In the early parts of his 16 year career, pitcher Dwight Gooden established himself as one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League.  The New York Mets pitcher helped his team win a World Series championship in 1986 and appeared in the All-Star game four times during the 1980s.

On this day, November 18th, in 1985, Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets won the NL Cy Young Award at the age of 21. Gooden’s 1985 season is noted for being one of the most dominant in all of baseball.  Gooden led the league with 24 wins, 268 strikeouts and a 1.53 ERA, earning him the prestigious MLB Pitching Triple Crown.

While most thought Gooden was on the fast track to the Hall of Fame, his 1985 season would be the pinnacle of his career.  Gooden went on to win two more World Series championships with the Yankees in 1996 and 2000.