Why is lenny dykstra

The attitude and tenacity that allowed him to become an all-star outfielder and build financial success in his post-playing days also likely shortened his playing days, ruined his finances, sent him to prison, and nearly cost him his life.

Dykstra is many things, but boring has never been one of them. He was the middle of three sons born to the couple, joining older brother Brian and younger brother Kevin. Jerry Leswick left his family when Lenny was a toddler. Dennis was recently divorced and had three young daughters. The couple married and became a Brady Bunch-type family, with the boys taking the Dykstra surname when formally adopted by Dennis.

Given what the world would come to know of him, it is unsurprising that Dykstra was mischievous as a youth. One of his favorite stunts was stealing a fire extinguisher and spraying people outside Disneyland from the passenger seat of a car. During his freshman year at Garden Grove High School, Lenny became the first and only freshman to play on the varsity squad. Before the major-league draft in his senior year, , he went to a Mets tryout camp. Dykstra had committed to play baseball at Arizona State and was not happy about being drafted so low.

He eventually did sign with the Mets, but insisted that he was too good for rookie ball and should be sent directly to Class A. In Dykstra really began to assert himself as a prospect. The next year, , Dykstra put up another productive season, becoming the first player in the history of the Double-A Jackson franchise to score more than runs in a season.

For good measure, he met his future wife, Terri, while playing in Jackson. The couple married in Dykstra spent the first month of the season with Triple-A Tidewater, but was called up to the Mets in early May and made his major-league debut on May 3.

He led off and played center field against the Reds in Cincinnati. Dykstra got Lenny notched his first-major league hit in his second at-bat, a home run off Reds starter Mario Soto. For the year, Dykstra played in 83 games, platooning in center with Mookie Wilson. About three-quarters of his plate appearances came against right-handed pitching, and his first big league hit turned out to be his only home run of the season.

The Mets won 98 games in , but finished three games behind the St. Perhaps stung by coming up empty with good teams two seasons in a row, the Mets blew the doors off the NL East in The Mets were not just legendary on the field.

They were notorious for their raucous, partying ways off the field as well. With a few exceptions, the squad ferociously attacked alcohol, drugs, chasing women, and every other activity young men with disposable income are susceptible to. The year-old Dykstra was an important cog on and off the field. He remained a platoon player in center field with Mookie Wilson, but saw his playing time increase as Wilson missed significant time to injury.

Dykstra hit. He combined with second baseman Wally Backman to form a gritty punch atop the Mets lineup and routinely wreaked havoc on opposing pitchers and defenses while setting the stage for the likes of Darryl Strawberry , Keith Hernandez, and Gary Carter.

Away from the field, Dykstra was one of the boys, with a particular affinity for gambling until the sun came up. Javascript is required for the selection of a player.

Choice is:. Powered by. Postseason Batting Postseason Game Log. Standard Fielding. Appearances on Leaderboards, Awards, and Honors. Hall of Fame Statistics. Similarity Scores Explanation of Similarity Scores. More Dykstra Pages. Full Site Menu Return to Top. Louis Cardinals. We're Social Lenny Dykstra sued former teammate Ron Darling in April in New York State Supreme Court for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, asserting that the allegation that he used racial slurs in the World Series was false.

Home MLB. During his MLB heyday, the centerfielder was a hitting machine. But after his MLB career, Dykstra got involved with drugs , faced sexual assault charges, and was convicted of grand theft auto and bankruptcy fraud. The left-handed outfielder was chosen by the Mets in the thirteenth round of the MLB draft. Dykstra quickly became a star in the Carolina League with a. In , Dykstra advanced to the majors. He earned many fans while in New York but was traded to the Phillies in I called because I was in fear for my life.