Dwight Gooden hasn't quite attained baseball immortality, but the longtime New York Mets legend has been cemented in the franchise history as one of its best players. He had already been inducted into the team's personal Hall of Fame (though not Cooperstown), and now his jersey number will remain untouched in the blue and orange. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostGooden was one of the best players the Mets have ever employed. They have their fair share of MLB Hall of Famers, but Gooden has been given his flowers. He was a Cy Young winner, a Rookie of the Year, a Triple Crown winner, a four-time All-Star, a two-time champion, an ERA champion and even a Silver Slugger.Gooden pitched for the Mets for a decade before taking a year off and then playing for the New York Yankees and others as he bounced around the league a bit. He ultimately retired in 2000.Dwight Gooden got his number retired todayHis on-field achievements were worthy of praise, but even he admitted that he felt like some off-field controversy had hindered his chances of getting that No. 16 jersey hung up in New York.Dwight Gooden confirmed as one of the Mets' best players everDwight Gooden recorded 157 wins (second in Mets history), 1,875 strikeouts (second in franchise history) and a 3.10 ERA over his career in New York. That would make for an excellent career, and the Mets decided to honor him as such today.The Mets also honored him by having all current players don hats with the No. 16 patch. Gooden was an icon for the franchise, and all players played the game today with his number on the back. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostGooden said of the ceremony, via SNY:"I had to take a deep breath back and just suck it in. Obviously, I teared up a little bit. It’s a situation that you want to share with your dad but unfortunately he’s not here, but I get the opportunity to share it with my kids, my grandkids, great-grandkids, my family, and that’s what it’s all about."The Mets had previously only retired seven numbers of their own plus Jackie Robinson, including Keith Robinson, Mike Piazza and Casey Stengel.