Three-time World Series champion Darryl Strawberry suffered a massive heart attack in March. He said his heart rate was at 40 percent at the time of his hospitalization. 

Strawberry credited his wife Tracy for encouraging him to go to the emergency room after he experienced some chest pains. “You just never know, if it wasn’t for my lovely wife rushing me to the hospital I could be on the other side right now,” Strawberry told TMZ.

Shortly after he arrived at the hospital, doctors used a stent which he said brought his heart to “total restoration.” The New York Mets will soon officially retire Strawberry’s No. 18 jersey.

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The MLB great, who had to spend his 62nd birthday in a hospital bed, opened up about his harrowing experience, saying his recovery was progressing well.

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“I’m recovering well, I thank god for it. You just never know – I’m in great shape, 62 years old and I have a massive heart attack. I’m here this weekend, celebrating the fact my number is being retired, but your health is the most important thing,” Strawberry told TMZ. Strawberry will be honored when the Mets host the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 1.

When Strawberry annouced his health scare, he expressed his gratitude for the medical team at the St. Louis hospital where he was treated. He also thanked those who prayed for him.

“Praising God for His amazing grace and loving mercy in saving my life this evening from a heart attack,” Strawberry wrote in a social media post in March. “I am so happy and honored to report that all is well. So thankful for the medical team and staff at St. Joseph West in Lake St. Louis for responding so quickly and bringing me through a stent-procedure that has brought my heart to total restoration!!!

“Your prayers are so absolutely appreciated as I continue to recover, in Jesus Name!”

Strawberry said his health condition surprised the medical staff, but he is now “back healthy.”

“The doctor said ‘I don’t even know how you are alive.’ There was not a lot of blood flowing through my heart and three months later I am back healthy.”

Strawberry began his major league career with the Mets. He went on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees.

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