Darryl Strawberry celebrates his 62nd birthday on March 12th.
Darryl Eugene Strawberry was born on March 12th, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. Strawberry played baseball at Crenshaw High School before being drafted first overall by the New York Mets in the 1980 MLB draft. He worked his way through the Mets minor league system before debuting on the major league team in May of 1983. That year, he hit a .257 average with 26 home runs,7 triples, and 74 RBIs, earning him the National League’s Rookie of The Year title. The following year he began his streak of 8 consecutive All-Star game appearances and hit 26 home runs with 97 RBIs.
At the same time, the Mets had built one of the best teams in the National League, with Strawberry being one of the highlights, earning his likeness used for action figures, posters, and banners. In 1986, the Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, with Strawberry getting 5 hits, 4 runs in both series, and a combined 3 home runs including an 8th inning, lead-extending bomb in game 7 of the World Series. That same year Strawberry also won the Home Run Derby and finished the season with a .259 batting average. The following year, he hit a career-high 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, earning himself a spot in the 30-30 club, with his home run total being 5th highest in the MLB that year. In 1988, he hit 39 more home runs, leading the National League and was only second to Jose Canseco’s 42 home runs, while leading the league with his slugging percentage and OPS at .545 and .911 and came in a very close second in the MVP voting.
At the end of the 1990 season, Strawberry was released by the Mets and signed by the LA Dodgers where he was successful, even being compared to Hank Aaron thanks to his 280 home runs at only 29 years old, before injuries and other personal issues kept him off the field for most of the next two years. After being released by the Dodgers in 1994, the San Francisco Giants signed him but didn’t get much playing time, this was quickly followed by signing with the New York Yankees in 1995 and then with the Triple-A Saint Paul Saints in 1996 to attempt to get back into form, which he quickly did, landing him back on the Yankees that same year. After returning to the Yankees, he, alongside former Mets teammates Dwight Gooden and David Cone, helped the team defeat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. In 1998 he helped the Yankees win another World Series title despite suffering from abdominal pain for months and had a limited 1999 season that included his final home run against the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS on the Yankees’ road to defeat the Braves in the World Series once again.
Since his time on the field, Strawberry has worked with the Mets on and off as an instructor as well as an anchor for pre- and post-game shows, regularly appears at the New York Yankees’ Old Timer’s Day, opened his own restaurant, and is set to have his number retired, alongside Dwight Gooden, by the Mets this April.
