Not Dwight's night

Gooden can't get it done in the playoffs, again

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Posted: Sunday October 11, 1998 01:32 AM

What's up doc? Gooden (center) has made nine postseason starts without a victory AP

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Dwight Gooden could never get a playoff win for New York. He couldn't get one against New York, either.

After going 0-3 in the postseason during his career with the New York Yankees and Mets, Gooden struggled with his control Saturday night as the Cleveland starter and got tagged with the Indians' 4-0 loss to the Yankees in Game 4 of AL championship series.

"Obviously, the next couple of hours you'll replay some situations," Gooden said. "I know I will. But tomorrow when you get up it's a new day and you have to do what you can to put the heat on the other team."

Gooden has made nine postseason starts without a victory, the most by any pitcher never to win a postseason game.

One of those starts was here at Jacobs Field in Game 4 of last year's divisional series -- Gooden's last appearance as a Yankee. He left the game in the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead but New York went on to lose the game and the series.

Wearing the opposite uniform, Gooden faced his old team for the first time Saturday night.

Gooden said facing New York wasn't a problem for him emotionally. Pitching to the Yankees and facing Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez was.

He came into the game not having lost since July 26, but in the first inning got behind in the count to Paul O'Neill, who drove a 3-1 pitch into the right field stands.

"That helped," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

In the fourth, Gooden walked O'Neill and Bernie Williams to start the inning and both scored to make it 3-0.

"The pitch to O'Neill, a 3-1 breaking ball, kind of hung a little bit," Gooden said. "But I think what got me in trouble was walking O'Neill and Bernie to start the inning."

With Derek Jeter on first base and O'Neill coming up again in the fifth, Gooden was through for the night. He gave up three hits, three walks and had three strikeouts.

"Gooden pitched pretty well," Jeter said. "He was in and out, changed speeds and had a pretty good breaking ball. But 'El Duque,' man, he was the story."

Gooden was much more composed on the mound than in his last start, when he threw just 22 pitches before being ejected in Game 2 of the divisional series against Boston. A calmer demeanor didn't help him get his pitches across the plate.

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