on the same staff as Doc.

Happy 63rd birthday to Tom Seaver (born November 17, 1944) and happy 43rd birthday to Dwight Gooden (born November 16, 1964). You’ll both always be at the top of my rotation.