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Darryl Strawberry

Signed With New York Yankees



Although the New York Yankees picked up Strawberry's contract in 1995, the team decided to waive the option at the end of the year. Joining the minor-league St. Paul Saints for the 1996 season, Strawberry attempted to rebuild his career. In July 1996 the Yankees decided to sign Strawberry again and this time put him on the roster in August of that year. With the support of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Strawberry seemed to complete his career comeback with a .262 batting average in sixty-three games in 1996. Injuries curtailed his 1997 season, but Strawberry returned to play 101 games in 1998, attaining a .247 batting average.



In October 1998 Strawberry underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his colon. The surgery ended his season but generated enormous public sympathy for the embattled star, who seemed to have finally put his problems behind him. During his recovery, however, Strawberry was arrested in April 1999 for soliciting sex from an undercover police officer and was found to be in possession of cocaine. He later pleaded no contest to the charges and rejoined the Yankees in September 1999 after serving a four-month suspension from baseball. Strawberry ended up playing twenty-four games with the Yankees at the end of the 1999 season and compiled a .327 batting average.

Career Statistics

Yr Team AVG GP AB R H HR RBI BB SO SB E
LA: Los Angeles Dodgers; NYM: New York Mets; NYY: New York Yankees;
SF: San Francisco Giants.
1983 NYM .257 122 420 63 108 26 74 47 128 19 4
1984 NYM .251 147 522 75 131 26 97 75 131 27 6
1985 NYM .277 111 393 78 109 29 79 73 96 26 2
1986 NYM .259 136 475 76 123 27 93 72 141 28 6
1987 NYM .284 154 532 106 151 39 104 97 122 36 8
1988 NYM .269 153 543 101 146 39 101 85 127 29 9
1989 NYM .225 134 476 69 107 29 77 61 105 11 8
1990 NYM .277 152 542 92 150 37 108 70 110 15 3
1991 LA .265 139 505 86 134 28 99 75 125 10 5
1992 LA .237 43 156 20 37 5 25 19 34 3 1
1993 LA .140 32 100 12 14 5 12 16 19 1 4
1994 SF .239 29 92 13 22 4 17 19 22 0 2
1995 NYY .276 32 87 15 24 3 13 10 22 0 2
1996 NYY .262 63 202 35 53 11 36 31 55 6 0
1997 NYY .103 11 29 1 3 0 2 3 9 0 0
1998 NYY .247 101 295 44 73 24 57 46 90 8 2
1999 NYY .327 24 49 10 16 3 6 17 16 2 0
TOTAL .259 1583 5418 896 1401 335 1000 816 1352 221 62

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Famous Sports StarsBaseballDarryl Strawberry Biography - Grew Up In Compton, Drafted By New York Mets, Chronology, Substance Abuse Problems, Signed With New York Yankees - SELECTED WRITINGS BY STRAWBERRY: