Former baseball star Darryl Strawberry received a surprise phone call last Friday from the White House. Currently a born-again Christian evangelist, Strawberry understands the importance of forgiveness and has been the beneficiary of clemency for his past misdeeds. President Donald Trump pardoned Strawberry for his 1995 tax evasion conviction from autograph signings, appearances, and memorabilia sales. He served six months confined to his home and completed two years of probation as part of his sentence.

“This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to working for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ,” Strawberry wrote. “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 played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball and won three World Series championships, two with the New York Yankees and one with the New York Mets. He was an eight-time All-Star, the 1988 NL home run leader, and the 1983 Rookie of the Year. Trump had Strawberry on his TV show for three episodes in the 2010 airing of The Apprentice.

Strawberry posted to his Instagram account his account of the pardon. “At 4:37pm, Yesterday, I was home caring for my wife as she recovered from surgery, when my phone kept ringing relentlessly. Half asleep, I glanced over and saw a call from Washington, DC. Curious, I answered, and to my amazement, the lady on the line said, “Darryl Strawberry, you have a call from the President of the United States, Donald Trump.”

I put it on speakerphone with my wife nearby, and President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one of the greatest players of the ‘80s and celebrating the Mets. Then, he told me he was granting me a full pardon for 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.”

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