The Christophers: Why Darryl Strawberry Got Knocked Off His Throne
Tony Rossi, Director of Communications,
The Christophers
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At the height of Darryl Strawberry’s baseball career, his mother Ruby prayed that God would knock him “off his throne.” The reason? Despite establishing himself as a premier home run hitter who won World Series with both the Mets and Yankees, Darryl struggled with addiction, womanizing, and other issues that were creating chaos in his life. Ruby simply wanted her son to be “humbled” and “saved.” Though it took many years, Ruby’s prayer was answered when Darryl made the decision to surrender his life to Christ and devote himself to preaching God’s word. He shares his healing journey in the new memoir, “Another Life.”
Darryl grew up in a challenging environment. Though Ruby was loving and supportive of her five children, her husband Henry was emotionally and physically abusive to all of them to the point that Darryl and his brother were once ready to kill Henry so he would no longer beat their mother. Henry moved out after that incident, and Ruby’s resilience became a model for her children.
Darryl’s natural baseball talent eventually led him to success with the Mets, with whom he won a drama-filled World Series in 1986. He also found himself living a “worldly lifestyle,” which Ruby warned him against. Like many young people, Darryl didn’t listen, thinking he could handle it. “There’s a price to be paid,” he admitted during a “Christopher Closeup” interview. “But [my mother] kept interceding and praying behind the scenes…I always tell mothers, ‘Don’t ever stop praying because it’s not up to you to do the miracle; it’s up to God to do the miracle, and God hears the prayers of the righteous.’”
After Ruby died of cancer at age 55, Darryl and his siblings found their mom’s journal, which included her prayer for God to knock Darryl off his throne. In retrospect, he wishes he would have listened to her sooner: “I always tell people: don’t wait that long because you’re going to cost yourself a lot of headaches if you just wait around and have God stop you. Because He will stop you after you’ve been prayed over and interceded for.”
Darryl credits his wife Tracy with being God’s instrument of grace on his road to recovery. Having struggled through addiction herself, she had been off drugs and alcohol for one year when they met at a function for people in recovery. Whereas most attendees hovered over Darryl to get pictures with him because he was famous, Tracy recognized that he was a man who was hurting and struggling. And she was right, since Darryl described himself as still “active in addiction” at that point. “God had sent her to rescue me,” Darryl said. “He sent her to come pull me out of places [where I was] using drugs.”
Darryl and Tracy broke up while he went to “get clean,” then came together again to “get married and live according to [God’s] principles.” In addition, she taught him he had to “clean up the mess” that he created. Darryl explained, “She led me back into church. I had to sit for seven years to go through discipleship and be able to learn God’s will, God’s word, His principles, and walk in faith...Without her and without my mother’s prayers, I probably would be dead...And I think a lot of people need to understand, God always has people out there that’s trying to lead you and guide you towards Him. You just have to be able to say, ‘yes,’ and receive it.”
For free copies of the Christopher News Note FACING MISTAKES, FINDING NEW HOPE, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org
