Drug Policy Violation Costs Gooden 60-Day Suspension

A second link to the New York Mets 1986 World Series champions has been sidelined because of a violation of major league baseball’s drug policy.

Dwight Gooden, the last member of that club still with the Mets, was suspended by major league baseball for 60 days Tuesday for violating his drug aftercare program.

Drug problems also took former teammate Darryl Strawberry out of the game and away from the Dodgers, who suspended him on opening day. He recently signed with the San Francisco Giants but has yet to play.

Gooden, 29, had missed a month of the 1987 season to undergo treatment for cocaine use and agreed then to random drug testing as part of the aftercare program.

The specific violation was not disclosed by Gooden, the Mets or baseball, but Gary Sheffield, Gooden’s nephew who plays for the Florida Marlins, said it was not for using drugs. Sheffield indicated that Gooden missed a test.

“It’s not fazing him,” Sheffield said Tuesday in Philadelphia. “He’s handling things well. I’m sure he’ll be all right. As long as it’s not drugs, everything will be fine.”

A statement from Gooden was read by Joe McIlvaine, Mets vice president for baseball operations.

“I have been suspended for breaking the rules of my aftercare program. I’m truly sorry it happened,” the statement said. “I want to apologize to the club, my teammates and to the people of New York. I want to thank everyone for their past support. I will be back stronger and better. I want to earn your respect back.”

Gooden, who is earning $3.7 million this season, recently returned to the Mets from a toe injury in late April that had him on the disabled list. He is 3-4 with a 6.31 earned-run average in 41 1/3 innings and had the worst outing of his career last Friday night, allowing nine runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

McIlvaine said he talked to Gooden on Monday.

“I had an idea this was coming,” he said. “Ten days ago major league baseball told us it was conducting an investigation. He didn’t see it coming.”

Gooden is in the last year of a three-year contract.

“It was an ongoing thing. We’ve been discussing what we were going to do,” McIlvaine said of re-signing Gooden. “We wanted to watch him pitch and now this clouds the issue.”