Gooden Receives Another Chance

The New York Yankees are giving Dwight Gooden yet another chance. The 35-year-old right-hander, 10 victories shy of 200 in the major leagues, has been signed to a minor-league contract.

“We still feel like he has something left in his arm,” said Yankee pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, who coached Gooden with the Yankees and New York Mets.

“George Steinbrenner is giving me a chance, and I’m going to make the most of it,” Gooden, released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays two weeks ago, told the Sunday Record of Hackensack (N.J.).

Steinbrenner gave Gooden a chance before. The pitcher joined the Yankees in 1996 after sitting out the 1995 season because of a drug suspension.

He pitched the ninth no-hitter in club history May 14, 1996, against the Seattle Mariners. He went 20-12 with a 4.58 earned-run average in two seasons with the Yankees, but left because of injuries and personal differences with Manager Joe Torre.

Gooden was 2-3 with a 6.86 ERA for the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay this season. The Yankees have little risk in signing him because the Devil Rays will pay the bulk of his $500,000 salary.

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John Rocker recorded his first save in two appearances since being sent to triple-A Richmond, striking out three--including Randall Simon--in the ninth inning as the Braves defeated the Columbus Clippers, 4-1, at Columbus, Ohio.

Rocker faced four batters, giving up a single to Tom Wilson. Of his 20 pitches, 14 were strikes.

Simon was the first batter Rocker faced, and he struck out his former Atlanta Brave teammate on three pitches.

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Kansas City pitcher Jose Rosado is not convinced that surgery is necessary for his ailing left shoulder, and wants to maintain his rehabilitation program for the time being.

Rosado said that if he makes no progress in another month, he’ll undergo arthroscopic surgery.

“We’ve got time,” Rosado said. “I’ll keep battling.”

Doctors recently performed a dye-enhanced MRI on the shoulder. Tests were not conclusive, but they indicated a cartilage abnormality in the back of his shoulder.

Royal General Manager Herk Robinson described it as a fraying, something not uncommon for major league pitchers. Robinson said he’d like Rosado “to make every effort to work through it.”