Donald Trump Pardons Former MLB Star Darryl Strawberry for 1995 Tax Evasion That Sent Him to Prison

Former baseball player Darryl Strawberry has received a full pardon from President Donald Trump for his 1995 felony tax evasion conviction.

As reported by the Associated Press and NBC, the White House said the decision was based on Strawberry’s long-standing commitment to faith and sobriety following years of substance abuse struggles.

“Following his career, Mr. Strawberry found faith in Christianity and has been sober for over a decade — he has become active in ministry and started a recovery center which still operates today,” a White House official told NBC on Friday, Nov. 7. The statement added that Strawberry had already “served time and paid back taxes after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion.”

The 63-year-old former MLB star celebrated the news on Instagram, sharing three photos of himself with the president. “Thank you, President @realdonaldtrump, for my full pardon and for finalizing this part of my life, allowing me to be truly free and clean from all of my past,” he wrote.

Strawberry said he received the call from Washington, D.C., on Thursday afternoon while caring for his wife, Tracy, as she recovered from surgery. “Half asleep, I glanced over and saw a call from Washington DC,” he wrote.

The call, he said, came from Trump, who “spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one of the greatest players of the ’80s and celebrating the Mets.” Trump then informed him he was granting a full pardon.

Strawberry shared that his wife recorded the moment, describing it as “overwhelming with gratitude.” “Thanking God for setting me free from my past, helping me become a better man, husband, and father,” he wrote. “This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to working for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ.”

He emphasized that his appreciation for Trump’s gesture “has nothing to do with politics — it’s about a man, President Trump, caring deeply for a friend.”

“God used him as a vessel to set me free forever,” Strawberry added.

Tracy, who has been married to Strawberry since 2006, commented on his post: “You absolutely deserve this, honey! There are no words! I am so humbled and grateful to the Lord our God and President Donald Trump for this incredible gift! Love you beyond words, baby!🙏♥️🥹🍓🍓.”

Strawberry played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees, winning three World Series titles before retiring in 1999. Despite multiple suspensions for substance abuse and a string of legal issues — including his 1995 guilty plea that led to 11 months in a Florida jail — Strawberry has since rebuilt his life through faith and sobriety.

Today, he is a born-again evangelical Christian, actively involved in ministry and recovery work.