Darryl Strawberry says he has been more impacted by faith, family and helping others than he has by the game of baseball, but one person from his time as a player stands out.
Strawberry, 64, joined Glenn Clark Radio on April 13 to reflect on his career and his book, “Another Life,” which dives into his journey through success, addiction and personal transformation.
Strawberry played 1,583 games throughout a 17-year career, accumulating 1,401 hits, 335 home runs and 1,000 RBIs. His career peaked with the Mets, and he later circled back to New York with the Yankees. He won four World Series during his time in New York.
A big reason he had so much success, he said, was Davey Johnson, his manager with the Mets. Johnson managed the Mets from 1984-1990, overlapping with Strawberry’s time with the team for seven seasons.
Strawberry credited Johnson with shaping his career and confidence, pushing him to embrace being a star.
“Davey Johnson was a very special person, more than just a manager,” Strawberry said. “He loved and cared about his players. He cared about the development of his players and he just let us be players.”
Strawberry said Johnson’s ability to connect with players came from him being a player himself. Johnson played from 1965-1978, playing for the Orioles in his first eight seasons. He later managed in Baltimore as well (1996-1997).
Johnson had “a clear understanding how hard it is to go out there and play and be successful,” Strawberry said. More than anything else, Strawberry described Johnson as a father figure who also held him accountable.
“He just allowed me to be me,” Strawberry said. “When he had to challenge me, he would. When he had to discipline me, he did it. That’s what I loved about Davey.”
Their relationship lasted long past baseball. Strawberry visited Johnson right before the latter’s death in September 2025.
Strawberry said their last meeting was “a real emotional moment for us, to spend that time together and just talk about life, just talk about everything that we had been through together.”
Strawberry questioned why Johnson hasn’t been elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager, saying his impact on the game has been “overlooked.”
“If it had not been for Davey, we wouldn’t never been the Mets,” Strawberry said. “When I came, they were the ‘Mutts,’ and Davey came over and took over, and we became the Mets.”
Reflecting on his own career, Strawberry said he has regrets about leaving the Mets and Johnson in 1991.
“End up with a belly full of regrets,” he said.
Retirement has come with more struggles, he said. Strawberry noted the addictions he has struggled with during his career and for most of his life, but he has since turned it around.
“One night as an alcoholic drug addict, [my mom] was praying that God would intervene and step in and stop me,” he said. “At some point he did. … He would call me to the ministry.”
Strawberry said he uses those experiences to connect with others. His past allows him to help people facing similar challenges as an evangelist.
“I can take your mess … and bring into a message to help so many other people,” he said.
While many still think of Strawberry as an ex-ballplayer, his priorities have changed. He said he now spends a lot of his time traveling and speaking out to help others.
Strawberry recently spoke about his story at Mountain Christian Church in Harford County. He said he travels frequently to do this.
“I travel the nation 207 times out of the year,” he said.
Strawberry said his family has been a big part of his life, and that has been the priority since leaving baseball. He has a wife, Tracy, and nine children.
“My life is not about me. My life is about them,” he said.
For more from Strawberry, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the New York Mets