Throughout his 17-year career spanning the 1980s and 1990s, baseball icon Darryl Strawberry earned the title of Rookie of the Year, made eight All-Star appearances, and ranked in the top ten for MVP voting four times. He is also a four-time World Series champion and was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.
Despite his success on the field, Strawberry battled addiction and faced legal troubles toward the end of his career and into his post-retirement years. After hitting rock bottom in the early 2000s, which included an 18-month prison sentence, Strawberry made the decision to turn his life around. He now uses his experiences to help others, becoming a preacher and opening drug and alcohol treatment centers to support those struggling with substance abuse.
“When I look in the mirror, I look at the enemy. There is no one to blame for this but myself. I should have bought myself a mirror a long time ago,” he once reflected.
Born on March 12, 1962, in Los Angeles, California, Strawberry’s struggles with substance use began early. In an interview with Yankee Magazine, he shared that he started drinking and using drugs in middle school.
“I started drinking and smoking marijuana at 13. I was already in trouble coming out of junior high school. I would smoke a couple of joints before school, skip class, and even start fires in the bathrooms because I was high and didn’t want to go to class. This continued into high school, even while I was playing sports.”
Despite his substance use, Strawberry’s talent on the baseball field thrived during his high school years at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. His performance drew national attention, and in 1980, he was selected as the first overall pick by the New York Mets.
Despite being the first overall pick in Major League Baseball, receiving a $200,000 signing bonus, and risking his career, Darryl Strawberry continued using drugs. In fact, his substance use escalated.
“At that time, I was drinking and smoking more than I did in high school. People don’t realize that alcohol and marijuana often lead to other drugs, but they do. Eventually, they stop working, and you need something stronger,” Strawberry recalled.
He soon transitioned from marijuana and alcohol to harder substances, coinciding with his move from the minor leagues to the majors. During his first road trip with the Mets, veteran teammates introduced him to cocaine.
“That was part of the Big League lifestyle back then. Cocaine was the drug of choice when I came up. I tried it on the plane, and I liked it. I fell into the same habits as everyone else—drinking and using cocaine,” he explained.
Despite his off-field struggles, Strawberry’s on-field performance remained stellar. In 1981, he won Rookie of the Year. However, behind his success, he was battling internal turmoil.
“Playing baseball was easy. I pretended to be happy because I was successful, but I wasn’t a real man. I wasn’t a good husband or father. I just did what I wanted. Accomplishing things as a baseball player didn’t make me a man,” he reflected.
As his addiction deepened, Strawberry felt increasingly empty, even at the height of his success. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he shared, “I was 21, 22, 23, and at that age, you don’t think your life can derail. I became addicted to it all—womanizing, amphetamines, cocaine, wealth. Then, as you get older, you realize you have everything, but you’re bankrupt inside. You’re never truly free. I would sit in my $2 million home, feeling empty. It’s all fun until it turns toxic.”
As Darryl Strawberry’s career progressed, his off-field struggles worsened. In 1990, just before his final season with the Mets, his wife filed for divorce, and he entered an alcohol rehabilitation program—something he would do two more times during his career.
Things deteriorated further in 1994 when Strawberry signed with the San Francisco Giants. He tested positive for cocaine and was released after playing only 29 games. Reflecting on this period, Strawberry said, “When I was done with the Giants, I didn’t care about playing baseball anymore. I had enough money. But after being suspended for 60 days, the thought of returning to New York was the only thing that sparked my interest in playing again.”
On July 4, 1996, the New York Yankees signed Strawberry, and he finished his career with them. In 1998, after losing weight during the season, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, a disease that alcoholics are at a higher risk for.
“That changed my perspective on life more than anything. My mom died of breast cancer at 55, and here I was in my late 30s facing something similar. I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” Strawberry said.
Though his treatment successfully removed the tumor, his troubles persisted. In April 1999, Strawberry was arrested for cocaine possession and soliciting a prostitute, resulting in another suspension. He rejoined the Yankees for their postseason run, which ended in a World Series championship, but this marked his final year in professional baseball. In 2000, he relapsed and was court-ordered to undergo drug treatment. After leaving the facility without permission, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Around this time, his cancer returned, requiring surgery to remove one of his kidneys.
After his first jail sentence, Darryl Strawberry continued to battle addiction, cycling through treatment programs and legal troubles. In 2002, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating probation related to cocaine possession. He was released in 2003 after serving 11 months.
“When I took off the uniform, I was in a complete downward spiral of addiction. I’ll never forget my prison number, T17169. While I was in jail, I refused chemotherapy because I would have preferred to die. But God was doing for me what I couldn’t do for myself—He wasn’t going to let me go.”
Following his release, Strawberry experienced a profound transformation. Since then, he has dedicated his life to faith, becoming a preacher with his own congregation. Using his story to help others facing similar struggles, Strawberry has opened several treatment centers in his name. He has also shared his journey on CrisisNextDoor.gov, a website launched during the Trump administration to address the opioid crisis and combat the stigma surrounding addiction.
“I sit here today free and liberated. I want to encourage people that hope is possible. It’s about people helping people. We need to get back to a place where we help and reach out to those struggling with addiction—whether it’s opioids, heroin, or other substances—because their lives matter.”
At Sunrise Recovery in Clarksville Indiana, we are committed to giving our patients the tools they need to overcome addiction. We offer residential treatment, intensive outpatient programs, and medical detox centers for those struggling with substance use disorders. If you or a loved one is facing addiction, don’t hesitate to reach out to our admissions team.
