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Lenny Dykstra talks Mets, Phillies, rookie cards and his MLB idols
Lenny Dykstra was the heart and soul of nearly every team he played for during his decade-long MLB career.
The three time All-Star and 1993 Silver Slugger Award winner was an integral part of the classic mid- to late-80s Mets teams and the equally legendary early- to mid-90s Philadelphia Phillies teams.
Drafted by the New York Mets in the 13th round of the 1981 MLB Draft, Dykstra quickly rose through the Mets farm system (including a Carolina League MVP award in 1983) to reach the big leagues by the beginning of the 1985 season.
In five seasons with the Mets, Dykstra became a key cog in the formidable lineup for the team in Queens and, through his outstanding postseason play, etched his name in Mets history as a postseason hero, playing a large role in the Mets capturing the 1986 World Series title.
Two of Dykstra's All-Star Game appearances came after his trade to Philadelphia and his best individual season came in a Phillies uniform in 1993, when he led the league in plate appearances, at-bats, runs, hits and walks and was second in NL MVP voting behind Barry Bonds. As expected, “Nails” was a major reason the Phillies made it to the World Series that year.
The World Series champion is a cult hero who has lived an incredibly interesting life during his playing career and every day since.
In our exclusive interview, Dykstra talks about the first time he saw himself on a trading card, his most memorable fan interaction, his thoughts on the current sports card market and much more.
Your Rookie Card appeared in the usual suspects in 1986 in Donruss, Fleer and Topps products. Do you remember the first time you saw yourself on a trading card?
I do. It was pretty cool. It was my rookie card where I was coming out of the batter’s box. It was the [Fleer] card. It was really cool. Then I saw about a million different cards come out over the years. It was crazy. I got swamped with cards then it seems like a lot of the companies went out of business. They are making cards now that look like artwork.
You were a star athlete for a long time. Can you share the story of the first time you were asked for your autograph?
What happened was even in A-ball, I had a really big year. Doc Gooden and I played together in Lynchburg. I got asked back then. I had a card when I played in Lynchburg. That was my first real card. The major league cards are my rookie cards but I had a card back then. There was a card of me and him [Gooden] when I played in Lynchburg. He struck out 300 hitters in 150 innings. It was crazy. I led the league in everything. I was the MVP and he was the MVP for pitching. He was only 18. I knew he was headed to the show. He then went on the win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young. He’s just a great guy.
You played in a few intense sports cities, including New York and Philadelphia. What is the most memorable fan interaction from your playing days?
It was 1993 in Philadelphia, we were about to clinch. Some 20-year-old kid runs out in to center field and starts talking to me. I said “Bro, I don’t mind that you are out here but you are about to get pummeled in 30 seconds. You better run.” The problem was the wall was high and he couldn’t get over it. I told him to breathe deeply and count backwards from 10. He just came out and started talking to me in center field in the middle of the game. The fans used to do stuff like that. Now, they all drink milk and cookies and sit around and play video games. It’s a different game now, too.
With the pandemic and all that has been going on in the world most of the players I talk to have seen a huge surge in fan mail and requests. Have you seen the same thing?
When I sign the cards I try to sign for everybody. I like to give balls away to all the fans. It got so bad in Philadelphia that the brass called me up and said I had to slow down on the balls. We were halfway through the season and we were already five times over our quota.
When I was a kid, I would ride my bike to Angels Stadium every day. I was always trying to get a ball. A lot of the players wouldn’t give one to me. Joe Rudi was playing catch right by me when I was on the railing. I was yelling at him to throw me a ball. I was yelling all kinds of stuff at him. I was ripping him up. He got done and he walked right up to me and said, “Here you go, son.” He was so nice. He put it right in my face. He reversed it on me. He made me like it. It was classic, man.
You mentioned Rudi, who else inspired you as a young man to strive to make it to the highest level of baseball?
It’s called sharing a room with four brothers and watching my parents work their asses off and not make money. I had a gift and my gift was hitting a ball where people weren’t standing. My way out of there was baseball. I made a decision early in life that baseball was going to be my one way ticket out, and I punched it. I had one friend in high school and the only reason I had a friend in high school was because I needed someone to play catch with. I worked my ass off. I never had a beer. Every time I did something I would ask myself if that decision and choice put me in a position to have a better chance to make it to the big leagues. If the answer was no, I didn’t do it. I went from the most disciplined player to the most undisciplined player the rest of my life. That’s what guaranteed contracts do. It’s the human factor. They figured me out. Every time I had a contract year I hit .300.
As a baseball fan yourself, what was your most memorable interaction with a player?
Like I said, I went to the stadium a lot as a kid. I wanted to meet Rod Carew so bad. He was my favorite player. I tried to follow him up the tunnel by the dugout. That wasn’t cool, so the security grabbed me, captured me and took me into the stadium jail. They had to call my parents and everything. I didn’t know this but my aunt wrote Rod Carew a letter and told him what happened. A few weeks later I was out working out, swinging the bat, and my mom came out and said I had a call and it sound like a man. It was Rod Carew. It was awesome, bro. We actually became friends. He came to my car wash openings. He was a great guy. Everything isn’t always as it appears. We all know I’ve had my flaws as a human but I own that stuff. I have always treated the fans great. The fans are the game. Without the fans you have nothing.
