This Day in Sports History: Doc Gooden Throws No-Hitter With Ill Father Scheduled For Surgery

With his father's health on his mind, Dwight "Doc" Gooden surprised the baseball world

While his father's health was on his mind, Dwight "Doc" Gooden left the mound at Yankee Stadium with something to smile about after he pitched his first no-hitter 24 years ago today. 

After serving an 18-month suspension for drug abuse, Gooden surprised the baseball world and held the Seattle Mariners hitless with 134 pitches on May 14, 1996. It was the ninth no-hitter in Yankees' history.

Gooden's feat was almost made impossible by circumstances in his personal life. His 64-year-old father, Dan, was scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery the following day in Tampa, Fla. Before the game, Gooden had questioned whether he should be in New York or by his father's side. 

"I decided that knowing my father, he would have wanted me to pitch this game, especially after missing last year," Gooden said. 

It was a night that had Gooden's teammates ecstatic. Yankee catcher Joe Girardi, who was the first to embrace his teammate upon the final out, called the game his "best moment in baseball." 

Similarly to his career, Gooden's no-hitter did not lack drama. He received great help from his teammates defensively, particularly from Bernie Williams in the outfield. The ninth inning then saw Gooden nearly come into trouble after he walked two batters and advanced them with a wild pitch. 

With the no-hitter on the line, coach Mel Stottlemyre approached Gooden to attempt to calm him down, but Gooden was well aware of what he was close to accomplishing. 

"I was pumped," Gooden said.

After recording a strikeout for the second out of the ninth, Gooden was able to celebrate after he watched a sky-high fly ball fall into Derek Jeter's glove at shortstop. As the ball popped up, Gooden put his arms over his head in triumph. Once Jeter closed his glove, the Yankees swarmed the mound and raised Gooden on their shoulders as he pumped his fists with the roaring crowd. 

"This is the greatest feeling of my life," Gooden said with tears in his eyes. "To be through what I've been through and now this, I can't describe it. In my wildest dreams I could never imagine this. I was thinking about where I was a year-and-a-half ago at this time. It was a situation where I didn't know if I'd ever be in this position again."

The no-hitter came in Gooden's seventh game after his return from suspension. In his first three starts, he struggled and recorded an 11.48 ERA. On May 14, he held a talented Mariners offense to six walks while striking out five. Tino Martinez also recorded an error in the sixth inning. 

Gooden sat out the entire 1995 season after he received notice of repeated violations of the MLB's substance abuse policy. Prior to testing positive for cocaine use, Gooden had thrived with the Mets and was named a Cy Young winner and Rookie of the Year. 

After a night with little sleep, Gooden traveled to LaGuardia airport with the ball from the last out of the no-hitter in his bag. Once on the plane, a parade of people lined up for his autograph and he talked to a fellow Narcotics Anonymous member who was seated next to him.

Gooden's father went into the operating room before Gooden had arrived at the hospital. He had exclaimed from his gurney, "He did it! My son did it! My son pitched a no-hitter!"

As Gooden awaited his father at the hospital, the family received notice that the most critical part of the operation had been completed. Later, they were told that Dan would be able to leave the hospital in as little as three weeks. 

The day after arriving in Tampa, Gooden presented his father with the ball of his final out in the no-hitter, saying "This is for you, dad." His father was still too weak to speak, but his emotions showed through tears in his eyes. 

"I don't know whether it was from all the pain he was in, or from the joy," Gooden later said. 

Gooden finished his 16-year MLB career as a four-time All-Star, two-time World Series winner, Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year and Cy Young award winner.