Baseball Star Darryl Strawberry Points to God's 'Amazing Grace' After Surviving Heart Attack
Former MLB Star Darryl Strawberry says he has "a lot to be grateful for" after celebrating his 62nd birthday Tuesday–just a few hours after suffering a heart attack.
Strawberry, who was the MLB's 1983 National League Rookie of the Year, eight-time All-Star, and three-time World Series Champion, posted a photo to Instagram of him in a hospital bed with his wife and daughter by his side.
"I have a lot to be grateful for on my 62nd birthday today, celebrating the gift of my life and love of family! We thank God for this recovery process! Blessed," he wrote.
Just one day earlier, Strawberry told his followers that he had suffered a heart attack and that doctors at St. Joseph West in Lake St. Louis, Missouri placed a stent in his heart.
"Praising God for His amazing grace and loving mercy in saving my life this evening from a heart attack," he wrote.
"Your prayers are so absolutely appreciated as I continue to recover, in Jesus' Name! #savedbyHisgrace," he added in the post.
Strawberry, who gave his life to Jesus Christ in 1991, had shared photos of him speaking to a group of students with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Indiana–one day before suffering the heart attack.
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"God is doing amazing things with FCA. Through this organization, lives are being transformed, athletes are finding purpose and meaning, and communities are being impacted," he wrote.
As CBN has reported, Strawberry grew up with an alcoholic and abusive father.
And although he found an outlet through baseball, the abuse he suffered would haunt him for years.
"I thought I was bigger than life and nobody could tell me nothing. That wasn't anything personal, it was always because of the fact that I had been controlled for so long. Now, this was my outlet, and this was where nobody was ever going to control me again," he shared.
The success he found in the major leagues only contributed to his problems and Strawberry soon found himself addicted to drugs.
"I did everything to make me feel good. I drank alcohol and took amphetamines. Later down the line, I got introduced heavily into cocaine, which was my outlet and my escape. That was the biggest escape for me. When I found that, I can escape away from everybody and everything," he shared.
Things began to turn around when he met Tracy, a born-again Christian who overcame drug addiction herself.
"I saw a man that was very broken, even physically. A person who has addiction themselves, I could look into him and see he wasn't even clean yet. He was sitting in his seat full of heaviness," she told CBN.
But Tracy prayed for her good friend.
"I would plead with God not only for my own life but standing in the gap for Darryl. Not even knowing what that statement meant," Tracy explained.
Shortly afterward, Strawberry committed his life to Jesus Christ and he married Tracy.
The husband and wife team have co-founded Strawberry Ministries, which shares the message of Jesus Christ.
The couple travels sharing how God delivered them from drug addiction and gave them a "second chance at life."
According to churchleaders.com, Strawberry will join the ranks of Jackie Robinson, Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, William Shea, Ralph Kiner, and Dwight Gooden on April 14 to have his jersey retired.
His is the only jersey retired in the Mets organization.
