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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 because of turning to faith and remaining sober after turning his life around from drug and alcohol abuse that fueled arrests and suspensions.
“Thank you, President @realdonaldtrump for my full pardon and for finalizing 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 together.
“At 4:37pm, yesterday, I was home caring for my wife as she recovered from surgery, when my phone kept ringing relentlessly. Half asleep, I glanced over 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 speakerphone with my wife nearby, and President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one the greatest player of the ‘80s and celebrating the Mets. Then, he told me he was granting me a full pardon from my past. My wife captured the moment on video, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude—thanking God for setting me free from my past, helping me become a better man, husband and father. This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to working for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ.
“This has nothing to do with politics — it’s about a man, President Trump, caring 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 Thankful.”
The later years of Strawberry’s career were riddled with legal troubles, including an arrest in 1999 as a member of the New York Yankees for soliciting sex from a police officer who was posing as a prostitute. That resulted in a 140-day suspension and 21 months of probation, along with community service.
TRUMP PARDONS EX-MLB STAR DARRYL STRAWBERRY AFTER FAITH, SOBRIETY TURNAROUND
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-drug rules at a treatment center. Strawberry also admitted to having sex between innings of his games.
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 convention.
In an ironic twist, Strawberry appeared on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” hosted by Trump, in 2010.
During his nine prime years, when he was named the 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 162 games.
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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 surpassed him earlier this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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