NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Darryl Strawberry sent a heartfelt message thanking President Donald Trump for pardoning the eight-time MLB All-Star.
The New York Mets legend was pardoned, the White House announced Friday, in part due to turning to faith and staying sober after turning his life around from drug and alcohol abuse that led to arrests and suspensions.
“Thank you President @realdonaldtrump for my full pardon and for ending this part of my life so I can truly be free and clean from all my past,” Strawberry wrote on Instagram along with three photos of the two together.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Former New York Mets shortstop Darryl Strawberry throws out a ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field on July 26, 2022, in New York City. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
“At 4:37 p.m., yesterday, I was at home tending to my wife as she recovered from surgery when my phone kept ringing relentlessly. Half asleep I looked over and saw a call from Washington DC Curious, I answered and to my amazement the lady on the line said, ‘Darryl Strawberry, you have a call from the President of the United States.’ I put it on speaker phone with my wife nearby and President Trump spoke warmly of my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one of the greatest players of the 80’s and celebrating the Mets. Then he told me that he gave me a full pardon from my past. My wife captured the moment on video and I was overwhelmed with gratitude – thanking God for freeing me from my past and helping me become a better man, husband and father. This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to work for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ.
“This has nothing to do with politics – this is about a man, President Trump, who cares deeply for a friend. God used him as a vessel to set me free forever! I’m free, I’m free; I’m so humbled and grateful.”
The later years of Strawberry’s career were fraught with legal troubles, including an arrest in 1999 as a member of the New York Yankees for soliciting sex from a police officer posing as a prostitute. It resulted in a 140-day suspension and 21 months of probation as well as community service.
Darryl Strawberry, Donald Trump and a guest attend the Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2012 in New York City. (James Devaney/WireImage)
TRUMP ALLOWS EX-MLB STAR DARRYL STRAWBERRY AFTER FAITH, URGENT TURN
The following year, he tested positive for cocaine, resulting in a suspension for the entire 2000 season, effectively ending his career. He served 11 months in prison from 2002 to 2003 for violating non-narcotics rules at a treatment center. Strawberry also admitted to having sex between rounds of his fights.
After the 1994 season, he was charged with tax evasion. He was suspended to begin the 1995 season for cocaine and admitted to having a substance abuse problem.
The eight-time All-Star met his current wife at a drug recovery rally.
In an ironic twist, Strawberry appeared on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” which Trump hosted in 2010.
During his nine prime years, when he was named National League Rookie of the Year and an All-Star eight times, Strawberry was a .263 hitter with an .875 OPS, averaging 36 home runs and 108 RBI per at-bat. 162 matches.
Former New York Mets shortstop Darryl Strawberry walks across the field before Game 3 of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York City, New York on October 16, 2024. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Strawberry won the World Series with the Mets in 1986 and with the Yankees in 1996, 1998 and 1999. He had been the Mets’ franchise leader in home runs with 252 until Pete Alonso surpassed him earlier this season.
