Former Major League Baseball stars Lenny Dykstra and Howard Johnson have much more in common than winning the World Series as members of the New York Mets in 1986.
Both men told those attending a Sunday service at Steamtown Church faith transformed their lives.
Dykstra, who was baptized at the conclusion of the service and attended the Scranton church for several years, said he was driving around with “Preacher Dennis D’Augostine,” the pastor of the church, in early January, when he decided it was time to change his life.
“But I knew I couldn’t do it alone,” Dykstra said in a recording of himself played before he was baptized. “I need a teammate and that teammate is God.”
Former Major League Baseball star Lenny Dykstra and Steamtown Church Pastor Dennis D’Augostine share a moment on Sunday during Dykstra’s baptism. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
New York Mets Hall of Famer Howard Johnson shares a message of faith at Steamtown Church, Scranton, on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
Attendees of Steamtown Church Sunday service got the chance to hear from former professional baseball player Howard Johnson on March 8, 2026. Johnson said his faith changed his life. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
Former baseball star Lenny Dykstra and Steamtown Church Pastor Dennis D’Augostine watch a video made of Dykstra sharing the details of his faith on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
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Former Major League Baseball star Lenny Dykstra and Steamtown Church Pastor Dennis D’Augostine share a moment on Sunday during Dykstra’s baptism. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
Dykstra, 63, joined the Mets in 1985. In 1989, he was traded to the Phillies. He played his final game with the Phillies and as a MLB player in 1996.
In a 2024 interview with The Times-Tribune, Dykstra admitted he struggled with drug use but stopped short of describing himself as an addict. He was most recently charged with drug possession during a state police traffic stop on New Year’s Day.
Johnson, who presented the message at the service, said his testimony wasn’t as dramatic as that of Dykstra or Darryl Strawberry, who was also a part of the Mets team during their 1986 World Series win and now runs a ministry focused on helping people change their lives.
Although Dykstra and Strawberry both struggled with drug use, Johnson didn’t. Both Dykstra and Strawberry have also been divorced. But Johnson has been married to his wife for over 40 years and the couple have three children.
But as a professional player who had anything that money could buy, Johnson said he wasn’t fulfilled and felt like something was missing. He often felt he wasn’t good enough, no matter how many games his team won or how much money he had.
“I call it performance theology,” said Johnson, 65. “Our culture is obsessed with performance, whether it be sports, finances, if you drive a better car than your neighbor.”
Johnson played for the Detroit Tigers, Mets, Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs from 1982 to 1995. In 1984, he was part of the Detroit team when they won the World Series championship.
When he became a Christian, he said, it was a powerful experience and changed him on the inside.
“When you think about baseball or any professional sport, you think about money and fame, playing in front of thousands of people a night, millions including TV,” he said.
But it’s often the highest mountain followed by the lowest valley, he said.
“Anyone who plays at the level goes through tremendous ups and downs,” he said. “It’s the time away from the field at the hotel on a road trip or home after a bad day.”
In addition, he said, baseball players are often in pain.
“Travel, getting to the field early, hitting ground balls on the AstroTurf, a hard field, takes its toll,” he said. “The game takes pieces of your body and deposits it all over the field. And you have to live with it.”
So, many players did whatever they had to do to get themselves to the field the next day, including taking painkillers.
“It’s a dangerous game that we play with our soul when we’re trying to find distraction from the pain, when we’re in our most vulnerable state,” Johnson said.
If you can do that day after day and season after season, you put together a career, which Johnson said was “absolutely worth it.”
“You get to play a game that you love and you get paid to do it,” he said.
But after that career is over, many players try to fill that void with a multitude of vices, including drugs and alcohol.
Johnson, who recommitted to his faith in the 1990s, said his faith has deepened as he has gotten older.
Johnson said he was proud and humbled to be sharing his message at the church where Dykstra would be baptized.
“Lenny was one of the greatest ballplayers I’ve ever seen. You talk about the drive, the competition, wanting to win, he had it more than most guys,” Johnson said. “The fact that he’s here today being baptized is a miracle.”
Following the service, Dykstra and Johnson signed autographs, ready with a word of encouragement and look into the baseball history.