From the Associated Press: President Donald Trump has pardoned former New York Mets great Darryl Strawberry on past tax evasion and drug charges, citing the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year’s post-career embrace of his Christian faith and longtime sobriety.
Strawberry was an outfielder and eight-time All-Star, including seven with the Mets from 1983-90. He hit 335 homers and had 1,000 RBIs and 221 stolen bases in 17 seasons.
Plagued by later legal, health and personal problems, Strawberry was indicted for tax evasion and eventually pleaded guilty in 1995 to a single felony count. That was based on his failure to report $350,000 in income from autographs, personal appearances and sales of memorabilia.
Strawberry agreed to pay more than $430,000 as part of the case. He was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery and chemotherapy in 1998.
The report notes that Strawberry ended up serving 11 months in a Florida state prison, and was released in 2003.
The White House announced in a statement to the media: “President Trump has approved a pardon for Darryl Strawberry, three-time World Series champion and eight-time MLB All-Star. Mr. Strawberry served time and paid back taxes after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion. Following his career, Mr. Strawberry found faith in Christianity and has been sober for over a decade – he has become active in ministry and started a recovery center which still operates today.”
In response to the pardon, Strawberry posted an old photo of himself with Trump, along with the following statement expressing his gratitude:
Thank you, President @realdonaldtrump for my full pardon and for finalizing this part of my life, allowing me to be truly free and clean from all of my past. ❤️
At 4:37pm, Yesterday I was home caring for my wife as she recovered from surgery, when my phone kept ringing relentlessly. Half asleep, I glanced over and saw a call from Washington DC. Curious, I answered, and to my amazement, the lady on the line said, “Darryl Strawberry, you have a call from the President of the United States, Donald Trump.” I put it on speakerphone with my wife nearby, and President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one the greatest player of the ‘80s and celebrating the Mets. Then, he told me he was granting me a full pardon from my past. My wife captured the moment on video, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude—thanking God for setting me free from my past, helping me become a better Man,Husband and Father,
This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to working for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ. ✝️This has nothing to do with politics — it’s about a Man, President Trump, caring deeply for a friend. God used him as a vessel to set me free forever!
I’m Free I’m Free; I’m So Humbled And Thankful: 🍓🙏🏾
“THANKS” @larry_glick1 Love you brother. 🫵🏾
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President Donald Trump has pardoned former New York Mets great Darryl Strawberry of tax evasion and drug charges, citing the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year’s post-career embrace of hi… https://t.co/PB9zboBTtR
— South Florida Sun Sentinel (@SunSentinel) November 7, 2025
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