Former Major League Baseball player Lenny Dykstra was arrested for narcotics possession New Year’s Day in Pike County, according to state police.
Dykstra, 62, now a Scranton resident, was a passenger in a 2015 GMC Sierra and “was found to be in possession of narcotics and narcotic-related equipment/paraphernalia,” the state police said in a news release.
The news release does not name the narcotics and charges are pending.
The arrest happened on Route 507 in Greene Twp.
Troopers pulled over the car for “motor vehicle code violations,” the news release said.
AP: Dykstra's lawyer responds
The Associated Press reported Friday night that Matthew Blit, Dykstra’s lawyer, released a statement saying that the vehicle did not belong to Dykstra and he was not accused of being under the influence of a substance at the scene.
“To the extent charges are brought against him, they will be swiftly absolved,” the AP quoted Blit said as saying.
Dykstra's career and post-baseball history
Nicknamed “Nails” because of his hard-nosed style of play, Dykstra played parts of 12 seasons, mostly as a centerfielder, first for the New York Mets then the Philadelphia Phillies.
He hit .285 with 81 home runs, 404 RBI and 285 stolen bases.
He has publicly admitted squandering tens of millions of dollars he earned from baseball and afterward, and has had previous encounters with with law, as the AP also recapped on Friday.
In February 2024, he suffered a stroke and moved to Scranton after rehabilitation.
