MLB legend says God 'used Donald Trump to set me free' after pardon for tax evasion while caring for sick wife

MLB legend Darryl Strawberry said that God used Donald Trump 'as a vessel to set me free forever' after the president pardoned him of previous tax evasion and drug charges.

Strawberry, an eight-time All-Star best known for his time with the Mets, struggled with legal, health and personal problems, and pleaded guilty in 1995 to a single felony count of tax evasion.

He paid more than $430,000 as part of that case, but later served 11 months in Florida state prison from 2002-03 after pleading no contest  to charges of possession of cocaine and soliciting a prostitute. He was initially sentenced to probation but was charged with violating his probation numerous times.

He previously spoke of his battles with depression, but has since found faith in Christianity and offered a religious explanation as for why Trump chose to pardon him.

'This 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 wrote on Instagram.

Strawberry, who underwent surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer in 1998, received the news of his pardon as he was caring for his ailing wife, Tracy.

He wrote on social media that his wife - who has been battling Early Stage Cancer - had been recovering from surgery when he got a call from the president.

'President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one the greatest player of the '80s and celebrating the Mets,' he recalled of their conversation. 

'Then, he told me he was granting me a full pardon from my past. My wife captured the moment on video, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude—thanking God for setting me free from my past, helping me become a better Man, Husband and Father.

'This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to working for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ.'

Speaking on background about the pardon, a White House official noted on Friday that Strawberry found faith in Christianity and has been sober for a decade-plus, and that he'd become active in ministry and started a still-active recovery center.

The last couple of years have been difficult for Strawberry and his family, as he was hospitalized with a heart attack in March 2024, a day before he turned 62. 

And in July of this year, he revealed on social media that Tracy was preparing 'for major surgeries to battle Early Stage Cancer and face a Hip replacement at the end of this year.'

Last month, he said that Tracy had undergone back-to-back surgeries and faced 'major health challenges.' 

Strawberry is best known for his time with the Mets from 1983-90.  

He also played for the Yankees,  Dodgers, and  Giants between 1983 and 1999. 

He won the World Series with the 1986 Mets, starring alongside the likes of Dwight Gooden and Keith Hernandez, and with the Yankees in 1996, 1998 and 1999.