Man, sometimes memories just pop into your head, you know? I was flipping through some old baseball cards the other day, mostly junk wax stuff from the 80s. Found a Darryl Strawberry card, then a Keith Hernandez one right after. And boom, it hit me – didn’t those two actually get into it? Like, physically?
It bugged me because I couldn’t quite place the details. My brain felt fuzzy on it. Was it in the dugout? On the field? So, I kinda sat there, just trying to piece it back together from what I remembered hearing way back when. Took me a minute.
Sorting Through the Foggy Details
Okay, so I started digging through the old mental files. I remember hearing stories about that Mets team being a rowdy bunch. Lots of big personalities. So, Strawberry and Hernandez having a blow-up didn’t seem that far-fetched.
Here’s what I started recalling:
- The Setting: It wasn’t during a game, which is what first threw me off. I think it happened during spring training? Yeah, that sounds right.
- The Trigger: Keith was apparently riding Darryl about something. Maybe not playing hard enough, or being late? Keith was the captain, the serious guy. Darryl was the young superstar. You could see how that might clash.
- The Moment: Then I remembered the weirdest part – it happened during team picture day! Can you believe that? They’re all supposed to be lined up, smiling pretty for the cameras, and these two start jawing at each other.
What Went Down (As I Remember It)
So picture this: they’re in uniform, ready for the team photo. Sunshine, probably Florida spring training. Instead of “cheese,” there’s yelling. Keith says something, Darryl fires back. Next thing you know, it’s not just words. They actually started throwing punches, or at least shoving and grabbing each other hard.
Of course, teammates jumped in immediately. You can’t have your star slugger and your team captain trying to beat each other up right before the season, especially not with cameras rolling somewhere nearby. They got pulled apart pretty quick. But man, talk about intense.
Just How Things Were?
Thinking back on it now, it just seems wild. But maybe that was just that Mets team. They won the World Series that year, didn’t they? ’86. So maybe all that friction and fire somehow worked? Or maybe they won despite it.
It’s crazy how teammates can get under each other’s skin like that. Especially guys who are supposed to be pulling in the same direction. But baseball clubhouses back then, maybe they were just different. More raw. Anyway, they apparently patched things up later, which is good. Still, quite the story to remember from just looking at a couple of old baseball cards.
