Dwight Gooden was one of the finest pitchers to ever wear the New York Mets uniform.
He was a key piece of their 1986 World Series championship team.
However, despite his success, Gooden dealt with more than his fair share of struggles with addiction.
Recently, the former Mets ace opened up about his struggles with addiction and everything his battle with it entailed, recalling what he went through while dealing with these issues.
Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman recently interviewed Gooden, who discussed his life and reflected on his struggles with alcoholism and addiction.
The video of the interview can be found in the tweet below.
Doc says: “Addiction doesn’t discriminate, good person, bad .. black, white.” Takes the blame, says he felt pressure in 1986 and wishes he would have been honest with people close to him. Worth listening to full cast
Apple: https://t.co/V2Lo169Gq8
Spotify: https://t.co/HRK8CFSGb7 pic.twitter.com/Zaw2vDU09x— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 29, 2023
Heyman asked the question about how Gooden’s struggles came about and everything that went into his battle.
Gooden began to struggle with addiction in 1986.
He started off the interview by taking full responsibility for his actions.
The legendary Mets right-hander also pointed out something very important, saying that addiction doesn’t discriminate.
Gooden says he felt a lot of pressure in 1986, which is ultimately what drove him to walk down this path.
He also said that he wished he had been honest with himself and those closest to him before his struggles with drinking and addiction got worse.
The right-hander said that he would drink heavily if he wasn’t happy with his performance.
For example, he mentioned that even if he won a game in which he pitched six innings but allowed four runs, he would take that very personally and resort to drinking.
Fortunately, Gooden appears to be in good spirits now and not afraid to acknowledge his struggles.
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