Ex-Met Darryl Strawberry thankful for outpouring of support after heart attack
Darryl Strawberry vows that a heart attack suffered on March 11 won’t stop him from attending his Mets number retirement ceremony June 1. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Darryl Strawberry’s voice was strong and his message was clear.
Speaking on Tuesday from his St. Louis-area home just eight days after he suffered a heart attack, the former Mets and Yankees slugger sounded overwhelmed about the outpouring of support he has received from the baseball world and beyond.
“So many people have responded in such an amazing way, from not only your playing days and what you achieved, but from what you fall through in life,” Strawberry, 62, told Newsday. “And here it is, having a heart attack and overcoming that right now.”
Strawberry, who had the heart attack the day before his birthday, said he is feeling “so much better now.”
Strawberry is a traveling preacher, but he said doctors have advised him to stay home for at least a month after he had a stent procedure performed on March 11.
That means Strawberry will not be able to attend the April 14 Mets number retirement ceremony at Citi Field for his former teammate Dwight Gooden.
But what about Strawberry’s own number retirement ceremony, which is scheduled for June 1? Is anything going to stop him from coming to that?
“Nothing,” Strawberry said. “Absolutely nothing.”
Strawberry said he has heard from former Mets teammates such as Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling and former Yankees teammates such as Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams. He got a text from Charles Barkley. He talked with Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who is going through his own battle with prostate cancer.
That all meant so much to Strawberry, as does the numerous messages he has received from fans.
“There's so many wonderful fans who have just poured out well wishes and prayers,” he said. “People don’t understand — that's really healing for a person. People that are high profile, we have so much expectations about life and what we want to do, and we don't realize that we're human, too, and we’re going to go through human life situations and challenges. When you have so many people respond, it just makes you feel so good inside of you. People really do care. They really do.”
Strawberry visited Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida, in late February. He said he wasn’t feeling any symptoms at that time. He mingled with players and new manager Carlos Mendoza and enjoyed the Florida sunshine.
Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen issued a statement on March 12 that said: “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. 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.”
Strawberry said his troubles started during a preaching trip in Indiana. After about five days of feeling like his heart was racing, Strawberry had returned home. His wife, Tracy, said enough was enough and he had to go to the hospital.
“She was not playing,” Strawberry said. “She was not joking around after we had lunch and she saw me clam up again. She was like, ‘OK, that’s it. Done. Get in the car or the ambulance is coming.’ I was like, ‘OK, just give me a couple of minutes.’ I was going through these different routines and she was like, ‘Let's go.’
“She got me into the ER and once I got there, they realized that I was in deep trouble. So they started to do what they do in an emergency room and get you prepared. The nurses and the doctor and the procedure was phenomenal. They were wonderful people and they really took care of me. They had no idea who I was until two days later.”
A packed Citi Field will know who Strawberry is — and what he means to Mets fans — when his No. 18 is retired on June 1.
“Keith reached out to me and Ronnie Darling reached out to me and Howie (Rose) — those guys are going to be a big part of what that day is going to be about — and Keith just wanted me to be well,” Strawberry said. “He just told me, ‘June 1 is going to be amazing for you.’ ”
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.
