Darryl Strawberry

Position: Rightfielder
Bats: Left  •  Throws: Left
6-6, 190lb (198cm, 86kg)
Born: March 12, 1962 in Los Angeles, CA
Draft: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 1st round (1st) of the 1980 MLB June Amateur Draft from Crenshaw HS (Los Angeles, CA).
High School: Crenshaw HS (Los Angeles, CA)
Debut: May 6, 1983 (12,345th in MLB history)
vs. CIN 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 SB
Last Game: October 3, 1999
vs. TBD 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Darryl Eugene Strawberry
Nicknames: Straw
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProjec

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1983

Joe Carter
Tony Fernandez
Greg Gagne
Juan Samuel
Darryl Strawberry
Orel Hershiser
Ron Darling
Danny Jackson
Harold Reynolds

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology

SearchSearch Events, Dates and More Date (Newest)Title (A - Z)

June 3, 1980

New York Mets select heralded outfielder Darryl Strawberry

May 6, 1983

Daryl Strawberry makes his debut

May 8, 1983

Darryl Strawberry gets his first major league hit, a single that scores Danny Heep, in a 10 – 5 Mets win over the Reds.

May 16, 1983

In an 11-4 rout of the Pirates, rookie right fielder Darryl Strawberry hit his first major league home run, a two-run round-tripper off Pittsburgh’s Lee Tunnell at Three Rivers Stadium. The troubled Mets outfielder, the eventual franchise leader with 252 homers, will hit a total of 335 during his turbulent 17-year career with the Mets, Dodgers, Giants, and Yankees.

September 27, 1983

Mookie Wilson becomes the Mets’ all-time career stolen-base leader when he swipes second base in the fifth inning of a 4-3 win against Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium. The New York center fielder will add to his franchise-breaking total of 140 in the same frame when he takes third base on the front end of double steal with Darryl Strawberry.

November 21, 1983

Darryl Strawberry breaks the Los Angeles Dodgers’ four-year stronghold on the National League Rookie of the Year Award 

December 31, 1983

Major League Season Recap 1983

April 29, 1984

On Strawberry Sunday, former World Series hero Jerry Koosman is greeted warmly by the Mets’ faithful in his first start at Shea Stadium since 1978 when he faces his old team for the first time. Prior to the 6-2 victory over Philadelphia, fans are treated to strawberry sundaes provided by Carvel in honor of Darryl Strawberry, last season’s National League Rookie of the Year.

November 18, 1984

Dwight Gooden becomes the second consecutive Met player to be named the National League’s Rookie of Year

July 20, 1985

Driving in seven runs on two homers, Darryl Strawberry leads the Mets to a 16 – 4 drubbing of the visiting Braves. Straw’s first home run is a grand slam in the 1st inning and his next is a three-run home run in the 4th. The Mets also get homers from Howard Johnson, Danny Heep and Clint Hurdle.

August 5, 1985

In the Mets’ 7-2 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Darryl Strawberry belts three home runs, propelling the team into first place with a half-game lead over the Cardinals in the National League East. Eleven years and one day later, the ‘Straw’ will enjoy his second three-homer game, going deep for the Yankees three times against the White Sox in a 9-2 win in the Bronx.

September 6, 1985

In a matchup of aces that lives up its advanced billing, Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela hook up in one of the best pitchers’ duel in recent memory. New York beats Los Angeles at Chavez Ravine, 2-0, thanks to Darryl Strawberry’s two-run double on a day that the 20 year-old Mets right-hander strikes out 10 batters, throwing nine shutout innings, while the Dodgers southpaw pitches 11 innings without allowing a run.

July 19, 1986

1986 – Rick Aguilera, Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda and Tim Teufel are arrested in Houston after an early-morning fight with off-duty police officers. All are released in time for their scheduled game that evening. Mike Scott takes a two-hitter into the ninth but New York rallies to tie behind homers from Len Dykstra and Darryl Strawberry. With two out in the ninth, Craig Reynolds drills a Roger McDowell fastball into the right field seats to send the crowd home happy. 

July 22, 1986

Mets run out of position players

October 11, 1986

Len Dykstra homers off Dave Smith in the bottom of the ninth to give the Mets a 6-5 decision over the Astros

October 14, 1986

1986 – Fred Brocklander’s name becomes infamous in Houston as the Mets defeat the Astros in twelve innings, 2-1. Brocklander calls Craig Reynolds out at first for the third out while a teammate is crossing home plate. Replays show Reynolds beat the throw . Nolan Ryan is perfect until allowing a homer to Darryl Strawberry in the sixth to tie the game. Charley Kerfeld is the victim when Gary Carter drives home Wally Backman with the game-winner. New York leads the N.L.C.S., 3-2, as they fly back to Houston. 

September 16, 1987

Indian first baseman Joe Carter, swiping his career-high 30th base, becomes the tenth major leaguer to hit 30 home runs and to steal 30 bases in the same season

September 18, 1987

Darryl Strawberry, in a slugfest which the Mets will lose 10-9 to Pittsburgh, gets the team off to a good start when he slams a three-run home run off Brian Fischer in the top of the first inning at Three Rivers Stadium. The New York right fielder’s round-tripper, his 37th of the season, establishes a new franchise record for homers, previously set by Dave Kingman on this date in 1975.

September 21, 1987

Howard Johnson breaks a 53 year-old National League record hitting his 36th home run as a switch hitter

April 4, 1988

Mets clout 6 homeruns on opening day

October 8, 1988

Jay Howell ejection in 7 th inning of game 3 of Nlcs

November 15, 1988

Kirk Gibson wins the National League’s MVP Award

March 2, 1989

“When he punched Keith Hernandez in spring training last season, it was the only time that Darryl Strawberry hit the cutoff man.”

April 3, 1989

At Shea Stadium, the New York Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener

November 8, 1990

Darryl Strawberry signs a five-year free-agent deal with his hometown Dodgers

December 5, 1990

Hoping to fill the void created by Darryl Strawberry’s departure to LA as a free agent, the Mets make their first move into the free-agent market in 10 years when they sign Vince Coleman to a 4-year contract just shy of $12 million. The former St. Louis outfielder, who will spend time on the disabled list on five occasions during the next two seasons, will be hampered by injuries to his ribs and hamstrings during his stay with New York.

May 7, 1991

Strawberry returns to New York to a mixed bag from fans

July 26, 1991

Against the Dodgers, Montreal’s Mark Gardner pitches a no-hitter for nine innings before Lenny Harris beats out an infield single in the 10th. The Dodgers get two more hits, including an RBI single by Darryl Strawberry, to plate the only run of the contest. After a two-out walk in the 1st to Eddie Murray, Gardner retires 19 in a row. The Expos manage only two hits themselves against the combined efforts of Orel Hershiser, Kevin Gross, and Jay Howell. Gardner is the 11th pitcher to lose a no-hitter after nine innings; the last being Jim Maloney, on June 14, 1965, and the first pitcher to hurl nine no-hit innings against the Dodgers since Johnny Vander Meer, in 1938.

February 20, 1992

The Simpsons entitled “Homer at the Bat” has several Major Leaguers appear

December 8, 1994

1994 – Darryl Strawberry and his agent, Eric Goldschmidt, are indicted for allegedly failing to report a half million dollars of income from the sale of autographs at baseball card shows.

February 9, 1995

Darryl Strawberry pleads guilty to income tax evasion

June 19, 1995

Darryl Strawberry signs a one-year contract with the Yankees despite the fact he is under a sixty-day suspension for drug abuse. During his five seasons in the Bronx, the southpaw-swinging slugger will contribute to the team’s tremendous success in the late 90’s.

June 28, 1996

Darryl Strawberry’s 300th career round-tripper is a dramatic 9th-inning, two-run dinger which gives the Yankees a come-from-behind 3 – 2 win over the Royals.

July 4, 1996

The Yankees provide the fireworks, signing Darryl Strawberry; on June 24th, Yankee GM Bob Watson said five times that Strawberry “doesn’t fit.”

July 6, 1996

During the Yankees’ 2 – 0 win over the Brewers, the team announces the purchase of Darryl Strawberry’s contract from Columbus. John Wetteland preserves Jimmy Key’s win with a save in his 20th consecutive appearance, breaking Lee Smith’s record.

July 28, 1996

Darryl Strawberry’s 300th career round-tripper is a dramatic ninth inning, two-run dinger which gives the Yankees a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Royals. The 34 year-old ‘Straw’ will finish his stormy 17-year major league career with 335, hitting 75% of his round-trippers as a member of New York’s other team, the Mets.

August 6, 1996

Darryl Strawberry strokes three home runs off Kevin Tapani in the Yankees’ 9 – 2 victory over the White Sox. In doing so, he becomes just the 8th player to hit three in a game in both leagues.

August 8, 1996

Darryl Strawberry powers a pair of homers to lead the Yankees to an 8 – 4 win over the White Sox. Strawberry now has 5 homers in his last 9 at bats.

September 8, 1996

Todd Hundley joins Mickey Mantle as the only other switch hitter to hit 40 homers in a season. His 40th home run also breaks Darryl Strawberry’s Met club record for most homers in a single season.

September 13, 1996

Dante Bichette joins his teammate Ellis Burks as a member of the 30/30 club when he homers in the sixth inning of Colorado’s 6-3 victory over Houston at Coors Field. The Rockies join the 1987 New York Mets as the only teams in history to have two 30-30 players (Howard Johnson and Darryl Strawberry) during the same season.

September 14, 1996

Mets C Todd Hundley hits his 41st home run of the season to set a new major league mark for catchers

April 15, 1998

The first-ever American League-National League doubleheader ends up a good day for New York. The Yankees are forced to come to Shea Stadium after a beam fell into the stands at Yankee Stadium on April 13th. They earn their first victory in Queens in 22 years as they defeat the Angels, 6 – 3. Former Mets star Darryl Strawberry, the all-time home runleader at Shea, adds to his total with a shot into the left field bleachers. In the regularly-scheduled night game, the Mets beat the Cubs, 2 – 1. The Yankees, who played at Shea in 1974and 1975 while Yankee Stadium was renovated, draw a crowd of 40,743, a dramatic contrast to the gathering of 16,012 who show up for the Mets game at night.

May 19, 1998

After giving up an eighth-inning three-run homer to Bernie Williams, Armando Benitez nails Tino Martinez between the shoulder blades, igniting a bench-clearing brawl. Graeme Lloyd races in from the Yankee bullpen to punch the O’s closer, and Alan Mills bloodies Darryl Strawberry’s face after the New York outfielder ends up in the Baltimore dugout trying to also get a shot at Benitez.

August 4, 1998

Darryl Strawberry’s pinch-hit grand slam is the big blow in the Yankees’ 9-run ninth inning to come from behind to defeat the A’s, 10 – 5 in the second game of a doubleheader. It is Strawberry’s second pinch-hit slam of the season, setting a new American League record. It also matches the National League mark held by his former manager Davey Johnson and Mike Ivie, both set in 1978. New York also wins the first game of the twinbill, 10 – 4.

August 2, 1999

Commissioner Bud Selig announces that Darryl Strawberry’s reinstatement has been moved up from August 11th to August 4th.

February 22, 2000

2000 – A Florida Department of Corrections report says New York Yankees OF Darryl Strawberry tested positive for cocaine on January 19th.

February 28, 2000

BUD SELIG suspends Darryl Strawberry

March 1, 2000

After being suspended yesterday by major league baseball for one year for testing positive for the use cocaine, Yankee outfielder/DH Darryl Strawberry is invited to join the Newark Bears during the suspension. The New Jersey franchise, which is a member of the South Atlantic Independent League, is located near the slugger’s Fort Lee home.

September 12, 2000

Suspended New York Yankee Darryl Strawberry is sentenced to two years’ house arrest after admitting he violated probation by driving under the influence of medication and leaving the scene of an accident.

February 11, 2005

New York Mets announce Darryl Strawberry will rejoin the team as a special outfield instructor

August 15, 2006

Joining Jim Hickman (1965), Dave Kingman (1978), Caudell Washington (1980), Darryl Strawberry (1985), Gary Carter (1985), and Edgardo Alfonzo (1999), Jose Reyes, in an 11-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, becomes the seventh Mets player to hit three homers in a game. Like all his predecessors, his trifecta is accomplished on the road.

September 16, 2007

David Wright, homering in the seventh inning of a 10-6 loss to Philadelphia at Shea Stadium, becomes the 30th member of the 30-30 club. Returning to the dugout, the Mets third baseman is greeted by hitting coach Howard Johnson, who along with Darryl Strawberry are the other Metropolitans to have also stolen thirty bases and hit 30 homers in the same season.

August 1, 2010

The Mets induct four new members, all of whom played an instrumental role in the 1986 World Championship, to the team’s Hall of Fame. Former GM Frank Cashen, previous skipper Davey Johnson, and two former All-Stars, slugger Darryl Strawberry and right-hander Dwight ‘Doc’ Gooden, join 21 other persons to be recognized by the club since the inception of the honor in 1981.

April 25, 2012

David Wright becomes Mets All Time RBI leader

Biography

With one of the sweetest swings of his generation, tall, lithe Darryl Strawberry launched homers out of Shea Stadium and seemed destined to set records on his way to Cooperstown. But by the time he was 30, a drug addiction, injuries, and an ill-advised free agent signing with his hometown Dodgers were his undoing. Later, as a part-time veteran, he contributed to two Yankee World Championships after George Steinbrenner resuscitated his career. The former Rookie of the Year Award winner eventually burned out again, landing in prison after a drug charge. After 285 homers before his 30th birthday, Strawberry finished with just 335, never having reached the heights he was predicted to.

Background and early career

Strawberry was born to Henry and Ruby Strawberry in Los Angeles, California. He played high school baseball for the Crenshaw High School Cougars along with Chris Brown, and against Eric Davis at Fremont High and Chili Davis at Dorsey High (all future fellow big leaguers), was drafted first overall in the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft by general manager Frank Cashen of the New York Mets. Darryl’s older brother Michael was also selected in that draft; going to the Dodgers in the 31st Round.

Employing a distinctive batting stance with a high leg kick, Strawberry rose through the Mets system and reached the major league level in 1983, posting 26 home runs, 7 triples, and 74 runs batted in, while hitting for a .257 average. He was named the National League’s Rookie of The Year. In 1984, he made it to the All-Star game for the first time, and once again hit 26 home runs, this time driving in 97.

Prime years

Strawberry’s Mets from 1984–1990 formed one of the premier teams in the National League, finishing either first or second in the division every year. But as good as the Mets were on the field, they constantly feuded off the field. Despite this, Strawberry remained an iconic figure in not only New York City, but across America. He was loathed by opposing fans, but beloved by New Yorkers and young fans across the country.

During the period from 1983 to 1990, Strawberry was very popular, with his image used on action figures (Kenner’s Starting Lineup), posters and banners. He was also known for his disruptive behavior. He got into a physical altercation on team picture day with team captain Keith Hernandez and in the midst of a war of words with infielder Wally Backman, threatened to “bust that little redneck in the face”. He often overslept and was late for, or missed, team workouts. He publicly complained about Manager Davey Johnson after he was removed from the game in a double switch during the 9th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, which the Mets would go on to win. During the regular season in 1986, Strawberry hit 27 homers and had 99 RBIs.

In 1987, Strawberry hit 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, joining the exclusive 30-30 club, at the time becoming one of only 10 players in baseball history to accomplish the feat. In addition to that, he hit 32 doubles and drove in 104 runs. Despite this, the 1987 team barely missed the playoffs.

In 1988, Strawberry once again hit 39 home runs to lead the National League. He also drove in 101 runs and led the league in slugging percentage at .545 and OPS at .911. He finished a very close second in MVP voting to the Dodgers’ Kirk Gibson. Strawberry led the Mets to the playoffs, losing to the Dodgers in seven games in the National League championship series.

In 1989, Strawberry’s offensive numbers declined: He had 29 home runs and 77 runs batted, but only had a .225 average. Nevertheless, the Mets came in a close second place to the Chicago Cubs in the National League East.

In 1990, Strawberry hit 37 home runs, while driving in 108 runs and batting for a .277 average. His Mets, however, came once again in a close second place in the NL’s east, losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates by three games.

Strawberry signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991, inking a lucrative five-year $22.25 million contract. In California, he was named Big Brother of The Year for 1991. After hitting 28 home runs and bringing in 99 runs batted in a successful first year for the Dodgers, injuries and personal problems kept him sidelined for much of the next two seasons, hitting five home runs in each season.

After the 1991 season in which he was only 29 years old he had 280 lifetime homers, drawing comparisons to home run king Hank Aaron.

Later years

In 1994, he was released in May by the Dodgers and signed with the San Francisco Giants, where he saw limited playing time as he tried to make a comeback, hitting only four home runs and driving in 17 runs that year.

After a suspension from the league at the beginning of 1995 due to his involvement with cocaine, Strawberry signed with the New York Yankees for the stretch run. The next year, Darryl signed with the Saint Paul Saints of the Northern League on May 3, 1996 in an attempt to rehabilitate. On June 2, the Saints faced the Duluth-Superior Dukes at Wade Stadium, where Strawberry hit his first home run for the Saints, at a distance of 522′ off of pitcher Pat Ahearne. Soon thereafter, he found himself back with the Yankees who signed him on July 4, 1996.

With the Yankees, he showed flashes of his former brilliance, belting 11 home runs in a part-time role and helping his team win the World Series in 1996 alongside former Mets teammates Dwight Gooden and David Cone. His second career three-homer game came against the Chicago White Sox on August 6 of that season.

He had a big series against the Baltimore Orioles in the 1996 ALCS as he blasted three home runs with five RBIs and a .417 average in four games. In 1997, he did not have any home runs, with his playing time limited by injuries.

But in 1998, he had 24 home runs, once again helping the Yankees win the World Series. This was also the year he was diagnosed with colon cancer. In 1999, he made a comeback from his cancer treatment, but saw limited playing time, hitting 3 home runs. He did however hit a crucial 3-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the 1999 American League Division Series helping the Yankees advance to the ALCS.

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