Lenny Dykstra

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Lenny on the cover of Street & Smith's Baseball

Leonard Kyle (Lenny) Dykstra (born February 10, 1963 in Santa Ana, California, also known as "Nails") is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Dykstra played for the New York Mets (1985-89) and Philadelphia Phillies from (1989-96). He threw and batted left-handed.

Dykstra was signed by the Mets as a 13th round draft pick in 1981. A star in the minors, in 1983 he led the Carolina League in at-bats, runs, hits, triples, batting average, and stolen bases with 105, which was a league record for 17 years.

1 Major league career
2 Retirement
3 Trivia
4 Facts
5 Bibliography
6 Career Awards, Achievements, and Leads
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Major league career

In the minors in 1984, Dykstra became friends with fellow outfielder and teammate Billy Beane. Beane would later say that Dykstra was "perfectly designed, emotionally" to play baseball and that he had "no concept of failure".^[1] In 1985, Dykstra was deemed ready for the Major Leagues. The following season, he was the starting center fielder for the New York Mets World Series champions. Dykstra will always be remembered for his walk off home run in Game 3 of the 1986 NLCS, which is considered one of the biggest hits in Mets franchise history. Dykstra batted .304 in the 1986 NLCS and .296 in the 1986 World Series. Dykstra's lead off home run in Game 3 of the World Series was the spark that led to the Mets winning the Series in seven games. In the 1988 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dykstra continued his post season success by hitting .429 in a losing effort. Dykstra continued with the Mets until 1989 when he was traded on June 18 to the Phillies along with pitcher Roger McDowell for outfielder Juan Samuel. Teammate Keith Hernandez later said in his book Pure Baseball that Dykstra was "on the wild and crazy side", which he cites as one of the reasons the Mets chose to trade him and the Phillies chose to acquire him.^[2]

Dykstra was well liked in Philadelphia and around the league for his scrappy play. He was known for his trademark cheek full of tobacco and hard play.^[3] In fact, one of his nicknames was "Nails", as in "Tough as Nails." In 1986, he even took off his shirt to pose for a "beefcake" poster under the "Nails" nickname. With the Phillies, Dykstra's career was marked by incredible highs and lows. In 1990 he started the All Star Game, led the league in hits, and finished fourth in batting average. He was batting over .400 into June.

Dykstra's next two seasons were marred by injury. In 1991, while driving drunk, he crashed his car into a tree. Teammate Darren Daulton, who was with him during the drunken incident, was also injured. Dykstra suffered fractured ribs, a broken cheekbone, and a fractured collarbone, which cost him two months. On Opening Day 1992, Dykstra was hit by a pitch that broke his hand. In all he played in just 145 of 324 possible games in the 1991 and 1992 seasons.

In 1993, it all seemed to come together for Dykstra and the Phillies. The team, which had been rebuilding since its last playoff appearance ten years previous, returned to the top of the National League East. He played in 161 games, setting a Major League record with 773 plate appearances. Despite being overlooked for the 1993 All-Star team, Dykstra led the league in runs, hits, walks, and at-bats, and was runner-up to Barry Bonds in voting for the Most Valuable Player of the National League. Dykstra's spark led the Phillies to the World Series where they faced the Toronto Blue Jays. In the series, Dykstra batted .348 and hit four home runs, including two in a 15-14 Phillies loss in Game 4. The Phillies ultimately lost the series in six games. Many believe Dykstra would have been the World Series MVP had the Phillies won the series.

[edit] Retirement

Injuries plagued Dykstra for the rest of his career. He last played in the 1996 season, and launched one final comeback attempt in Spring Training in 1998 before retiring at the age of 35. Since his retirement, Dykstra has run a car wash in California. His name has been mentioned as a possible coach or manager, most recently for his original team, the Mets.

More recently, Dykstra's name has been mentioned as possibly abusing steroids and gambling.[1] Despite many allegations of steroid use by sports commentators, Dykstra has vigorously denied the use of muscle enhancing supplements and is currently defending himself in a gambling-related lawsuit involving an ex-business partner.[2]

Today, Dykstra is a columnist for TheStreet.com, manages his own stock portfolio, and serves as president of several of his privately held companies, including car washes; a partnership with Castrol in "Team Dykstra" Quick Lube Centers; a ConocoPhillips fueling facility; a real estate development company; and a new venture to develop several "I Sold It on eBay" stores throughout high-demographic areas of Southern California. Dykstra has helped bring to the forefront an investment strategy called "Deep in the Money Calls". He has also appeared on Fox News Channel's The Cost of Freedom business shows.

[edit] Trivia

Dykstra's home run leading off the third game of the 1986 World Series made him one of three New York Mets to hit a World Series leadoff home run. Tommie Agee hit one in the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles; Wayne Garrett (a teammate of Agee's on the 1969 World Champions) hit his in the 1973 World Series against the Oakland Athletics. Coincidentally, Agee's and Garrett's home runs, like Dykstra's, also occurred in a Game Three.

[edit] Facts

Dykstra is a Dutch surname; specifically Frisian.

[edit] Bibliography

Nails, the Inside Story of an Amazin' Season, Doubleday, 1987. (With Marty Noble.)

[edit] Career Awards, Achievements, and Leads

All Star - 1990, 1994, 1995
Silver Slugger - 1993
NL Hits Leader - 1990, 1993
NL On Base Pct. Leader - 1990
NL At Bats Leader - 1993
NL Runs Leader - 1993
NL Base on Balls Leader - 1993
NL Times on Base Leader - 1990, 1993
NL MVP Runner-up 0.68 shares

[edit] References

^ Lewis, Michael (2003-04-10). Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 45-47. ISBN 0393057658.
^ Hernandez, Keith (1995). Pure Baseball: Pitch by Pitch for the Advanced Fan. New York: HarperCollins, 16. ISBN 0060925914.
^ James, Bill (2003-04-06). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press, 751. ISBN 0743227220.

[edit] External links

Lenny Dykstra at:

Preceded by: Ellis Burks	National League Player of the Month May, 1994 (with Mike Piazza)	Succeeded by: Jeff Bagwell

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