Sunday August 25th, 1974: A small crowd of 9,358 came to Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium to see Yogi Berra’s fifth place, but Reigning NL champion Mets (54-70) take on Clyde King’s third place Braves (70-57).
It would be a great pitcher’s match up of future Hall of Famer; the Braves Phil Niekro against the Mets veteran, Ray Sadecki.
Starting Lineups
Both pitchers held the opposing team down through the first four innings. In the 5th, the Mets Jim Gosger singled to right field. He advanced to second on a passed ball & then to third base on a ground out.
The Mets pitcher; Sadecki then singled to right field bringing in Gosger with what turned out to be the game’s only run. The Mets would go on to the one run win, gathering just five hits off of Neikro.
Sadecki would be even better that day, shutting out the Braves, allowing five hits with two walks & five strike outs. Sadecki didn’t strike out anyone until the 7th inning. It was the closest he came to allowing a run, as two Braves reached with singles. He answered by striking out all three outs of the inning. His other strike out came in the bottom of the 9th as he fanned Leo Foster for the final out.
Sadecki spent six seasons with the Mets (1970-1974 / 1977) being used as both a starter & reliever. He was 30-25 with one save, posting a 3.36 ERA in 165 games as a Met. Overall he pitcher 18 big league seasons going 135-131 in 563 games.
Christopher Frank Capuano was born August 19, 1978 in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Capuano was the valedictorian of his class at Cathedral High School in Springfield, Mass.
He went on to earn a degree in Economics at Duke University, where he earned membership in Phi Beta Kappa.
The tall left hander was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 8th round of the 1988 draft. In 2001 he helped Team USA win the Silver Medal, but then had arm trouble needing Tommy John surgery the following year.
In 2003 he made his MLB debut with the D-backs going 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA pitching in nine games. The promising young lefty was sent to the Milwaukee Brewers in an eight player deal that also sent Ritchie Sexton to Arizona. In 2005 he had a career year, going 18-12 (4th most wins in the NL), his 18 wins were the most by a Brewer pitcher since Teddy Higuera in 1985.
From mid June through the end of July he won seven straight decisions, while putting up a 11-6 record the first half of the season. He led the league in starts (35) posting a 3.99 ERA striking out 176 batters in 219 innings, while pitching three complete games.
Capuano has a fantastic pickoff move to first base, & had led the majors in pick offs in 2005 with twelve. At the plate he batted a modest .169 with 9 RBIs. In 2006 he became the clubs ace as Ben Sheets went down with injury, Capuano made the All Star team going 10-5 by the mid season break.
The rest of his season turned out to be a nightmare for him, going 1-7 finishing with a 11-12 record with a 4.03 ERA over 221 innings of work. In 2007 he began the year at 5-0 but then struggled losing his next 12 decisions.
In 2008 he had a second Tommy John surgery; and setbacks had him miss the next two seasons. He signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee for 2010 and when he felt soreness in his shoulder he was sent back in the minor leagues. In early June he made his first MLB appearance in almost three years, taking a loss at Florida to the Marlins.
On July 3rd he pitched in a game where the Brewers beat the Cardinals, it broke a streak of 26 straight losses, in games in which he had appeared in. Then on July 19th he earned his first win since 2007 pitching five innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Capuano finished the season at 4-4 pitching in 66 innings allowing 29 earned runs (3.95 ERA). In November he was granted free agency & signed with the New York Mets in January 2011.
Capuano made his Mets debut in Florida pitching the 7th inning of relief in a Mets 9-7 win over the Marlins. His first start came against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on April 9th. Although he gave up four earned runs over six innings he still earned the victory.
Capuano was up & down with New York, his worst enemy seems to be the long ball. In the subway series in late May he allowed four HRs (six runs overall) before being removed in the sixth inning. He had a quality month of June going 4-2 pitching at least six innings in five of six starts.
At the All star break he was 8-8 with a 4.12 ERA. In his next two starts he allowed four runs each time, pitching at least as far as the 6th innings taking a pair of losses.
On July 28th he beat the Reds in Cincinnati although he allowed six runs in 5.1 innings pitched helping the Mets complete the three game sweep.
In the month of August Capuano allowed six HRs & 15 earned runs over a four games span going 0-1 raising his ERA to 471. He beat the Atlanta Braves with his best game of the season, a two hit 2-0 shut out on August 26th at Citi Field. In that game he struck out a season high 13 batters.
He would go 1-1 in September finishing the year at 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA, 112 strike outs, 37 walks, 27 HRs (5th most in the NL) 94 earned runs (8th in the NL) & one complete game shut out. He was granted free agency at the end of the season, signing with the L.A. Dodgers.
In 2012 he made a fantastic comeback, having a great start going 10-5 with a 2.81 ERA through July.
He went 2-7 the rest of the way, finishing the year at 12-12 with a 3.72 ERA. He led the league in starts with 33 & his 13 sac hits were fourth most in the NL.
In 2013 he joined the Dodgers staff for the second year. He struggled as the team did early on, finding himself at 1-4 with a 5.45 ERA. In his best outing, a 7.1 innings of one run ball against the Miami Marlins, he earned no decision. By the end of the season he was 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA, as the Dodgers went on a roll & won the Western Division.
In 2014 he signed a deal with the Boston Red Sox. He was used as a reliever going 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA before getting released on July 1st.
Three days later he signed a deal with the Colorado Rockies but then had his contract purchased by the AL New York team. He went 2-3 there the rest of the way.
In 2015 he went 0-3 in his first three starts allowing nine runs in 12 innings. He was summoned to the bullpen in May & was 0-4 into mid July with an ERA near five.
In 2016 he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a relief pitcher. He went 1-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 16 appearances through the end of May.
In his twelve year career he is 77-92 with 1199 strike outs & 463 walks in 316 games pitched, with a 4.38 ERA.
Trivia: Capuano is a fitness freak who is in terrific shape. He met his wife Sarah Clifford, while at Duke University, she too is a fine athlete who was a contender for the modern pentathlon in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Bertram Ray Burris was born August 22, 1950 in Idabel, Oklahoma. It's safe to say, he is the only former Met to have the real first name of Bertram. The tall six foot five, right hander went to South Western Oklahoma State University and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round of the 1972 draft.
Burris was brought up to the big leagues the next season by a Cub staff in need of a pitcher. On April 18th in his second career game, he got a start at Shea Stadium against the New York Mets. Burris pitched five innings allowed just four hits & no runs, earning his first career victory. It would be his only start & win of the season. He went 1-1in 31 games posting a 2.92 ERA.
After two seasons as a reliever, he was put into the Cub rotation in 1975.
He would be a regular on the Cubs staff for the next four seasons, winning 15 games twice (1975 & 1976) leading the team in victories & innings pitched both years.
In 1975 he was 15-10 but struck out the least amount of batters among Cub starters (108) & actually gave up more earned runs (109) than strike outs. That season he posted a 4.12 ERA & allowed 238 hits.
The next year he lost 13 games (15-13) but posted a better ERA (3.11) . In those season he was in the league's top ten in starts, hits & Hrs allowed both years. Although he had some stretches of being a top pitcher, he was always plagued by the long ball, serving up twenty plus HRs four times.
In 1977 he gave up a league leading 29 HRs while going 14-16 for a Cubs team that finished fourth for a second straight year. In 1978 he fell to a 7-13 record posting a 4.75 ERA and going back to the bullpen. In mid 1979 he was traded to the AL New York team for Dick Tidrow but pitched just 15 games there going 1-3. He was placed on waivers & got picked up by the New York Mets in late August.
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He came to a bad 1979 Mets team and was thrown in the rotation right away. Burris made his Mets debut on August 24th pitching seven innings of two hit shutout ball against the Cincinnati Reds. Unfortunately he earned no decision as the Mets were shut out 1-0.
He took losses to the Atlanta Braves & Montreal Expos in his next two games. He went 0-2 in four appearances the rest of that year.
Burris was an all around good athlete and a good base runner who was sometimes used as a pinch runner.
In 1980 he began the year at 2-0 & then On May 2nd he went eight innings allowing only two hits with one run to the San Diego Padres but took a loss. He soon found himself at 4-6 but was pitching well enough to have a 3.29 ERA. He pitched a complete game against the Philadelphia Phillies in June allowing only one run getting no decision.
After missing all of July, Burris had a good stretch in mid August going 3-1 and beyond the 7th inning each time. He allowed less than two runs three times in five games. He finished up with a 7-13 record, 83 strike outs 54 walks, 20 HRs allowed & a 4.02 ERA in 170 innings in 29 games. He led the Mets staff in games started (29) innings pitched (171) losses (13) and HRs allowed (29).
After the season he was a free agent and signed with the Montreal Expos. In the strike shortened 1981 season, he was 9-7 tied for second on the staff in wins behind Steve Rodgers. That year the Expos made their only post season appearance.
Post Season: Burris lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game #3 of the NLDS, allowing four runs in 5.1 innings pitched. In the NLCS against the eventual World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, he was the winning pitcher in Game #2 throwing a five hit shut out.
He struggled mightily in 1982 going 4-14 (fourth most losses in the NL) & was traded to the Oakland A's. In Oakland he made a great come back, winning 13 games, going 13-10 with a 3.15 ERA (9th best in the AL).
ver the next three years he pitched in Milwaukee (1985 & 1987) as well as with the St. Louis Cardinals (1986).
He finished up his 15 year career going 108-134 lifetime with a 4.17 ERA. He struck out 1067 batters, walked 764, allowed 221 HRs (161 all time) 1015 earned runs (222nd all time) in 2188 innings pitched in 480 games.
Retirement: Burris became a pitching coach in the Detroit Tigers organization after his playing days. He is known to have a serious phobia of bees.
Ronald Maurice Darling was Born August 19th, 1960 in Honolulu, Hawaii to a Hawaiian-Chinese mother and French-Canadian father. He speaks both Chinese and French fluently.
His family moved to Millbury, Massachusetts, where he grew up and later attended Yale University. He had a majored in French and Southeast Asian history, and of course played baseball. Darling was one of the best baseball players in Yale’s history & pitched in the schools most famous game.
On May 21, 1981 Darling went up against St. John’s Frank Viola, and the two tossed no hitters until the 12th inning. In the 12th St. Johns got their first hit & won the game 1-0 on a double steal. In 1981 The six foot three right handed, Darling was the first round draft pick of the Texas Rangers. The following April he was traded to the New York Mets along with Walt Terrell, for the popular Mets player, Lee Mazzilli.
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Darling pitched well at AAA Tidewater in 1983 going 10-9, but gave up 102 walks in 159 innings pitched. That September he was called up to the Mets staff, getting his first start on September 6th at Shea Stadium.
He pitched 6.1 innings giving up only one run against the Philadelphia Phillies, but earned a 2-0 loss. After losing his first three decisions, he pitched a complete game victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 28th, finishing the year at 1-3 with a 2.50 ERA.
Darling got a spot on Davey Johnson’s 1984 starting staff behind Dwight Gooden & Walt Terrell. He won his first start in the second game of the season at Cincinnati, throwing six shutout innings against the Reds He won two starts in May including an eight inning, two hit shut out performance against the Houston Astros. He was 3-3 by the end of May with a 4.64 ERA and then rolled through the summer.
He won his next seven decisions, including 5-0 month of June, posting a 1.88 ERA. Darling threw a four hit shutout in St. Louis on June 14th beating John Stuper 6-0. On July 6th at Shea Stadium, he threw a four hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds & Jeff Russell.
That summer the Mets stayed in contention for first place for the first time in a long time & there was a new excitement at Shea Stadium. He struggled from August on, going 2-6 the rest of the way. He was much better pitching at Shea Stadium than on the road, getting seven wins at home.
He finished the year at 12-9 with a 3.81 ERA gathering 136 strikeouts, walking 114 in 205 innings pitched. He came in fifth place in the Rookie of the Year voting, in the shadows of rookie super star Dwight Gooden. Darling quietly went about his business as New York's 1 & 2 pitchers were among the best in the league.
By 1985 Darling became known around the league as a good pitcher in his own right. He had a great pickoff move and was one of the best defensive pitchers in baseball.
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He allowed just one run pitching seven innings in each of his first two starts of the year, but earned no decision each time, even though the Mets won both games. On April 26th he struck out eleven Pittsburgh Pirates, in his first victory tossing a five hit shutout. He won five straight decisions from May 7th through the middle of June capped off by a five hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs on June 17th at Shea.
Darling started out the first half of the season going 9-2 making his first All Star team although he did not pitch in the game. Darling had another good streak from August 19th through September 15th where he won six straight games, allowing two earned runs or less five times. Overall in that year he had seven no decisions where he had allowed two runs or less.
He finished up the year at 16-6 with his career best winning percentage (.727). His 2.90 ERA was 9th in the league, as he pitched 248 innings (8th in the NL) with 167 strikeouts (7th in the NL) throwing two shut outs. His weakness was giving up 21 long balls and leading the league with 114 walks.
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Drama: On July 19, he and teammates Bob Ojeda, Rick Aguilera and Tim Teufel were arrested outside a bar in Houston, Texas for fighting with security guards, who were also off-duty police officers. In the highly publicized ordeal, the four were quickly released & ordered to pay $200 fines. Darling appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated & GQ magazine less than a month later.
His next start came in Cincinnati where he pitched eight innings, out dueling Tom Browning 3-2, allowing just five hits along the way. From mid August on he went 4-2 through the end of the season.
On September 15th, he pitched nine shutout innings, allowing just four hits in a game in St. Louis, but earned no decision as the Mets lost it in the 13th inning, when Roger McDowell walked in Willie McGee with the winning run. Darling ended the regular season with a 9-0 two hit, five inning shutout victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last game of the regular season.
He finished the season posting a 2.18 ERA (third-best in the N.L.) with a 15-6 record (8th most wins in the league) 184 career high strikeouts (7th in the NL) four complete games, two shut outs, pitching in 237 innings making 34 starts (10th most in the NL). He lowered his base on balls allowed to 81, which was 33 less than the previous year. For the second straight year he led all NL pitchers in assists on the mound, and at the plate he added ten sacrifice hits.
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Post Season: The 1986 NLCS was tied at one game each, when Darling started Game #3 at Shea Stadium. But he allowed four runs on seven hits and left the game losing 4-0 after six innings. The Mets recovered to win the game on Lenny Dykstra’s walk off HR in the bottom of the 9th inning.
Darling then opened the 1986 World Series against the Boston Red Sox at Shea Stadium. He pitched well in Game #1 allowing only one unearned run (coming on Tim Teufel’s error) with eight strike outs, through seven innings, but lost a hard-luck 1-0 game to Bruce Hurst, who blanked the Mets bats. With the Mets in danger of falling into a 3-1 series deficit, Darling started Game #4 at Fenway Park.
He pitched seven shutout innings in his home town, with four strike outs & six walks allowed. He got out of jams when he had to & extended his 0.00 ERA to 14 World Series innings as the Mets easily won this game 6-2.
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In the legendary Game Six at Shea Stadium, Darling gave a high five to Mike Sergio who jumped out of a small airplane landing on the Shea infield in a parachute & a sign that read Lets Go Mets.
Game Six ran so long, past midnight, NBC had to start Saturday Night Live later than usual. That night Darling recorded a video message apologizing for the late start & the bit opened up the night's show.
Then he got the ball to pitch for the final Game # 7 to close out the Series.
The Sox scored three early runs in the second inning, including back to back HRs by Dwight Evans & Rich Gedman. Darling appeared tired & shaky getting only into the fourth inning. He was relieved by Sid Fernandez who shut down the Sox, and the Mets went on to win the World Championship.
In the World Series he was 1-1 posting a 1.53 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched with 12 strike outs & ten walks.
Darling & his model wife Terri were big hits at the ticker tape parade held in the Mets honor in New York City. The pretty couple enjoyed the spot light at many of the New York hot spots as well being treated like celebrities.
He had a rough start as did the whole ball club coming off the Series Championship & the drama of Dwight Gooden’s drug problems. He was given the role of taking over as the ace of the staff when Gooden was off to rehab as the season began. He earned no decision in the second game of the season, pitching into the 7th inning in the Mets 4-2 win over the Pirates. In his next start he pitched eight innings at Philadelphia allowing five runs, but still got the win as the Mets scored seven runs in his support.
In April Darling was 2-1 but his ERA was over six. Then he didn't win a game in all of May or June, going 0-4 with eight no decisions. On June 28th he had a no-hitter going through seven innings in Philadelphia, but Greg Gross broke it up with a lead off triple in the 8th inning. Juan Samuel drove in the first run & the Mets wound up losing the game 5-4.
In July he began to get better then after the All Star break he really got it going, winning six consecutive starts. On August 7th he struck out eleven Chicago Cubs, pitching a four hit one run victory at Shea Stadium.
From July 7th through the end of the season he was 10-2 keeping the Mets in contention. On September 11th during the heat of the pennant race with the rival St. Louis Cardinals, Darling pitched six shutout innings against the Cards, when he tore his thumb fielding a Vince Coleman bunt.
He got to the bench & realized his season was over. Darling said; “They put me in my car and told me, ‘drive over to Roosevelt Hospital, take X-rays and they’re gonna repair your thumb.’ I said, ‘okay, fine,’ got in my car…and back in those days we parked out past center field…and as I got in my car Terry Pendleton’s homer nearly hit me in the head.”
The Mets lost the game and it was this night that people look back on as the Mets elimination from contention.
Without Darling their finish was even tougher, needless to say they finished second that year. He finished the year at 12-8 with a 167 strikeouts (7th in the NL), 96 walks (4th most in the NL) and a high 4.29 ERA, the worst of his first seven seasons.
In 1988, Darling bounced back strong; he pitched three hit complete game win at Shea beating the Expos for his firts win of the year. On April 22nd he shut out the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in another complete game. On May 8th Darling pitched a three hit one run victory over the Reds and went 4-2 in the month. In June he tossed another complete game, a seven hitter over the Pirates in a 9-0 Mets win.
Darling had ten wins in the first half of the season (10-5) with a 2.70 ERA. He had a great finish helping lead the team to another Eastern Division title, winning seven of nine games from July 31st through the end of the year. He won his last five decisions in August & September, tossing two complete games in that period. On September 2nd, Darling struck out eight Dodgers pitching a five hit shut out to beat former Met Tim Leary.
On September 22nd he beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 allowing just six hits to clinch the NL Eastern title for New York, their second divisional title in three years.
Darling was an incredible 14-1 at Shea Stadium for the year and his ERA was twice as low at home than on the road. Overall he finished 1988 with a career high 17 wins (8th most in the league) going 17-9.
That year he was third behind David Cone (20 wins) & Dwight Gooden (18 wins) on the Mets strong staff. Darling pitched four shut outs (6th in the NL) & seven complete games. He threw 240 innings, with 161 strikeouts (10th in the NL) and 60 walks (lowest in his career up to that point) posting a 3.25 ERA. At the plate he batted .220 with six extra base hits, ten sac hits & four RBIs.
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Post Season: Darling was terrible in the 1988 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the series tied 1-1, he fell behind 3-0 in Game #3 pitching in six innings before getting relieved by Roger McDowell. But the Mets came back to win the game 8-4.
In the deciding Game #7 he went up against Orel Hershiser, giving up six runs while getting knocked out in the second inning. The Dodgers won the game & moved on to the World Series, as the Mets season came to a shocking end.
In 1989 the Mets would finish second, six games behind the Chicago Cubs. Darling started out the year at 0-3 not winning his first game at the end of April. He would stay around the .500 mark all year. At the start of August he pitched two straight complete games, first allowing just two runs to the Expos & then allowing just one run to the Cardinals, both at Shea Stadium. On August 26th he allowed just one run while pitching into the 9th inning, in a 4-1 win against the San Francisco Giants.
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During the summer, he hit HRs in back to back games that he started, the only two HRs of his career. That year he also had a career high, five RBIs while at the plate. In September he lost four of six decisions, although he allowed two runs or less in four starts.
That season Darling became the first Mets pitcher to win a Gold Glove Award making just four errors in 56 chances. He had a .500 season going 14-14 with 153 strike outs in 207 innings over 33 starts (7th most in the NL) posting a 3.52 ERA. He also threw 12 wild pitches, six most in the league.
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In 1990 he struggled again and was sent to the bullpen for a while to work things out. He made 18 starts in 33 appearances, didn’t get any saves and went 7-9 on the year, having the first losing season of his career. In 126 innings he struck out 99 batters, walked 44 & posted a 4.50 ERA. The 1990 Mets fell short again, coming in second place four games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 1991 he was back on the starting staff again but continued to struggle. He was 2-4 by mid June & got himself to .500 by the end of the month. He pitched a two hit, eight inning shut outs in Montreal on July 3rd against the Expos, in a game which turned out to be his last good outing as a New York Met.
He was 5-6 by mid July, and on July 15, 1991 Ron Darling was traded to the Montreal Expos for pitcher Tim Burke. After just three games the Expos sent him to the Oakland A’s two weeks later, in exchange for two minor leaguers. On a good Oakland A's club Darling won his first three decisions, but then got wild & lost seven straight.
Overall in 1991 he was 8-15 with a 4.26 ERA for the three teams. In 1992 he made a solid return, having his last quality year. He pitched over 200 innings, going 15-10 with 99 strike outs & a 3.66 ERA. He tossed three shut outs (4th in the AL). On May 24th he he pitched a two hit shutout in his home town of Boston to beat the Red Sox. Later in the year on July 12th, he pitched another two hitter against the eventual World Champion Toronto Blue Jays. Later In the ALCS he pitched Game #3 against the Blue Jays & gave up two HRs taking the loss.
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In 1993 he struggled, at 5-9 with a 5.16 ERA, as the A's fell to a 7th place last place finish, their worst run since 1979. Darling came back with a good 1994, leading the Athletics staff going 10-11 as the only pitcher in Oakland to win double figures. He posted a 4.50 ERA leading the league with 25 starts. He was released in 1995 ending his playing career.
In his 13-year career, he was 136-116 with 1,590 strikeouts (174th all time), 13 shut outs, 37 complete games in 2360 innings pitched and a 3.87 ERA. He made 364 starts (182nd all time) allowing 906 walks (156th all time) 97 wild pitches (111th all time) & 239 HRs (138th all time).
At the plate he is a .144 hitter with 76 hits in 526 at bats, 2 HRs 21 doubles & 21 RBIs.
Mets All Time List: In his Mets career he is fourth all time in wins (99) & innings pitched (1620). He is sixth all time in strike outs (1148) fourth in walks (614) seventh all time in shut outs (10) tenth in complete games (25) & sisteenth in games pitched (257).
Trivia:Darling was the last N.L. pitcher to win the Gold Glove award before Greg Maddux's remarkable streak of 13 consecutive Gold Gloves.
Retirement: Ron began his career as a broadcaster for the Oakland A's & also had a FOX show called Baseball Today.
In 2005 he was commentator for the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals. In 2006 he came home to the New York Mets on the new SNY Network as a color commentator & studio analyst.
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Since 2007 he has worked the post season, for the TBS network. For his outstanding television work, he was won an Emmy Award. Darling lives in Manhattan with his wife. The Mets broadcast team of Darling, Kieth Hernandez & Gary Chen have created a website & hold various events with the proceeds going to charities.
In 2009 he published a book called "The Complete Game" which is broken down in chapters titled innings. The book expains the mind of an MLB pitcher breaking down what goes through his head in certain situations.
Family: In 2004, he married Joanna Last, a makeup artist for Fox Sports.
Previously he was married to Irish model Antoinette O'Reilly. She had small roles on television and in movies, using her married name: Toni Darling. During their marriage, they appeared in numerous magazine features together. They had two children, Tyler and Jordan Darling.
Darling & his wife live in Williamsburg Brooklyn. One of his favorite hangouts is Bamonte's Restaurant, this is the place I met him the first time.
Quotes: Two blocks away is an Italian place called Bamonte’s. It’s an institution in Williamsburg. We all love the food there, but for me it’s also a historical place. After game days, Joe DiMaggio would go there — he’d get a seat at the corner table. More times than not, I get that seat, too, and to sit where DiMaggio sat and eat the chicken and sausage that DiMaggio ate, it’s just a huge thrill.
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Honors: He threw out the ceremonial first pitch of Game #7 of the 2006 NLCS.
He was on hand for the 20th & 30th Anniversary tributes to the 1986 Championship teams.
He was also on hand for the Ralph Kiner Tribute night, and the closing ceremonies of Shea Stadium in 2008.
Trivia: Ron Darling has also had small roles in the films Shallow Hal, Mr. 3000 and The Day After Tomorrow.
centerfieldmaz Looks back at Ron Darling's fine performances in the 1986 World Series.
Saturday October 18th, 1986- World Series Game #1 (Shea Stadium, New York):
There was much excitement in New York City as the World Series began. One of the best Mets teams ever assembled were popular favorites to win the World Series, their first Championship since 1969. Davey Johnsons club had won 108 games, 21 1/5 games ahead of the second place Phillies.
John McNamara's Boston Redsox were 95-66 on the season & had just defeated the California Angels in the ALCS. Bruce Hurst (13-8 / 2.99 ERA / 167 K's) who would be a thorn in the Mets side all Series, got the ball for the opener facing off against The Mets; Ron Darling (15-6 / 2.81 ERA / 184 K's).
After Mets fan / actress; Glenn Close sung the National Anthem, Ron Darling took the mound & had a fantastic outing on the big stage. Darling scattered just three hits over seven innings, striking out eight batters while walking three. In the 7th inning, Darling walked Jim Rice to start out the inning. He would advance on a wild pitch.
Then with one out, Rich Gedman grounded a ball to second base that went under the glove of Tim Teufel. The error allowed Rice to score in what turned out to be the only heartbreaking run of the game.
Hurst shut out the Mets over eight innings allowing just four runs. Calvin Schiraldi closed it out in the 9th. The Mets found themselves down 1-0 in the series.
Wednesday October 22nd, 1986 -World Series Game #4 (Fenway Park, Boston)
Starting Lineups
The Mets had dropped the first two games at Shea, but won Game #3 at Fenway Park. Down Two games to one in Game #4, the local boy; Ron Darling (15-6 / 2.81 ERA / 184 Ks) got a chance to pitch in the region he grew up in, against the team he rooted for.
Another Fenway sellout of 33,920 came out on a cool New England night, as Manager John McNamarra sent Al Nipper (10-12 / 5.38 ERA) to the mound for the Red Sox.
After taking a rough 1-0 loss in Game #1, Darling would get offensive support in Game #4.
It was another big night for " the Kid"- Gary Carter. Carter would collect three hits & blast a pair of HRs, driving in three runs. These nights were the icing on the cake for his spectacular Hall of Fame career.
His first HR was a two run shot (bringing in Wally Backman who singled) coming off Al Nipper in the 4th inning. Daryl Strawberry followed with a double & Ray Knight drove him in with a base hit, making it 3-0. Knight himself was just hot on his way to the Series MVP Award.
In the 7th inning, Lenny Dykstra hit his second HR of the Series, a two run shot off Steve Crawford.
In the 8th inning, Carter hit his second HR of the evening, a solo shot off also off Sox pitcher; Steve Crawford. Up to this point Carter had seven hits in the Series, (7-17 with 2 HRs & 7 RBIs).
Ron Darling went seven shut out innings, allowed just four hits, he struck out four but walked six. He was relieved by Roger McDowell who gave up two runs in the Red Sox 8th inning.
Jesse Orosco closed the game out, as the Mets won it 6-2 & evened up the World Series two games each.
Trivia: The 1986 World Series games at Fenway Park, was where & when the famous "Daaaaaaryl" chants actually started.
The Fenway Park, right field Red Sox fans, began taunting Daryl Strawberry with those haunting “Daaaaaryl” chants. He responded by tipping his cap in sarcasm.
The Met fans responded by taunting reliever (former Met) Calvin Shiraldi in Games Six & Seven.
Darling would get the start in the final Game #7 but not have a good outing. Darling would last just into the 4th inning, giving up three runs on six hits. The two big blows came in the 2nd inning, as he gave up back to back HRs to Dwight Evans & Rich Gedman.
Overall in the World Series Darling made three starts going 1-1 with a 1.53 ERA. He gave up four earned runs, on 13 hits, as he struck out 12 batters & walked 10 in 17.2 innings pitched. Darling was the Mets best starter in the series. If not for the 1-0 unearned run loss in Game #1 ,his performance would have been looked back at as even better.
Roger Leandro Cedeno was born August 16, 1974 in Venezuela. The six foot one, switchhitter was signed out of high school in 1991 by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent.
The speedy Cedeno stole 40 bases in the Rookie League in 1992, followed up by a 28 stolen base year in 1993. At AAA Albuquerque in 1994 he stole 30 bases & hit .321 getting a call up to the Dodgers that season.
He was supposed to replace Bret Butler in centerfield, but it didn’t quite work out that way. Roger was back & forth to the minors over the next three seasons, batting .354 at AAA in 1997. He played four seasons in Los Angeles batting a best. 273 in 1997, while stealing only nine bases in 80 games. He saw more action in 1998 (105 games) but the Dodgers gave up on him after he batted just .242 with only eight steals.
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In December 1998 he was traded along with Charles Johnson to the New York Mets for catcher Todd Hundley after the arrival of Mike Piazza in New York.
In New York, Cedeno became a big part of the Mets 1999 Wild Card season, helping them get to the NLCS. He set a Mets single season stolen base mark at the time, with 66 steals (second most in the NL). He hit a career best .313 and led the team with four triples. He scored 90 runs, hit 23 doubles playing in 155 games as the Mets main right fielder.
He debuted as a Met in the second game of the season entering an extra inning game against Florida in the 6th inning, getting a single in his first at bat. By early May he was hitting well enough to secure himself in the everyday lineup. He reached the .300 mark & began to steal alot of bases. He stole 23 bases in May, having seven games where he stole two or more bases.
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On May 14th 1999, he stole four bases in a game at Philadelphia against the Phillies. In the 1st inning he reached on an error then stole third base after he had advanced on a ground out.
He would score a run on John Olerud’s HR. In the 5th inning he singled and stole second base, scoring again on an Olerud RBI hit. In the 7th inning Cedeno singled, then stole second & third base , soon scoring his third run of the game.
On May 17th he stole three bases in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. On June 7th in Tampa, Cedeno doubled to drive in Benny Agbayani in the top of the 10th inning, breaking a 7-7 tie, the run was the game winner.
He had a good year staying over the .300 mark & stealing bases while playing a solid outfield. He played in 149 games, 127 in right field, posting a .987 fielding % and had nine outfield assists.
1999 Post Season: NLDS: In the NLDS against the Arizona Diamond backs Cedeno did not start the first three games but got into each game in the later innings. He came in as a pinch hitter replacing Benny Agbayani in Game #3, & drove in a run with a 6th inning single off Dan Plesac.
In Game #4 he hit a key sac fly that scored the games tying run, setting the stage for Todd Pratt’s dramatic walk off HR. Overall Cedeno hit .286 (2-7) in the Series, as much of the playing time went to Rickey Henderson, Benny Agbayani, Shawon Dunston & Daryl Hamilton.
1999 NLCS: In the NLCS he got two hits in the opener at Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves.& In Game #2 he drove in Ronin Ventura with an RBI single off Kevin Millwood in the 2nd inning. After not playing in Game #3, he had a big Game #4 at Shea Stadium getting three hits going 3-4.
In Game #5 he came in to pinch run for Matt Franco in the 15th inning & scored what was the winning run on Robin Ventura’s Grand Slam single. Overall Cedeno hit .500 going 6-12 with a double, two stolen bases and an RBI.
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That December he had good trade value and the Mets used it, trading him along with Octavio Dotel to the Houston Astros for Mike Hampton & Derek Bell. Hampton would be vital to the Mets effort in getting to the World Series that season.
In Houston, Cedeno missed three months of action after breaking his hand while sliding into first base head first. Overall he finished up hitting .283 playing in only 74 games. That winter he was dealt to the Detroit Tigers in a six player deal & spent one season there batting .293 with 55 stolen bases (2nd in the AL). In 2002 he returned to the Mets as a free agent, but his second stint in New York wasn’t as successful as his first.
He did steal 25 of 29 bases, but only batted .260 with a .318 on base % with 65 runs scored. He began the year with two hits, a walk & an RBI on Opening Day, in the Mets 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. In May he had a ten game hit streak but struggled all year, never hitting above .260.
In June he got into a publicized argument with Roberto Alomar after teasing him about one of his old baseball cards. Manager Bobby Valentine had to sit the players down to straighten things out.
On September 19th he singled off the Cubs Will Cunnane in the bottom of the 9th inning driving in the game winning run. He also committed eight errors in the outfield, fourth most in the NL. That off season he was arrested for driving under the influence in Bradenton Florida after he was stopped for erratic driving.
In 2003 he hit only .267 stealing 14 bases with 7 HRs & 37 RBIs. His best offensive numbers came with his 25 doubles. Cedeno was once a popular player at Shea Stadium during the winning times, but now he heard the boos as he & the team struggled. Even in Spring Training Cedeno was hearing boos & worse things. He was finally traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Wilson Delgado at the start of the 2004 season.
In St. Louis 2004 he hit .265 and went to the World Series as a reserve outfielder. It was in this historic Series that the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918.
In the NLCS against the Houston Astros he only batted .167 (1-6) but in Game #7 he singled in the 6th inning & scored the game’s tying run. Cedeno he made four appearances in the World Series going 1-3.
Overall he hit .265 that post season playing in 11 games. In 2005 he was released and signed with the Baltimore Orioles for the 2006 season. He showed up overweight and didn’t make the club.
After a ten year career he batted .273 with 865 hits, 213 steals, 40 HRs, 274 RBIs, 127 doubles a .340 on base % & 32 triples in 1100 games played. In the outfield he posted a .976% with 31 assists.
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