Dwight Gooden surprises elementary school on Long Island, calls Mets 'tough to watch'
Dwight Gooden could hardly believe he’s a 10-year-old’s idol.
But when Gooden learned that he’s viewed that way by Joel Buchanan — a fifth-grader at North Babylon’s Woods Road Elementary School — it presented an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Buchanan dressed up as the former Mets ace Thursday morning at Woods Road’s annual fifth-grade wax museum, an interactive event in which students dress as historical figures and present reports on them. Gooden, 61, surprised him with a visit.
“I thought about it with all the social media and the internet and all that stuff and said, OK, maybe he Googled me or something like that,” Gooden said. “But I was very happy to take part today. It makes me feel good as well. Especially kids today, they’re not really into baseball anymore, especially African-American kids.
“To know that he has an interest in me, it brought joy to my heart. So I’m happy to be here and giving back to him.”
Joel Buchanan, a fifth-grader at Woods Elementary School in North Babylon, shows off a signed baseball he received from former Mets and Yankees pitcher Dwight Gooden at the school on Thursday. Credit: Newsday/James Carbone
Buchanan — who received a signed ball from Gooden with the message “Stay cool, my friend” — and his classmates got to hang out and take pictures with Gooden.
Buchanan said it was a big surprise to see Gooden, who approached him as he was posed in his wax figure pitching stance.
“It was very cool that he came in to see my project,” Buchanan said.
“His dad is a big fan of [Gooden], so he chose him to do as his project,” said Charimaine Bennett-Buchanan, Joel’s mother. “So that is very good. And he’s into baseball too, so he wants to excel with that. So I know he’s going to keep on playing.”
The 2026 Mets are struggling, to say the least, and Gooden recognized that. The team has lost 17 of its last 20 games and owns the worst record in MLB (10-21).
“I am a huge fan of the Mets, and it’s tough to watch,” Gooden said. “They just got to hold each other accountable and hopefully get back on track. Everybody says it’s early, but every game counts, man. So [am] I upset or [ticked] off or down [on] it? Yes, but I still believe in them. I believe in the organization. So hopefully get it turned around soon.”
What changes would he like to see?
“I would just like to see somebody hold these guys accountable, whether it’s the owner, general manager, president, whoever — players, veteran players, somebody,” he said. “I mean, you can’t just sit back and accept it and say, ‘We got time. We got time.’
“Whether it’s throw a helmet, do something, but something has to happen. All these guys are professional. I get that. But they got to still understand it’s a privilege to be in the situation they’re in, so you got to hold each other accountable now. When you go out there, go out there with pride and hold each other accountable.”
On a more positive note for Gooden, 2026 represents two significant anniversaries.
It’s the 40th anniversary of the Mets’ 1986 World Series title, and a reunion and celebration will be held at Citi Field on Aug. 1.
May 14 also will mark the 30th anniversary of Gooden’s only no-hitter, which he threw with the Yankees against a powerful Mariners team that included Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez.
On the ‘86 World Series, Gooden said: “Oh, man, it goes fast. And I saw some of the guys Sunday, we did an autograph signing at Hofstra University. To see these guys still around, it’s great. You get to share those moments with these guys, because we don’t get to see each other every day. Brings back good memories, and something I look forward to sharing not only with the teammates but with the fans as well.”
And on his no-hitter: “That’s very special, man. I look back at that, I get choked up still. Because to share that with my family — 30 years, it’s a long time. But now that it’s been 30 years, it’s fresh to my mind. I can relive the moment — where I was at the time, what was going through my mind, what was going on the day before. And to get to share that now with my grandkids and great-grandkids, it’s pretty special.”
Parents of Woods Road students were thrilled to see Gooden at the school interacting with the kids. Of course, some Mets fans were among them, including one who yelled to Gooden: “We need some help at Citi Field!”
To which Gooden jokingly replied: “The older you get, the further the mound is.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
