The New York Mets announced that franchise legend Darryl Strawberry will attend their Old Timer’s Day on August 27 at Citi Field.
“Shea [Stadium] was always a wonderful place for me,” Strawberry said of the Mets’ former home, which he called home from 1983-1990. “The fans were always great. They supported me in the good and bad times.”
While he won’t be able to play due to knee and shoulder issues, Strawberry will be wearing the blue and orange for the first time in 32 years.
Strawberry was selected by New York with the first overall pick of the 1980 MLB Draft and immediately lived up to the hype upon his call-up to the majors in 1983.
Over eight seasons with the team, he was elected to seven All-Star Games, won the 1983 Rookie of the Year award, and still holds the club’s all-time franchise record with 252 career home runs.
He was an integral part of the team that won the franchise’s last World Series in 1986, posting an .865 OPS with 27 home runs and 93 RBI.
One of his most famous home runs came in Game 7 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox when he extended the Mets’ lead in the bottom of the eighth inning with a towering shot over the right-center-field wall.
Strawberry followed that up with consecutive 39-home-run seasons, including the 1988 season that made him just the second Met ever to win a National League home run title.
Dave Kingman was the only other to do so when he clubbed 37 round-trippers in 1982.
Over 60 former Mets are scheduled to join Strawberry at Old Timers’ Day including Mike Piazza, Johan Santana, Pedro Martínez, John Franco, and Keith Hernandez.
