Darryl Strawberry
A baseball superstar whose awe-inspiring power and dramatic home runs were matched only by the public turbulence of his personal struggles.
Born 1962 (age 64)·American baseball player·Birthday: March 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Darryl Strawberry arrived in New York as a can't-miss phenom, a tall, lanky slugger drafted first overall by the Mets. With a swing so sweet it drew comparisons to Ted Williams, he immediately delivered, becoming the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year and a central figure in the Mets' 1986 World Series championship. His at-bats were events, punctuated by towering home runs that seemed to hang in the sky. For a decade, he was one of the most dominant and recognizable forces in the game. Yet his career unfolded like a Greek tragedy, shadowed by well-documented battles with substance abuse and legal issues that led to suspensions and comebacks. In later years, Strawberry rebuilt his life around faith and recovery, becoming an ordained minister and using his story to advocate for addiction support. His legacy is a complex American tapestry of spectacular talent, very public frailty, and hard-won redemption.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Darryl was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Darryl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Darryl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won four World Series championships (1986 with the Mets, 1996, 1998, 1999 with the Yankees).
- Selected as an All-Star eight times during his 17-season MLB career.
- Hit 335 career home runs and drove in 1,000 runs, leading the National League in homers in 1988.
- Named the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year after hitting 26 home runs for the New York Mets.
Did You Know?
He and his wife, Tracy, are both ordained Christian ministers.
He played in the same outfield as his brother, Michael Strawberry, for one season with the Mets in 1990.
He was a standout high school basketball player and was offered college scholarships for it.
His number 18 was retired by the New York Mets in 2024.
““I thought drugs and alcohol were helping me cope with the pressure, but they were actually destroying me.””
