Replacement Players

In 1985, Doc Gooden had a season for the ages, thrilling Mets fans and putting up numbers that still qualify as weapons-grade saber-porn: 25-3 W-L record, 1.53 ERA, 268 strikeouts, 276 innings pitched! Of course, we all remember Doc Gooden being awesome once upon a time, but does a his magical 1985 campaign stand up to a repeat viewing? To answer this question, I asked Wendy Thurm of Fangraphs and The Score to watch a Doc Gooden start from that year. Specifically, August 20, 1985, when Doc fanned 16 Giants and barely broke a sweat doing it. These days, Wendy’s more on the Giants beat, but she grew up in the New York era and saw many a Doc Gooden start in her day. So Wendy and I talk about seeing Doc pitch again, we discuss the weird bygone folkways of the Shea Stadium crowd, and we contemplate the oddly smalltown feel of a vintage WOR broadcast. You’ll also get to hear my story about my quasi-religious childhood encounter with Doc himself. Listen below or, even better, subscribe to Replacement Pla