On April 7, 1984, Dwight "Doc" Gooden took the mound for the New York Mets in his major league debut against the Houston Astros at the Astrodome.
The 19-year-old tossed five innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out five in a night to remember.
However, there was an incident before the game that nearly got Gooden in trouble.
The former Mets great recently recalled the night of his debut in an interview with Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, and told the story of a minor incident that happened in the leadup to the game.
"I was so nervous, so anxious that day," he said. "I had lunch with my parents at the hotel restaurant, and then the bus wasn't leaving until 5 o'clock. At 3 o'clock, I remember asking the hotel concierge, 'How far is the Astrodome? How can I get there?' It was about three miles away. I walked to the Astrodome."
Upon arriving at the stadium, Gooden had no idea where to go to get in.
"There was an 8-foot fence [around the ballpark]. I didn't know how to get in," he said. "So, I climbed the fence. A security guard saw and said, 'What are you doing, son?'"
Nothing came of the incident, as Mets trainer Steve Garland was already at the ballpark and was able to arrive on the scene and vouch for Gooden's identity.
Still, Gooden pointed to the incident as the perfect encapsulation of his nerves that night.
"Pitching in your first start, and you get busted by a security guard. I've never been so nervous in my life," he told Davidoff.
Clearly, the nerves did not faze him on the mound that night, or the rest of the season, as Gooden went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year award, going 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 276 strikeouts in 218 innings pitched.
