Mets great Gooden to appear in Buffalo

The Buffalo Bisons today announced that New York Mets great Dwight Gooden will appear at Coca-Cola Field on Wednesday, Aug. 25 as the Herd host the Pawtucket Red Sox at 7:05 p.m. Prior to the game, the Bisons are giving out Dwight Gooden Bobble Head Dolls, presented by NAPA Auto Parts, to the first 4,000 fans through the Swan St. Gate.

As part of his appearance, Gooden will throw a ceremonial first pitch and hold an autograph session in the Coca-Cola Field concourse during the game.

Gooden pitched in 11 seasons with the New York Mets from 1984-1994. He was the 1984 National League Rookie of the Year after going 17-9 with 278 strikeouts during his first season in the Major Leagues. A season later, Gooden collected the National League Cy Young Award with a 24-4 record and a career-high 16 complete games for the World Series Champion Mets. The four-time N.L. All-Star ranks second in Mets history with 157 wins and 1,875 strikeouts.

Gooden also made four starts for the Bisons in 1998 and one more appearance in 1999 while he was a member of the Cleveland Indians organization. He struck out 21 batters in 19.2 innings with the Herd.

Bisons individual game tickets go on sale on Saturday, March 13 at 10 a.m., just before the team's annual Family Day Open House. The team is holding a special online pre-sale of tickets starting at 9:00 a.m. on March 11 at Bisons.com.