Baseball great Darryl Strawberry just thanked President Donald Trump for pardoning him. 

Strawberry did so in a message that he posted to his Instagram account on Friday.

This was just after the White House confirmed that Trump had decided to pardon Strawberry.

from Darryl Strawberry: pic.twitter.com/LaO3eO1aKh

— Ron Bruning (@bruning_ron) November 7, 2025

"God used Trump as a vessel..."

Strawberry began his message of thanksgiving, writing, "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 then went on to reveal how he found out about the good news.

He wrote:

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 the greatest player of the ‘80s and celebrating the Mets. 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.

Strawberry went on to talk about his faith and about how he believes that God used Trump "as a vessel" to set him free.

He concluded:

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

The pardon

Strawberry pleaded guilty to federal tax charges in 1995.

He was sentenced to three years of probation, and he was ordered to pay $350,000 in back taxes and penalties. He also served 6 months of home confinement.

The White House released a statement on Trump decision to pardon Strawberry.

"President Trump has approved a pardon for Darryl Strawberry, three-time World Series champion and eight-time MLB All-Star. Mr. Strawberry served time and paid back taxes after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion," the White House told Fox News.

It added, "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."