LAKE ST LOUIS, Mo. — Former major league star Darryl Strawberry is recovering after suffering a heart attack on Monday, the eight-time all-star outfielder said.
Strawberry, who celebrated his 62nd birthday on Tuesday, announced in an Instagram post that he was stricken on Monday and was resting at a suburban St. Louis hospital.
Mets spokesperson Jay Horwitz also confirmed that the 1980 National League Rookie of the Year had been hospitalized, The Associated Press reported. Strawberry lives in O’Fallon, Missouri, Horwitz said.
“Praising God for His amazing grace and loving mercy in saving my life this evening from a heart attack,” Strawberry wrote on Instagram. “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!!! Your prayers are so absolutely appreciated as I continue to recover, in Jesus Name! #savedbyHisgrace.”
Strawberry, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Mets, was a key member of the team’s 1986 World Series championship. He also appeared on two World Series-winning squads with the New York Yankees during the late 1990s.
Strawberry spent eight of his 17-year career with the Mets, who plan to retire his No. 18 uniform on June 1, the Bergen Record reported. He played three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and one with the San Francisco Giants, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Strawberry, who was the runner-up for N.L. Most Valuable Player honors in 1988, hit 335 home runs and drove in 1,000 runs during his career. He is the Mets’ all-time home run leader with 252, according to the Record.
His career was hampered by drug and alcohol issues, the AP reported. Treatment for colon cancer caused Strawberry to miss the 1998 World Series.
Strawberry is an athlete-turned-evangelist, the Record reported. He actively travels with his wife, Tracy, to share his story of “transformation through the power of God and the process of change” with Strawberry Ministries, according to the newspaper.
“On behalf of the entire organization we are sending positive thoughts to Darryl Strawberry, his wife Tracy and his entire family after last night’s heart attack,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “Darryl was in Port St. Lucie working with the team as a guest instructor just a few weeks ago. We are looking forward to Straw’s speedy recovery and welcoming him for his number retirement ceremony on June 1.”