The legendary former MLB All-Star right fielder Darryl Strawberry, who helped lead the New York Mets to a World Series championship in 1986 and the New York Yankees to two World Series championships in 1996 and 1999, is thanking God after surviving a major heart attack hours before his 62nd birthday earlier this week.
Strawberry’s Heart Attack
People Magazine reported that Strawberry spent his birthday in the hospital on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack in Lake St. Louis, Missouri the night before.
“Praising God for His amazing grace and loving mercy in saving my life this evening from a heart attack,” Strawberry wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “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!!!” he continued. “Your prayers are so absolutely appreciated as I continue to recover, in Jesus Name!”
Strawberry’s History
Stawberry played seventeen seasons of major league baseball, becoming one of the most legendary sluggers in the process. He was a seven-time All-Star during his time with the Mets from 1983-1990, winning NL Rookie of the Year in 1983. NBC News reported that during his career, Strawberry hit .259 with 335 homers, 1,000 RBIs and 221 stolen bases in 17 seasons that also included time with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1991-93), San Francisco Giants (1994) and New York Yankees (1995-99).
Just two weeks ago, Strawberry joined the Mets during a spring training workout in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and the team is set to retire his No. 18 on June 1.
“We are looking forward to Straw’s speedy recovery and welcoming him for his number retirement ceremony on June 1,” Mets owner Steven Cohen and wife Alex said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
Strawberry has had his fair share of health struggles in the past, as he was diagnosed with colon cancer back in October of 1998. He later learned in July of 2000 that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, and he had surgery each of those times to remove the tumors, a portion of his colon and his left kidney.
Strawberry also has a lengthy history of alcohol and drug use that has led to various run-ins with the law, but he has thankfully overcome this and been sober for twelve years now. He currently lives in O’Fallon Missouri with his third wife, Tracy, whom he married in October of 2006 after they met at a drug recovery convention.
Strawberry’s Christian Faith
Strawberry and his wife are proud Christians who lead Strawberry Ministries, which exists to “lead people to Jesus, teach them how to grow in their faith, and experience freedom in Christ through step-by-step resources and daily encouragement.”
“I have been privileged my whole life to live behind community gates in [million dollar] homes and everything. But at the end of the day, I was empty on the inside. I didn’t have what I needed on the inside,” Strawberry said back in 2019, according to Christian Post.
“We can accumulate all these great things but if you don’t have Jesus on the inside of you, you are not going to be well as a person,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter what another kind of material stuff we have. I have searched for so long to have such a relationship with God myself, but I didn’t know him.”
Strawberry went on to say that he finally reached a place in his life in which he didn’t want to be a “hypocrite” any longer.
“I didn’t know Jesus. I just knew His name and everything. When you truly know Him, you become a true follower of Jesus, [and] the Lord allows you to be a vessel for Him, [and] to be able to do great Kingdom work,” he said. “It is never about us. It is always about leading other people to the Cross so they can get saved and set free from the bondage and [experience] the change in their life.”
Watch Stawberry talk more about his journey to finding God in the video below.
Please join us in saying a prayer for Strawberry as he recovers from this heart attack!