Gooden Just Says No No-Hits M’S To Go From Drug-Induced Nadir To Natural High; Yanks Win 2-0

The man who couldn’t “Just Say No” certainly did Tuesday night.

Dwight Gooden, whose career and life were placed in peril by drug abuse less than two years ago, stunned the baseball world when he pitched a no-hitter in the Yankees’ 2-0 triumph over Seattle at Yankee Stadium.

Gooden, who joined the Yankees this season after his 18-month suspension was lifted, walked six - including two in the ninth - and struck out five, including Ken Griffey twice.

The ex-Met received superb support from his defense, particularly center fielder Gerald Williams, in hurling the ninth no-hitter by a Yankee and the first since Jim Abbott on Sept. 4, 1993, against the Indians.

In addition, Gooden, who threw 134 pitches, received support from the official scorer when former Mariner Tino Martinez was charged with an error on Darren Bragg’s sixth-inning smash.

Gooden’s phenomenal feat was accomplished one night before his seriously ill father, Dan, is scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery in St. Petersburg, Fla. It was witnessed by 31,025 frenzied fans, a number that is sure to swell into the millions over the next decade.

It was the second no-hitter in three days, following ex-Yankee Al Leiter’s no-no Saturday night for the Marlins. Gooden had taken two no-hitters into the eighth during his glory years with the Mets.

“This is the greatest feeling of my life,” said a misty-eyed Gooden, who will head to Florida this morning.

“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.”

“This is my best moment in baseball,” said battery mate Joe Girardi, who hugged Gooden as the pitcher stood with his arms above his head while Paul Sorrento’s popup landed in shortstop Derek Jeter’s glove.

“I can’t feel much better than I do right now,” said pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, who steadfastly supported Gooden through the pitcher’s disastrous early-season struggles that saw him banished to the bullpen. “This makes it all worthwhile.”

Gooden flirted with disaster in the first inning. But Williams - subbing for injured Bernie Williams - saved the moment with a superb running catch on Alex Rodriguez’ blast.

Williams again preserved Gooden’s no-no in the sixth when he made a shoestring catch on Edgar Martinez’ inning-ending, sinking liner.

Earlier in the sixth, official scorer Bill Shannon charged Martinez with an error when Bragg’s two-hop grounder bounced off the first baseman’s left arm and caromed into the stands. “That was definitely an error,” Martinez said.

Added Shannon: “A grounder right at the first baseman is a playable ball. It hit him right in the glove.”

Gooden pitched a perfect seventh and fanned Bragg to end a perfect eighth. After Jim Leyritz struck out to end the eighth, the crowd rose and filled the Bronx with noise as Gooden strolled to the mound.

Gooden blew on his hands between almost every pitch. He walked lead-off batter Rodriguez, retired Griffey on a grounder to first on which Martinez dove for the bag for the first out, and walked Edgar Martinez to put the go-ahead run at the plate.

After a wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, Stottlemyre paid a visit to the mound and implored Gooden to try to calm down. But that was impossible.

“I was pumped,” Gooden said.

Gooden struck out Buhner on a 2-and-2 fastball for the second out. He threw Sorrento a strike and two balls. Finally, Sorrento popped out.

Gooden stood with his arms over his head, then dropped his glove and flipped off his hat as Jeter squeezed the baseball and teammates, led by Girardi, swarmed to the mound.

Incredibly, Gooden was on top of the world again.

Yankees 2, Mariners 0

Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Bragg lf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .341 ARodrigz ss 2 0 0 0 2 0 .304 Griffey Jr cf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .244 EMartinz dh 3 0 0 0 1 0 .328 1-Amaral pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .206 Buhner rf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .281 Sorrento 1b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .245 DWilson c 3 0 0 0 0 0 .265 Cora 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .221 RDavis 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .248 b-Strnge ph-3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .258 Totals 27 0 0 0 6 5 New York AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Boggs 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 .344 Girardi c 3 1 1 0 1 0 .286 O’Neill rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .373 Sierra lf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .266 TMartinz 1b 3 0 0 1 0 0 .246 Leyritz dh 4 0 2 1 0 1 .292 GeWillms cf 1 0 0 0 2 0 .358 Eenhrn 2b 1 0 0 0 1 1 .077 a-Fox ph-2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .192 DJeter ss 3 0 1 0 0 1 .279 Totals 27 2 7 2 5 4 Seattle 000 000 000 - 0 0 1 New York 000 002 00x - 2 7 1 a-grounded out for Eenhoorn in the 8th. b-grounded out for R.Davis in the 8th.

1-ran for Martinez in the 9th.

E-DWilson (2), TMartinez (4). LOBSeattle 6, New York 7. RBIsTMartinez (26), Leyritz (15). SB-Leyritz (2). CS- GeWilliams 2 (3). SF-TMartinez. GIDPSierra.

Runners left in scoring position-Seattle 3 (EMartinez, Sorrento 2); New York 2 (O’Neill, GeWilliams).

Runners moved up-ARodriguez, Griffey Jr, O’Neill.

DP-Seattle 1 (ARodriguez, Cora and Sorrento); New York 1 (GeWilliams, DJeter and TMartinez).

Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Htchcck L,3-2 5-2/3 6 2 2 4 3 102 4.64 MJackson 1 1 0 0 1 0 20 5.09 TDavis 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 6.00 Hurtado 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 4 7.76 New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Gooden W,2-3 9 0 0 0 6 5 135 4.46 Inherited runners-scored-MJackson 2-0, TDavis 2-0.

IBBoff Hitchcock (Sierra) 1. WP-Gooden.

T-2:43. A-20,786 (57,545).