Darryl Strawberry Thanks Trump in Oklahoma Church

Former New York Mets player Darryl Strawberry expressed his gratitude to President Donald Trump during a sermon at a church in Oklahoma on Sunday. Just recently, Trump issued a pardon for Strawberry concerning past tax evasion and drug-related charges.

Upon Strawberry’s arrival at the Tulsa church, he was greeted warmly by Jackson Rahmeyer, the founder of Pastors for Trump. When Strawberry acknowledged the pardon, the congregation, numbering over 400, erupted in applause.

“God granted me a pardon from President Donald J. Trump and set me free completely,” Strawberry remarked. He also noted that while other presidents had opportunities to help him, none were able to do so like Trump.

Strawberry rose to fame as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 MLB draft. He debuted in 1983 at just 21 years old, playing for the Mets until 1990. He later had stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees. Throughout his career, he won three World Series, hit 335 home runs, and maintained a batting average of .259.

However, Strawberry’s journey wasn’t without challenges. He faced several legal and personal setbacks, spending 11 months in a Florida prison for a probation violation in 2002. At 63, he attributes his turnaround to his Christian faith, which he says has helped him maintain sobriety for over two decades. “Glory be to God because He found me in the hole and put me in the pulpit,” he stated, jokingly adding that the devil “should have killed me if he had the chance.”

Strawberry expressed surprise when Trump announced his pardon on November 6, recalling their meeting on “Celebrity Apprentice” back in 2010. “We just talked about my baseball career in the 1980s and what kind of player I was,” he shared. They discussed Strawberry’s past guilty plea for tax evasion, where he didn’t declare $350,000 in income from various earnings.

Trump conveyed, “You know you did something very bad,” but reassured Strawberry, “Today, for the way you live… I completely forgive you. You’re going to be clean. I’m going to erase everything.”

Strawberry’s bond with fellow Mets player Doc Gooden, another talented athlete who faced struggles with substance abuse, is well-known. While Strawberry managed to turn his life around more quickly, Gooden seemed to be making progress in recent years. They even reunited during last year’s National League Championship Series game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Interestingly, both players had their jersey numbers retired by the Mets last season, marking a notable point in their shared legacy.