Word: gooden
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...bases are about to be loaded with no one out. It is the bottom of the eighth inning in Dodger Stadium. Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden, pitching's young latitude and younger longitude, are dueling 1-1. With first base open, New York Mets Manager Davey Johnson is at the mound telling Gooden to walk Pedro Guerrero, who earlier hit a home run. Mapping tactics with the infielders, Johnson has scarcely a word for Gooden, the 6-ft. 3-in. centerpiece of the team. He is a slender stalk from Florida, a righthander. Even in repose, the impression...
...strike. Three seasons back, Brock's promise as a slugging first baseman influenced the Dodgers' enthusiasm for retaining Free Agent Steve Garvey. Though he has been worse than disappointing as Garvey's replacement, in New York not two weeks ago Brock hit a home run off a Gooden change-up that brought Valenzuela his only victory in their three head-on encounters to date. After that game, Johnson lectured Gooden about offering his third best pitch to those who have failed to hit the first two. With Brock up, and only a fly ball needed to score a run, just...
...Communicating with a pitcher is a language all itself, one without words," the manager says he learned as a second baseman in Baltimore. Middle infielders, the brightest ones, observe the signs and study the patterns. With the same pitch, a scorcher, Gooden comes again at Brock, who tips the ball foul for strike two. A computer type, Johnson tries not to neglect human software either. He knows how to make pulling a pitcher seem a compliment on a par with leaving him in the game. "I see a lot of early Earl Weaver in him," says Frank Cashen, Weaver...
...third pitch, Brock strikes out, Gooden's 99th strikeout of the year in 93 innings. With 276 strikeouts last season, he blew by Grover Cleveland Alexander, Herb Score and every other rookie in history. "Am I going to hurt myself? It's all mechanics, I think, and it's God-given talent, I know." He calms everyone who frets for his young arm, seemingly every person he meets: "From high school on, even before that, I have always kept something warm on my arm late at night. I'm not afraid. I make sure...
...Mike Scioscia, a contact hitter. "The bases are still drunk," Catcher Gary Carter calls out a reminder. "Let's get the double play," barks Third Baseman Ray Knight. Joey Amalfitano, the Dodger coach at third base, wigwags some semaphore to Scioscia, who flicks his helmet to signal message received. Gooden looks at Knight and mouths, "Squeeze bunt?" Knight looks at Amalfitano and says, "Too obvious." At first base, Keith Hernandez gives thought to visiting Gooden, but reconsiders. "What am I going to tell him? Bear down?" Bearing down, Gooden makes Scioscia foul out to Carter on the first delivery...