Straw Finding My Way

Former baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry, whose achievements on the field were often overshadowed by his struggles off the field, recounts the highs, the lows, and the lessons learned along the way that allowed him to survive.

The youngest son of Henry and Ruby Strawberry, Darryl grew up in one of Los Angeles’s toughest neighborhoods but channeled his energy into basketball and baseball. The New York Mets drafted him in 1980, and he was voted the National League Rookie of the Year in 1983. Strawberry went on to be the first National League player voted to the All-Star Game in each of his first four full seasons.

Throughout the eighties and nineties, however, Strawberry faced many challenges off the field, including tax evasion, drug use, solicitation, and allegations of domestic assault. His seasons with the Dodgers, Giants, and Yankees were interrupted by suspensions, visits to rehab, treatment for colon cancer, and time in prison. But in 2006, Strawberry’s life dramatically changed course. He married and devoted himself to his church and his work with children and adults affected by autism and other developmental disorders.

For the first time, in his own words, Darryl Strawberry delivers his inspirational narrative, the extraordinary story of his life.