Darryl Strawberry is a pastor, author and speaker. He’s an advocate for mental health and addiction recovery.  For Darryl Strawberry, success in life is more than success on the field. Darry has been on the highest of highs and the lowest of lows through a professional athlete best known as a 4-time World Champion and his 17-year career in Major League Baseball.  Listen in on this candid conversation about abuse, fame, fortune, addiction, forgiveness and his struggle through it all. 

Losing is a part of life if you don't experience that you will never be successful. It's about how you decide to get up. - Darryl Strawberry

Three Things We Learned

Forgiveness leads to freedom

Darryl grew up with an abusive alcoholic father who was absent for most of his life until he made it to the big leagues. That was painful for Darryl. He discovered through his personal forgiveness from God that it's important to forgive those that have hurt you and you've got to ask them for forgiveness in return. We don't know what's happening or happened to that person through the course of their life. The perfect home on the outside is not necessarily perfect on the inside. it could be crumbling, on fire and full of dysfunction. 

Be an active participant in family

Every parent does the best they can. They're your parents, they love you. However, some expressed it in appropriate ways while others might have been physically or mentally abusive or may be absent altogether. In spite of the wrongs, they always loved you. Every family goes through some sort of struggle, it's important to overcome the challenges and struggles as a child and then as a parent. You learn to battle and to learn and to make family your priority.

Be careful what you ask for

Fame is a really lonely place. There is a serious price you live with when you become famous. your life becomes an open book, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Fame is also fleeting. The fame will eventually die out and won't last forever. To survive, you've got to learn how to deal with the public eye and be nice to people. Most famous people are not nice. Remember, it's not the fans or people that made you famous, it's something you yourself wanted. 
 

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the sport, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter's box with his 6-foot-6 frame and his long, looping swing that elicited comparisons to Ted Williams.[2][3] 

 

During his career, he helped lead the New York Mets to a World Series championship in 1986 and the New York Yankees to three World Series championships in 1996, 1998 and 1999.   

 

A popular player during his career, Strawberry was voted to the All-S...