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Darryl Strawberry posted 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 for turning to faith and staying sober after turning his life around through drug and alcohol abuse that led to arrests and suspensions.
“Thank you President @realdonaldtrump for my complete forgiveness and for ending this part of my life, allowing me to be truly free and clean from all of my past,” Strawberry wrote on Instagram, along with three photos of the two of them together.
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Former New York Mets player Darryl Strawberry throws out a ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field on July 26, 2022 in New York City. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
“Yesterday, at 4:37 p.m., I was at home taking care of my wife while she recovered from surgery, when my phone kept ringing non-stop. Half asleep, I looked and saw a call from Washington, D.C. 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, Donald Trump.’ I put it on speaker with my wife nearby, and President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in New York, praising me as one of the greatest players of the ’80s and celebrating the Mets. He then told me that he was granting me complete forgiveness for my past. My wife captured the moment on video and I was overwhelmed with gratitude: I thanked God for freeing me from my past and helping me become a better man, husband and father. This experience has deepened my faith and my 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 about a friend. God used him as a vessel to set me free forever! I am free, I am free; I am so humbled and grateful.”
The final years of Strawberry’s career were plagued by legal problems, including a 1999 arrest as a member of the New York Yankees for soliciting sex from a police officer posing as a prostitute. That resulted in a 140-day suspension and 21 months of probation, plus community service.
Darryl Strawberry, Donald Trump and a guest attend the Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2012, in New York City. (James Devaney/WireImage)
TRUMP FORGIVES FORMER MLB STAR DARRYL STRAWBERRY AFTER A CHANGE OF FAITH AND SOBRIETY
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 between 2002 and 2003 for violating non-drug rules at a treatment center. Strawberry also admitted to having sex between innings of his games.
After the 1994 season, he was accused of tax evasion. He was suspended to start 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 convention.
In an ironic twist, Strawberry appeared on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” hosted by Trump, in 2010.
During his best nine years, when he was named National League Rookie of the Year and an eight-time All-Star, Strawberry batted .263 with an .875 OPS, averaging 36 home runs and 108 RBIs in 162 games.
Former New York Mets player Darryl Strawberry walks on 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)
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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 passed him earlier this season.
