Darryl Strawberry

==Baseball career==
===Early career===
The [[New York Mets]] selected Strawberry with the [[List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks|first overall selection]] in the [[1980 Major League Baseball draft]].<ref name="baseball-reference1">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/strawda01.shtml|title=Darryl Strawberry Statistics and History|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com | access-date= May 23, 2012}}</ref> Darryl's older brother, Michael Strawberry, was also selected in that draft, going to the Dodgers in the 31st round.

Employing a distinctive batting stance with a high leg kick, Strawberry rose through the Mets system and reached the major league level in 1983, posting 26 home runs, 7 triples, and 74 runs batted in, while hitting for a .257 average.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> He was named the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of The Year]].<ref name="baseball-reference1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/08/dwight-gooden-darryl-strawberryinducted-into-the-mets-hall-of-fame/1|title=Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry inducted into the Mets' Hall of Fame|publisher=Content.usatoday.com|date=August 1, 2010|access-date=May 23, 2012}}</ref> In 1984, he made it to the [[1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star game]] for the first of 8 consecutive appearances (the first 5 as a starter), and he once again hit 26 home runs, this time driving in 97 runs.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/>

===Prime years===
Strawberry's Mets from [[1984 New York Mets season|1984]]–[[1990 New York Mets season|1990]] formed one of the premier teams in the National League, finishing either first or second in the division every year.

During the period from [[1983 New York Mets season|1983]] to [[1990 New York Mets season|1990]], Strawberry was very popular, with his image used on action figures ([[Kenner]]'s ''Starting Lineup''), posters and banners. He was also known for his disruptive behavior. He got into a physical altercation on team picture day with team captain [[Keith Hernandez]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/teammatefeuds/031103.html|title=ESPN.com – Page2 – I hate you like a brother| work= ESPN.go.com|access-date=May 23, 2012}}</ref> and in the midst of a war of words with infielder [[Wally Backman]], threatened to "bust that little redneck in the face".<ref name="latimes1994">{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-26/sports/sp-62581_1_strawberry-mets-dodger|title=Lisa Clayton Darryl Strawberry &#124; Darryl Strawberry Chronology|work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 26, 1994|access-date=May 23, 2012}}</ref> He often overslept and was late for, or missed, team workouts.<ref name= "latimes1994"/> He publicly complained about manager [[Davey Johnson]] after he was removed from the game in a [[Double switch (baseball)|double switch]] during the ninth inning of Game 6 of the [[1986 World Series]], which the Mets would go on to win.<ref name="latimes1994"/> During the regular season in 1986, Strawberry hit 27 home runs and had 93 RBIs.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/>

[[File:Darryl Strawberry 1986.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Strawberry in 1986]]
In 1987, Strawberry hit 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, joining the exclusive [[30–30 club]]<ref>{{cite web| url= http://bleacherreport.com/articles/655020-new-york-mets-darryl-strawberry-and-the-top-10-power-hitters-in-team-history#/articles/655020-new-york-mets-darryl-strawberry-and-the-top-10-power-hitters-in-team-history/page/11|title=New York Mets: Darryl Strawberry and the Top 10 Power Hitters in Team History|first=Jim|last=Mancari|website=[[Bleacher Report]]}}</ref> at the time becoming one of only 10 players in baseball history to accomplish the feat. In addition to that, he hit 32 doubles and drove in 104 runs. Despite this, the [[1987 New York Mets season|1987]] team missed the playoffs.

In 1988, Strawberry once again hit 39 home runs to lead the National League. He also led the league in slugging percentage at .545 and OPS at .911 and finished second with 101 runs batted in.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> He finished a very close second in MVP voting to the [[1988 Los Angeles Dodgers|Dodgers]]' [[Kirk Gibson]]. Strawberry led the Mets to the playoffs, losing to the Dodgers in seven games in the [[1988 National League Championship Series|National League Championship Series]].<ref name="baseball-reference1"/>

In 1989, Strawberry's offensive numbers declined: he had 29 home runs and 77 runs batted in, but only had a .225 average.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> Nevertheless, the [[1989 New York Mets season|Mets]] came in a close second place to the [[1989 Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]] in the National League East.

In 1990, Strawberry rebounded by hitting 37 home runs, driving in 108 runs and batting for a .277 average.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> His Mets, however, came once again in a close second place in the National League East, losing to the [[1990 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]] by three games. Strawberry himself finished third in MVP voting that season.

Strawberry signed as a free agent with the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] on November 8, 1990,<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> inking a lucrative five-year $22.25 million contract. In California, he was named ''Big Brother of The Year'' for 1991. After hitting 28 home runs and bringing in 99 runs batted in a successful first year for the Dodgers, injuries and personal problems kept him sidelined for much of the next two seasons, hitting five home runs in each season.

By the end of the 1991 season, he had 280 lifetime homers at the age of only 29, drawing comparisons to then home run king [[Hank Aaron]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wcnet.org/~dlfleitz/aaron.htm|title=Who Can Catch Hank Aaron?|website= WCNet.org| access-date= May 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402092618/http://www.wcnet.org/~dlfleitz/aaron.htm|archive-date= April 2, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Later years===
Strawberry's numbers tailed off considerably after 1991; over the next two years he only played in 75 games. In 1994, he was released in May by the Dodgers after failing to show up to a game. Later that season he signed with the [[San Francisco Giants]], where he saw limited playing time as he tried to make a comeback, hitting only four home runs and driving in 17 runs that year.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/>

After a suspension at the beginning of 1995 after testing positive for [[cocaine]],<ref name="SICHRON">{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2001/04/03/strawberry_chronology_ap/|title=Darryl Strawberry Chronology|work=CNN|access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref> Strawberry signed with the [[New York Yankees]] for the stretch run. The next year, Darryl signed with the [[Saint Paul Saints]] of the [[Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010)|Northern League]] on May 3, 1996, in an attempt to rehabilitate. On June 2, the Saints faced the [[Duluth–Superior Dukes]] at [[Wade Stadium]], where Strawberry hit his first home run for the Saints, at a distance of 522' off pitcher [[Pat Ahearne]].<ref>{{cite web| url= https://baseballbiography.com/darryl-strawberry | website= baseballbiography.com | title= Darryl Strawberry }}</ref> Soon thereafter, he found himself back with the Yankees, who signed him on July 4, 1996.

With the Yankees, he showed flashes of his former brilliance, belting 11 home runs in a part-time role and helping his team win the World Series in 1996 alongside former Mets teammates [[Dwight Gooden]] and [[David Cone]]. His second career three-homer game came against the [[Chicago White Sox]] on August 6 of that season.<ref>{{cite web| first= D.L.| last= Cummings |url= http://articles.nydailynews.com/1996-08-08/sports/18012663_1_darryl-strawberry-drinking-binge-plate| archive-url= https://archive.today/20120709073305/http://articles.nydailynews.com/1996-08-08/sports/18012663_1_darryl-strawberry-drinking-binge-plate |url-status=dead|archive-date=July 9, 2012|title=After His Huge Three-homer Night, Darryl Rounds Third And Heads Straight Home|work=New York Daily News|date=August 8, 1996|access-date=May 23, 2012}}</ref>

He had a big series against the [[Baltimore Orioles]] in the [[1996 American League Championship Series|1996 ALCS]] as he blasted three home runs with five RBIs and a .417 average in four games.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> In 1997, he did not have any home runs, with his playing time limited by injuries. He played in just 11 games that year, collecting just two runs batted in.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/>

In 1998, he had 24 home runs, once again helping the Yankees win the World Series and playing 100 games for the first time since 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Strawberry_Darryl.html|access-date=July 12, 2006|title= Darryl Strawberry| publisher= ESPN| website= ESPN.go.com}}</ref> However, he suffered abdominal pain for around two months, which he did not disclose to his teammates or staff, and his playing time declined late in the season.<ref name=olney_10021998>{{cite news|first=Buster|last=Olney|title=Strawberry to Have Surgery for Colon Cancer|date=October 2, 1998|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/02/sports/baseball-strawberry-to-have-surgery-for-colon-cancer.html|access-date=September 16, 2021}}</ref> Strawberry was diagnosed with [[colon cancer]] during [[1998 American League Division Series|the American League Division Series]] (ALDS),<ref name=olney_10021998/> and he was replaced on the roster by rookie [[Ricky Ledée]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Buster|last=Olney|title=Father's Surgery a Strain on Pettitte|date=October 17, 1998|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/17/sports/world-series-preview-yankees-vs-padres-notebook-father-s-surgery-strain-pettitte.html|access-date=September 16, 2021}}</ref> In 1999, he made a comeback from his cancer treatment, but saw limited playing time, hitting 3 home runs. He did however hit a crucial 3-run home run against the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] in [[1999 American League Division Series|the ALDS]], helping the Yankees advance to the ALCS.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/>

Strawberry was set to return to the Yankees in 2000, but after testing positive for cocaine in February while attending spring training, Strawberry was ordered to leave the team while waiting for commissioner [[Bud Selig]] to make a decision on a possible suspension.<ref>{{cite news|first=Buster|last=Olney|title=Strawberry Ordered Off Field Until Selig Ends Inquiry|date=February 24, 2000|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/24/sports/baseball-strawberry-ordered-off-field-until-selig-ends-inquiry.html|access-date=June 13, 2022}}</ref> Six days after news of the positive test broke, Selig announced that Strawberry would be suspended for the entire 2000 season, effectively ending his career.<ref>{{cite news|first=Buster|last=Olney|title=Strawberry Suspended for One Year; Selig Takes a Firm Stand, Leaving Slugger's Career in Doubt|date=February 29, 2000|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/29/sports/baseball-strawberry-suspended-for-one-year-selig-takes-firm-stand-leaving.html|access-date=June 13, 2022}}</ref>

===Career accomplishments===
Strawberry was the starting right fielder in five straight All-Star games and appeared in a total of nine All-Star games. He batted .333 with two stolen bases and two runs in 12 career All-Star at-bats. He had two three-home run games in his career, both of which came against [[Chicago]] teams and were almost 11 years to the day between each other. The first came against the Cubs on August 5, 1985, and the second was on August 6, 1996, against the White Sox.

He is one of only five Major League Baseball players to hit two pinch-hit grand slams in the same season. The others are his former coach [[Davey Johnson]], who did it as a member of the [[Philadelphia Phillies]], as well as [[Mike Ivie]] of the [[San Francisco Giants]], [[Ben Broussard]] of the [[Cleveland Indians]], and [[Brooks Conrad]] of the [[Atlanta Braves]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100725&content_id=12608384&notebook_id=12608386&vkey=notebook_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl|title=MLB.com news article}}</ref>

He is one of only three players in MLB history, along with former Yankees teammate [[Ricky Ledée]] and [[José Vizcaíno]], to have played for all four of the former and current New York-based MLB teams: the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers and Giants.