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Few MLB players in the 1980s were as compelling as New York Mets sensation Darryl Strawberry. The prodigal young outfielder burst on the scene in 1983 and helped lead the Metropolitans to a World Series championship just three years later.
Now, he’s in a different kind of battle. On March 11, the former eight-time All-Star suffered a heart attack – just one day before his 62nd birthday. He is now stable and recovering at SSM Health Center in Lake St. Louis, Missouri, near where he now resides.
As he rested in the facility, he sent out a social media message to the fans, letting them know what he had gone through and that he was doing okay.
“Praising God for His amazing grace and loving mercy in saving my life this evening from a heart attack.,” Darryl Strawberry posted on his Instagram account. “I am so happy and honored to report that all is well.
“So thankful for the medical team and staff at St. Joseph West in Lake St. Louis for responding so quickly and bringing me through a stent procedure that has brought my heart to total restoration!!! Your prayers are so absolutely appreciated as I continue to recover, in Jesus Name!”
A Total Turnaround for Darryl Strawberry
Not very many troubled players ever find a road to redemption like Darryl Strawberry has. Since his retirement, rehabilitation, and recovery, he’s become an almost completely different person from his playing days.
Much like several other members of that wild and wooly ’86 Mets squad, Strawberry also fell victim to his share of demons off the diamond, as well. His well-documented battles with cocaine and alcohol addiction not only cost him part of the prime of his career, it also hurt him financially. Now having moved past those dark times in his life, he eventually got re-married and moved to the St. Louis area.
Darryl Strawberry has now been sober for over 20 years. During that time, he formed the Darryl Strawberry Foundation, an organization dedicated to children with autism, as well as Strawberry Ministries, with his wife Tracy.
A Legendary New York Met
Darryl Strawberry was the top overall selection by the Mets in the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft. A prep sensation out of Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, he once played against future NFL Hall of Famer John Elway and his Granada Hills team in the city championship game. Elway’s squad ended up winning, 10-4.
Strawberry’s path to the big leagues was a quick one, and he captured the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1983. He would hit at least 26 home runs a season for New York from 1983-1990, before signing a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Later, he would round out his career in the Big Apple – finishing up in 1999 after playing his final five seasons with the New York Yankees, where he won three World Series. He would walk away from the game at the age of 37 with 335 HR, exactly 1000 RBI, and four championship rings.
In recognition of his contributions to the Mets, the organization will retire Strawberry’s #18 on Saturday, June 1st, in a special ceremony before their game with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“Having your number retired, it’s bigger than going into the Hall of Fame,” Strawberry said, upon learning the news.
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