David Cone first arrived in Flushing in March 1987 through a significant trade with the Kansas City Royals, where he joined Chris Jelic in exchange for Ed Hearn, Rick Anderson, and Mauro Gozzo. Equipped with a deceptive multi-angle delivery and a deadly split-finger fastball, Cone rapidly secured a spot in the starting rotation. Alongside Doc Gooden, he helped build a powerful pitching duo that dominated National League hitters for nearly five years.
Cone achieved a historic milestone by winning consecutive National League strikeout titles in 1990 with 233 strikeouts and in 1991 with 241 strikeouts. This period included a legendary, record-tying 19-strikeout game against the Phillies on the last day of the 1991 season. His exceptional, swing-and-miss ability was unmatched, making him a top-tier pitcher for the Mets who regularly surpassed 200 innings with ease.
His 1992 campaign authored a truly bizarre and historic masterpiece of era dominance. Before the cash-strapped Mets moved him, Cone struck out 214 batters in 196.2 frames, leading the league in strikeout rate and tossing five shutouts. Even though he was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays in late August, his National League body of work was so overwhelming that he still finished second in the NL strikeout race from another country. Combined with his Toronto output, his 261 punchouts paced all of Major League Baseball. Cone continued that excellent year by helping the Jays win their first World Series. Incidentally, he won four more as a New York Yankee.
He would return to New York briefly for one more attempt at baseball in 2003, though that would be only for five contests. Over his two runs with the Mets, he would compile a record of 81-51 with 1,172 strikeouts.
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