Cone spent over five seasons in his first stint with the New York Mets, 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. In 1991, Cone switched from uniform number 44 to 17 in honor of former teammate Keith Hernandez. On August 30, he struck out three batters on nine pitches in the fifth inning of a 3–2 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He became the 16th National League pitcher and the 25th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat.