Darryl Strawberry Likes the Fit of His New Dodger Blues

A contented Darryl Strawberry wore a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform for the first time on Monday and said he’ll be playing this season without pressure for the first time in his big-league career.

Wearing No. 44 and taking batting practice at sunny Dodger Stadium with several of his new teammates at the team’s first winter workout, Strawberry seemed relaxed, at ease and anxious to begin playing for keeps.

“It felt good to be around my new teammates, have a few laughs and feel good about being in the ballpark,” he said. “That’s what the game is all about--having fun and being at peace with yourself. When you do that, you have a chance to play exciting baseball.

“There’s really no pressure. There can’t be as much pressure here as I played with in New York. The most important thing you have to focus on is playing hard. And when you do that with the kind of talent we have, you have a chance to achieve the kind of things you go out there for.”

With all the off-the-field distractions that clouded his eight seasons with the New York Mets, the 1991 season figures to be a refreshing change for Strawberry.

“There never was a time where I could just get away (from the negative publicity) and enjoy the game,” he said. “It causes you more confusion in your own mind to go out there and perform at ease, when you’re dealing day in and day out with the expectations, the media pressure there and the response that you get from the fans.

“But now, it looks like I’m going to have that chance to enjoy the game. And that’s the most important thing. The opportunity that I have now is a blessing for myself, because I don’t really have to say that I have to carry a ballclub.”

Not with a lineup that includes Eddie Murray, Kal Daniels and newly acquired free agent center fielder Brett Butler in the leadoff spot.

Regardless of how well he performs, Strawberry, 28, won’t be able to eradicate all the negative publicity and innuendo that tarnished his reputation during his Shea Stadium career.

He carried the Mets on his back on numerous occasions, including the final two months of last season. But he also got into fistfights with teammates, sulked a lot and went into alcohol rehabilitation last spring.

However, his new manager, Tom Lasorda, has wiped the slate clean.

“There have been a lot of people who are happy that we got Strawberry,” Lasorda said. “And then there are some people who said, ‘Hey, you can have him. You deserve him.’

“But as long as I’ve managed this ballclub and gotten players from other organizations, I have never allowed a reputation to precede a player. I’ll be the judge of what kind of guy Strawberry is. I’m not going to have any worries about Strawberry, believe me.”