The New York Mets retired Darryl Strawberry’s iconic No.18 in front of a jubilant crowd at Citi Field on Saturday. The Mets icon shared his love and appreciation to the club for the heartfelt gesture.
Strawberry, a former Rookie of the Year, enjoyed the best years of his storied MLB career in his eight years with the Mets after making his debut in 1983. He helped the team to a famous World Series title in 1986 during his stint with the team.
However, he was made one of the best-paid players in the MLB at the time after Darryl Strawberry accepted a contract from the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, a decision he seems to regret.
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“I wish I would’ve never left this organization,” Strawberry told reporters.
He remembered his eight seasons with the Mets as the “greatest seasons” of his career. Despite donning the jersey of their city rivals, the New York Yankees, Strawberry pledged his vehement love for the Mets.
“That is the biggest regret I will have for the rest of my life. … My eight seasons here were the greatest seasons of my career. And I will always be a Met. No matter how anyone will look at it or how anyone wants to talk about it, I’m a Met.”
Darryl Strawberry feels blessed after a close encounter with death
Darryl Strawberry turned 62 in March this year. However, the legendary slugger had a close call with death right before his anniversary. Strawberry suffered a near-fatal heart attack in March but is thankful to have recovered.
“I came close to losing my life,” Strawberry said. “I’m sitting here today, it’s a gift from the Lord. I don’t take it for granted. I came very close. I almost was dead.”
The eight-time All-Star was one of the protagonists of the Mets’ World Series win in 1986. His former teammates and part of that World Series team, Dwight Gooden, Mookie Wilson, and Kevin Mitchell were also present at the ceremony.
“I just love these guys,” Strawberry said “I love their personality, I love what they brought to the table. Just like myself, we all brought it to the table. And all these guys that I played with… all of them were gamers. We were all for each other, and we had each other’s back, and that’s what made us special.”
The Mets retired Darryl Strawberry’s former teammate Dwight Gooden’s number 16 in a special ceremony on April 14 this year. The team also transformed the Home Run Apple into a strawberry to honor the icon.
