Darryl Strawberry

Darryl Eugene Strawberry (born March 12, 1962) is a former baseball player who is well known both for his play in the baseball field and for his controversial behavior outside of it.

The Prime Years

In 1987, Strawberry almost became the first man in baseball history to surpass 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in one year, when he hit 39 home runs and stole 37 bases. In addition to that, he hit 32 doubles and drove in 104 runs. Despite this, the Mets failed to reach the playoffs.

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In 1988, Strawberry once again hit 39 home runs and drove in 101 runs. The Mets reached the playoffs, losing to the Dodgers in the National League championship series.

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In 1989, Strawberry's offensive numbers went down: He only had 29 home runs and 77 runs batted in. Nevertheless, the Mets came in a close second place to the Chicago Cubs in the National League East. In 1990, Strawberry hit 37 home runs, while bringing in 108 runs and batting for a .277 average. His Mets, however, came once again in a close second place in the NL's east, losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates by two games.

Related Topics:
1989 - Chicago Cubs - 1990 - Pittsburgh Pirates

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During the period from 1983 to 1990, Strawberry was very popular, with such things as action figures (Kenner's Starting Lineup), posters and banners of him being produced.

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Strawberry signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991, signing a very lucrative contract with that team. In California, he was named Big Brother of The Year for that year. It was while playing in Los Angeles, however, that his personal life problems started to surface: He was accused there of domestic violence by his wife, and, in a widely publicized incident, he suggested that he wanted Los Angeles to burn in hell. After hitting 28 home runs and bringing in 99 runs batted in his first year there, his offensive numbers also suffered, and he hit only 10 home runs for the next two years.

Related Topics:
1991 - California

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