Dwight Gooden assumed his status was safe. The gold standard in Mets history — set by Gooden in 1985 — most prominently featured baseball’s second-lowest ERA (1.53) since 1920, and the former Cy Young winner believed his magnum opus was unapproachable.
Then came Jacob deGrom, giving Gooden a different perspective of unparalleled dominance.
“I followed him, and I enjoyed watching him,” Gooden told The Post on Thursday. “From what the fans tell me, I felt like what I brought to them, he was bringing to me.”
One night earlier, deGrom saved perhaps his best start of the season for his final outing of the year, throwing eight shutout innings, and allowing two hits and no walks, while striking out 10.
Gooden believes the performance should clinch deGrom joining him, Tom Seaver and R.A. Dickey as the only Cy Young winners in Mets history.
“I think that should seal the deal,” Gooden said. “Nothing to take away from [Max] Scherzer, he had an outstanding year, but deGrom’s ERA is [1.70], and to end it like that against a great team like the Braves goes a long way.
“But you never know. I’ve seen some tricky stuff.”
Few things Gooden has seen were as strange as deGrom compiling a 10-9 record during one of the best seasons in modern history.
Though Gooden sported an incredible 24-4 record in 1985, the 53-year-old believes wins should not be factored in the voting, and thinks deGrom deserves enormous credit for consistently excelling with such little run support.
“I can’t imagine what deGrom went through. I’ve never seen anything like that,” Gooden said. “As good as my team was, I was able to get wins, but every once in a while when they wouldn’t score runs, and the next day they’d score seven, eight runs, and I would be pissed. … I can imagine he went through that even though he wouldn’t admit that. He had to be upset with that. It’s only natural.”
As are the expectations awaiting deGrom next season.
Though Gooden was nearly as brilliant in his debut season — when he was named the 1984 N.L. Rookie of the Year — the right-hander noted how much the perspective of each start changed, following his historic season.
“I remember pitching against Fernando [Valenzuela], and I pitched a complete game, we won 3-0, and the first question was, ‘What happened? You only had five strikeouts,’” Gooden said. “Everything was compared to ’85. At that age, I allowed the expectations from others and myself to take away the joy I was having because I was trying to pitch up to those standards that I set in ’85, which you can’t do.
“For him, everything’s gonna be compared to ’18. He probably will go through the same thing.”
Gooden conceded that deGrom may handle it better. The current Mets ace turned 30 this season. Gooden was 20 when he claimed the Cy Young — and around 25 when he truly grasped what he’d accomplished.
“Once you’re not putting up those types of numbers, then you realize the impact you had on the game,” Gooden said. “You appreciate it more.”
Despite rooting for deGrom all season, Gooden also appreciates that 1.53 remains safe in Mets lore.
“To be honest, I was hoping he’d finish with a 1.54. I’m dead serious,” Gooden said. “Everyone says records are made to be broken, but me personally, I don’t want any of my records broken.
“I thought he had a shot in July, and I was doing the math in my head, and counting how many starts he had left. It was crazy. It was a hell of a year.”
