Darryl Strawberry recovering from heart attack as he turns 62
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former Mets and Yankees slugger Darryl Strawberry spent his 62nd birthday in a hospital after suffering a heart attack on Monday, Strawberry announced on Instagram.
Strawberry, whose No. 18 will be retired by the Mets on June 1, turned 62 on Tuesday. A Mets official confirmed Strawberry’s medical situation and said the number retirement ceremony is still scheduled as planned.
On Monday, Strawberry posted on social media: "Praising God for His amazing grace and loving mercy in saving my life this evening from a heart attack. 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!”
Strawberry is smiling in a photo that was posted from his hospital bed.
Strawberry played for the Mets from 1983-90 and hit a team-record 252 of his 335 home runs for the club. He played for the Yankees from 1995-99.
“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 released by the team. “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.”
One of the players Strawberry spent time with during his visit to the Mets’ Port St. Lucie, Florida, spring training camp was first baseman Pete Alonso.
“He’s a guy who was a superstar here for a really long time,” Alonso told Newsday before the Mets played the Nationals. “He provided a lot of super insightful knowledge. He was very, very insightful and gave us some great information.”
Asked if he had a message for Strawberry, Alonso said: “Straw, I hope everything’s going well and I want nothing but the best for you and your family. Keep recovering well. Get back to yourself soon, man.”
Alonso, who will be a free agent at the end of this season, is tied with Howard Johnson for fourth on the Mets’ all-time home run list with 192.
During his visit to Mets camp, Strawberry said: “I hope he breaks it. The record has been there forever.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza opened his pregame news conference on Tuesday with a statement about Strawberry.
“I want to start by sending our prayers to Darryl Strawberry,” Mendoza said. “Praying for him, wishing him a quick recovery and hoping to see him back in a Mets uniform soon.”
Mendoza said he had previously met Strawberry when Mendoza was a coach with the Yankees.
During the visit to Port St. Lucie, “I talked to him a lot,” Mendoza said. “He was really good to have around. He stopped by my office a couple of times. We had long conversations and then just him interacting with our players, he was great.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
