He’s Not All That Great, but Gooden Enough : On an Off-Night--for Him--the Mets’ Ace Slices Cardinals’ Lead to One, 5-2

As time goes by, it becomes more and more possible that Dwight (Doctor K) Gooden, pitcher for the New York Mets, will be doused with expensive wine by his teammates after winning the division . . . and the pennant . . . and maybe even the World Series.

And a couple of weeks later, he would even be legally old enough to drink some.

Wednesday, on a day when older doctors had been out playing golf, 20-year-old Doc Gooden was defeating the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2, to pull the Mets within one game of the Cardinals in the National League East. Gooden’s record: 24-4.

He won the game without retiring the side 1-2-3 all night. He gave up nine hits and got a scare in the ninth inning, when the Cardinals scored a run and loaded the bases. But Tommy Herr’s line drive went right at second baseman Wally Backman, who caught it face-high.

“It was an outstanding game, if you scratch that last inning,” Gooden said. “When Herr hit that ball, I panicked.”

Catcher Gary Carter said Gooden is so amazing, he was actually frustrated after a three-run victory. “When he got that last out, he was mad at himself and we had to calm him down,” Carter said. “We were saying: ‘Doc, Doc, you did it. Don’t worry. You did it.’ ”

The kid is a perfectionist. That’s what happens when you give up two earned runs in your last 57 innings, as Gooden has, or when you register double-figure strikeouts for the 26th time in 66 career starts, as Gooden has, or when you move into eighth place on your team’s all-time strikeout list five weeks before your 21st birthday, as Gooden has.

There is no sign that he is slowing down. The pennant race could not be hotter, but here he is--Doctor October.

“We’ve got them where we want them now,” Gooden said of the Cardinals, who have lost four of their last five.

Not only did he throw another complete game Wednesday night, but he outran the relay on a potential double-play grounder, driving in a run, and set down two perfect sacrifice punts to set up two other Met runs.

No wonder New York’s fans are buggy about him. Manager Davey Johnson said he received letters and wires this week begging him to use Gooden in Tuesday’s series opener with the Cardinals, to keep the Mets alive. One guy had an even better idea: DWIGHT CAPABLE OF 15 SCORELESS INNINGS, his telegram to Johnson read. LAST 5 INNINGS OF ALL 3 GAMES. SIGNED, DOC SR.

The manager will stick to his regular guns, using rookie Rick Aguilera (10-6) against the Cardinals’ Danny Cox (17-9) in tonight’s series wrap-up. If the rookie can win--without, presumably, Gooden’s help--the Mets will be tied for first place.

Johnson had come to St. Louis declaring that his counterpart, Whitey Herzog, “is the hammer and I’m the nail.” The Cardinals were ready to close the Mets’ coffin. But John Tudor couldn’t do it Tuesday and Joaquin Andujar couldn’t do it Wednesday, leaving Busch Stadium fans crying in their Budweiser.

They watched their club come apart at the seams Wednesday. Vince Coleman ran his hitless skid to 0 for 19 before his RBI single in the ninth. Herr kicked a first-inning grounder that led to a Met run. Andujar let one of Gooden’s bunts squirt from his hand as he prepared to throw to first.

Things got so bad for the Cardinals that when Backman tried to steal second base against them, Darrell Porter’s perfect peg struck umpire Fred Brocklander, who had positioned himself in front of the bag. Keith Hernandez and Carter followed with singles to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

In the second inning, George Foster’s chopper hopped so high, there was no throw to first. Howard Johnson singled him to third. Gooden then hit a sharp grounder to short, but ran fast enough to beat a relay that would have retired the side.

When Gooden went to the mound in the bottom of that inning, his scoreless inning streak was at 49. But Andy Van Slyke singled and scored on a triple by Porter.

“When Porter drove that run in,” Carter said, “that was like a victory for them. Just scoring against Doc is like a victory.” But you don’t give Gooden more runs to work with if you want to beat him. In the fifth, Rafael Santana doubled, moved up when Andujar bobbled Gooden’s bunt and scored on a double-play ball. In the seventh, George Foster homered, Santana singled, Gooden sacrificed and Mookie Wilson singled home Santana. That made it 5-1--which, with Gooden working, might as well be 15-1.

Not until the ninth did he struggle, and only then after two were out. There were back-to-back walks, followed by a run-scoring single by the slumping Coleman.

Willie McGee then slapped one up the middle that should have ended the game with a force at second. But Santana and Backman both went for the ball, and smashed like northbound and southbound trains.

That loaded the bases for Herr, who represented the winning run. But his liner was stabbed by Backman, ending Gooden’s panic.