Yankees: Give Gooden Time

Now that Dwight Gooden has finally pitched again in the majors, the big question is how close he can come to rediscovering what he used to have.

Gooden isn’t sure. New York Yankees manager Joe Torre is hopeful. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre says “Absolutely; there’s no question.”

His debut against Texas on Sunday didn’t last long enough to be conclusive, although this first outing since June 1994 had enough moments to support all three possibilities.

The doubt was caused by the results: five innings, five hits, four walks, five runs (all earned) and two home runs in a 7-2 loss. “Overall, I thought I threw OK,” Gooden said. “I was happy with the fastball, and I finally found my curve.”

“The more he pitches, the more he’ll get the feeling back of what he used to be about a couple of years ago,” Torre said. “That’s all he needs to do now.”