From www.nydailynews.com – It’s strike three – and Chapter 11 – for Lenny Dykstra.

The one-time Mets [and Phillies] hero, facing divorce, foreclosure on his mansion and a multitude of lawsuits, filed for bankruptcy protection in California, his attorney said Wednesday.

Dykstra, the center fielder for the 1986 Mets, emerged in his post-baseball career as an improbably successful businessman, running a lucrative string of California car washes and touting stocks for Jim Cramer on CNBC.

But the 46-year-old Dykstra, a former World Series champ with the Mets and spark plug with the Phillies, currently faces upward of 20 lawsuits from creditors coast to coast – most related to The Players Club, a problem-plagued magazine he launched last year.

Among those claiming they were stiffed by the player known as Nails are a pair of private jet rental companies, his brother, a Las Vegas printing business, a former lawyer and several former employees. Dykstra’s wife is also suing him for divorce, and his $18 million California mansion is in foreclosure.

“In a move that will shield his property from a host of meritless claims, Mr. Lenny Dykstra filed a petition for Chapter 11 protection,” his California attorney, Walter Hackett, said in a statement.

“This action will provide Mr. Dykstra time to reorganize his estate (and) successfully challenge the multitude of meritless claims that have been made against him.”

Hackett, in his statement, described the pending lawsuits as “parties who have attempted to steal his property, breached material agreements with him or otherwise acted in bad faith.”

In the various lawsuits, Dykstra is accused of lying and duping business partners, bouncing checks and ignoring court orders for payment.

The three-time All Star played 12 years before retiring in 1996..