On his final day as a player, Dwight Gooden preferred to focus on his future, rather than dwell on his once-glorious past.
Unable to make the New York Yankees' opening day roster, Gooden announced his retirement Friday at age 36.
"It's a sad and enjoyable day," he said at the team complex in Tampa, Fla. "I've enjoyed a great career. It's been a joyous ride. I have no complaints."
"I'm looking forward to getting my second career started, that's being home with my kids and watching them do things," he said.
Gooden, who signed a minor league contract in December, was 0-1 with a 7.90 ERA in six games this spring.
Gooden finished up with a 194-112 record and a 3.51 ERA, striking out 2,293 in 2,800 2-3 innings. He also threw a no-hitter. Gooden burst on the baseball scene like a comet, quickly becoming the sport's brightest star.
With an explosive fastball and sharp curve, Gooden made the All-Star team in 1984 and became the NL Rookie of the Year. The next year, he became the youngest player — at 20 — to win the Cy Young Award after going 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA. While the Yankees were not counting on Gooden this season, the Detroit Tigers were hoping for a big contribution from Mitch Meluskey.
Instead, the catcher that Detroit expected to provide some offensive punch will miss the season because of a shoulder injury.
Meluskey, acquired from Houston in a six-player deal that included Brad Ausmus during the offseason, will have surgery to repair looseness in his right shoulder. He hit .300 in 117 games with the Astros last year.
The Tigers didn't know Meluskey's shoulder was bothering him until mid-March. Two years ago, when he was with the Astros, his season ended in May because of surgery to correct a similar problem.
The team will now rely on highly regarded prospect Brandon Inge as their starting catcher.
Inge, 23, has no major league experience and had been tagged as the starting catcher at Triple-A Toledo. He was optioned to the Mud Hens on March 16, but was brought back to the Tigers' camp after Meluskey was examined Monday.
"He might hit .100, but if we're winning, it doesn't matter if he maintains his positive attitude," Garner said. "You don't want a kid to get so far down because of hitting that it destroys him."