President Donald Trump has pardoned former New York Mets player Darryl Strawberry for tax evasion.

Strawberry was a right fielder and an eight-time All-Star, a four-time World Series Champion and twice a Silver Slugger. Seven of the All-Stars were with the Mets from 1983 to 1990.

Throughout his 17-season baseball career, Strawberry hit 335 home runs, 1,000 RBIs, and 221 stolen bases, all while playing over 1,580 games.

Strawberry was indicted for tax evasion, where he later pleaded guilty in 1995 to a single felony count.

This was based on the failure to report $350,000 in income from autographs, personal appearances, and sales of memorabilia.

As part of the case, Strawberry agreed to pay more than $430,000.

In 2002, Strawberry was sentenced to 11 months in a Florida prison, and he was released in 2003.

A White House official on Friday stated that Trump approved a pardon for Strawberry, who had served time and paid back taxes.

“Mr. Strawberry served time and paid back taxes after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion,” White House official said. “Mr. Strawberry found faith in Christianity and has been sober for over a decade.”

Strawberry posted a picture of himself on Instagram with Trump.

The caption reads, “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.”

Strawberry mentioned that he is overwhelmed with gratitude as that chapter comes to a close.

Continuing a recent surge in number retirements, the New York Mets announced last Thursday that they plan to retire No. 16 and No. 18 in honor of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry during the 2024 season. The two were stars of the Mets at their peak in the 1980s, and though both struggled later in their careers, they proved integral in New York’s run to the 1986 World Series.

Between 1967 and 2016, the Mets retired just five numbers, but since 2021, the team has retired three and will add Gooden and Strawberry next year. They will join former teammate Keith Hernandez (No. 17), Jerry Koosman (No. 36) and Willie Mays (No. 24) in a group of recent honorees. Those join Mike Piazza (No. 31, retired in 2016), Jackie Robinson (No. 42, retired throughout MLB in 1997), Tom Seaver (No. 41, retired in 1988), Gil Hodges (No. 14, retired in 1973) and Casey Stengel (No. 37, retired in 1965).

Gooden, a righthanded pitcher who debuted at age 19 in 1984, became a household name immediately after earning a 17-9 record and 276 strikeouts in his rookie year and finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting. He left no doubt in 1985 with a 24-4 record, 1.53 ERA and 268 strikeouts to win the award unanimously. He remained highly effective in 1986, the year the Mets won the World Series.

Strawberry debuted one year before Gooden, earning NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1983 after batting .257 with 26 home runs. The star outfielder made it to the All-Star Game eight straight times between 1984 and 1991, and though he was a key contributor in 1986, he got even better as the decade progressed. In 1988, a heartbreaking year in which the Mets fell to the Dodgers in the NLCS, Strawberry batted .267 with 39 home runs and finished second in NL MVP voting.

In addition to coming up as young stars during the Mets’ strongest era, the two also share several unfortunate similarities in their later careers. Both had widely publicized struggles with drug addiction, which they grappled with throughout the 1980s but did not have to fully reckon with until later on. Issues off the field derailed both players and led them to regress dramatically soon after they left New York. Despite brilliant performances early in their careers, it is unlikely that either one will be voted into the Hall of Fame.

Regardless of their issues off the field, however, Gooden and Strawberry are still remembered in overwhelmingly positive terms by Mets fans. Along with the likes of Hernandez and Gary Carter, they are hailed as overwhelmingly significant contributors to one of the franchise’s two World Series titles. Their number of retirement ceremonies may be part of a larger effort by the team to honor its past in recent years, but there are few Mets more deserving.