David Cone New York Mets Publications

Mets Magazine Official Score Book: Volume 31, Number 1 (Bobby Bonilla Cover)

David Cone is a former pitcher who pitched for the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Cone won the American League Cy Young Award in 1994 as the ace of the Kansas City Royals, and pitched a perfect game as a member of the New York Yankees. Cone was drafted by the Royals in the 3rd round of the 1981 amateur draft and made his Major League debut on June 8, 1986. Prior to the 1987 season, however, he was traded to the New York Mets. Cone's first exceptional year came in 1988 when he went 20-3 with a 2.22 ERA, leading the Mets to the postseason, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cone spent nearly 6 years in a Met uniform, most of the time serving as the team's co-ace alongside Dwight Gooden while leading the National League in strikeouts in 1990 and 1991, but his 261 strikeouts in 1992, split between the two leagues, were a personal best. On August 30, 1991, Cone struck out three batters on nine pitches in the fifth inning of a 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds. However, the Mets had slipped from contention by the 1992 season, and he was eventually traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.