Ron Darling: World Champion Mets Pitcher (Part One: 1983-1987)
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Cape Cod League Hall of Fame: Darling played baseball in the Cape Cod League & was considered one the league's best players in it's history finishing with a .336 batting average. In 2002 he was later inducted into the Cape Cod League Hall of Fame with eleven others including former Mets manager Buck Showalter.
Yale: From 1979-1981 Darling attended Yale University where he majored in French & Southeast Asian history. Originally wanting to play both football & baseball, he chose to focus on the latter. He regrets not choosing to play football at Yale & missing the chance to play for legendary coach Carmen Cozza.
In 1981 he played at AA Ball with the Tulsa Drillers. Later that year the six foot three right-handed, Darling was the first-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers, the ninth pick overall. The following April, he was traded to the New York Mets along with Walt Terrell for the popular Mets player, Lee Mazzilli.
In 1983 at AAA Tidewater Darling played for manager Davey Johnson on team that included future Mets teammates Darryl Strawberry, Wally Backman, Terry Leach & Walt Terrell. Ronnie pitched well going 10-9 with a 4.02 ERA . But one issue that he would always struggle with was walks, as he gave up 102 walks in 159 innings pitched.
Mets Debut: That September he was called up to the Mets staff, getting his first start on September 6th, 1983, at Shea Stadium vs the Phillies.
Darling pitched 6.1 innings giving up just one run which was the result of a balk with Mike Schmidt at bat & Joe Morgan on third base.
First Career Win: On September 28th in Pittsburgh, Rookie Darryl Strawberry hit a 1st inning two run HR giving Darling some support. Darryl would have a multi-Three RBI game. Ronnie would pitch a complete game allowing two runs & striking out five for his first career win. He finished the month at 1-3 with a 2.50 ERA.
Pitcher of The Month: From June 4th thru July 6th Darling won seven straight decisions earning the Pitcher of the Month Award for June. That month he was 5-0 while posting a 2.83 ERA. On June 4th he allowed two runs to the Pirates in Pittsburgh in a 4-2 win. In the first game of a June 9th double header in Montreal, he gave up two runs, one earned over seven innings in a 4-2 win over the Expos. George Foster drove in three of the runs as he & Mookie Wilson both homered.
On July 1st, Ron shut out the Braves at Shea Stadium, for seven innings allowing just two hits in an exciting 2-1 Mets win. Darryl Strawberry's two run 7th inning single off Rick Mahler was the difference.
From August thru the end of the season, Darling struggled going 2-6 with a 4.82 ERA the rest of the way.
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1985: Although Dwight Gooden was the Cy Young Award winner putting in one of the best seasons a pitcher ever had, Darling too became known around the league as a top pitcher in his own right. He also had a great pickoff move for a right hander & was one of the best defensive pitchers in baseball.
He began the season allowing just one run, pitching seven innings in each of his first two starts while earning no decision each time, although the Mets did win both games later on.
From May 7th thru June 17th, Ron won five straight decisions posting a 2.09 ERA over nine starts.
On June 17th, he tossed a five-hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs at Shea, getting the Mets to 2.5 games of first place behind the Expos & two games behind the Cubs.
The Braves Terry Harper tied it with a two run HR in the bottom frame. In the 18th, Len Dykstra's sac fly put the Mets ahead, but pitcher Rick Camp homered to tie it up again in the bottom half of the 18th.
Stolen Base & Victory: On July 7th, as the Atlanta series continued, he gave up three runs on a season high ten hits but still earned the win as New York also collected ten hits putting up seven runs in the 8-5 win.
On July 12th at Houston, Ronnie took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning but Alan Ashby tied the game with a two out solo HR. The Mets scored in the top of the 10th as Rafael Santana provided the RBI single which gave Darling the victory.
1985 All Star: Darling was 9-2 with a 2.52 at the All-Star break & was named to his first All Star team. He did not pitch in the 6-1 NL win at the Metrodome in Minnesota.
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Multi- Three Hit Game: On August 3rd he pitched a fine game at Wrigley Field, pitching into the 8th inning, although he gave up four runs just one was earned. He got no decision in the eventual Met win. In the game while at bat, he collected three singles.
Six Straight Wins: From August 19th thru September 19th, Darling won six straight starts posting a 2.01 ERA in that time although he walked 25 batters & struck out 23 in 44.2 innings.
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The Mets would win seven of ten games in California with Darling notching another win in San Diego for his 14th victory. Over his last five starts he allowed just five runs in 38 innings for a 1.18 ERA lowering his season ERA to 2.66.
On September 15th, Ronnie won his 16th game of the year with a win in Montreal, keeping the Mets a half game up in first place. As the Mets went 9-5 over the next 14 games the Cards kept winning & took a two game lead over the Mets.
Overall, in that year Darling had seven no decisions where he had allowed two runs or less.
1986 Championship Season: Ronnie got the start in the second game of the 1986 season, at Philadelphia, having one of his worst outings of the year, allowing six runs including HRs to Darren Daulton & Von Hates as he exited in the 5th inning of the 9-7 loss.
On the road trip heading west, Ronnie beat Nolan Ryan in Houston, allowing two runs to the Astros with Danny Heep providing a two run HR against his old teammates while, Keith, Gary & Darryl also drove in runs. In San Francisco Darling held the Giants to three hits over seven innings for his fourth straight win.
On the next pitch Niedenfuer hit Ray Knight with a pitch, Knight charged the mound as benches cleared in all out brawl. The Mets went on to an 8-1 win, with Keith Hernandez adding a solo HR followed by another curtain call infuriating L.A. manager Tommy Lasorda.
In June he lost his first two starts allowing four earned runs to the Giants & then the Pirates, it was the only time he suffered back-to-back losses the entire regular season. On June 11th at Shea, he beat the Phillies as he struck out six in six innings of work.
Complete Game: On June 22nd at Shea Stadium, Ronnie threw his second complete game of the year. He allowed two runs, one earned limiting the Cubs to just five hits for his eighth victory. At bat he collected two hits for the first of his two multi-hit games on the season.
Palmer hit the next batter Darryl Strawberry with a pitch causing Straw to charge the mound. Ron
Darling was among the first to leave the dugout, along with Keith Hernandez & Rick Aguilera charging the mound to go after Palmer. The Mets went on to an 11-0 blow out win.
The Mets went to Houston for what was to be a memorable road trip. On July 18th, although Darling only gave up two runs, the Mets were shut out by Bob Knepper, collecting just tree hits.
Houston Night Club Drama: On July 19, Ronnie, Bob Ojeda, Rick Aguilera & Tim Teufel went to Cooter's night club known to be a hang out for sports figures while in Houston. The Mets players were celebrating Tim Teufel who was about to become a father.
86 Mets Celebrity Status: In the Summer of '86, the Mets were riding high in first place. The team was known to show off, party, love the ladies & get into a brawl at the drop of a hat. The fans loved then & this led to personal endorsements & exposer. Darling was a fine looking young man & the girls loved him. He took full advantage of the high profile in New York City. That summer he graced the cover of GQ magazine & Sports Illustrated. He did many ads & was one of the most sought-after Mets for endorsements.
Brawl in Cincinnati: As the Mets continued on the road trip, they had another memorable game on July 22nd. In the top of the 9th inning Dave Parker dropped a fly ball in right field that allowed the Mets to tie the game. The game went to extras, in the bottom of the 10th Eric Davis came in to pinch run for Pete Rose.
As Davis advanced to third base, he did a pop up slide into Ray Knight. Ray barked at Davis & he shouted back, Knight the former Gold Glove Boxer after Davis. A full all out bench -bullpen clearing brawl broke out with four players getting ejected. After the long delay the Mets went on to win the game.
Shut Out: In the first game of a July 29th double header at Shea, Darling tossed his second shut out of the year coming three starts after his first. He held the Cubs to six hits while fanning eight & walking no one. It was the second of three starts on the year he didn't walk any one.
As September rolled around, the Mets were counting the days for clinching the Divisional title. On September 6th he allowed a season high 12 hits to the Padres at Shea but took no decision in the Mets 4-3 win. On September 10th, Darling beat the Expos allowing one run thru eight innings to reach 13 victories.
On September 15th, Ronnie went at it with Mets killer John Tudor in St. Louis as he pitched nine shutout innings, allowing just four hits. But Tudor matched zeroes with him shutting out the Mets as well. New York lost it in the 13th inning, when Roger McDowell walked in Willie McGee with the winning run.
In his last start of the regular season, he blanked the Pirates for five innings in a combined shut out with Sid Fernandez as Ronnie reached the 15 win mark
1986 Post Season -NLCS: The 1986 NLCS was tied at one game each, when Darling got the ball for Game #3 against the Houston Astros at Shea Stadium in New York. It was the first playoff game in 13 years at Shea Stadium.
In the end inning, he served up a two-run HR to Bill Doran who had only hit six HRs all season, as the Mets trailed 4-0. Darling settled down & pitched just four innings allowing the four runs on six hits,, with five K's & two walks.
1986 World Series: In Game #1 Darling opened the 1986 World Series against Bruce Hurst & the Boston Red Sox at Shea Stadium.
Ronnie pitched well in a game he later recalled as being one the better games he pitched in his career., allowing only one unearned run which was the only run of the game.
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For Game #4, it was a special start for Ron, as his dream had come true, as he was pitching in a World Series at Fenway Park against the team he grew up rooting for a child growing up in the New England area.
From the 2nd inning, Darling retired ten batters in a row getting to the 5th inning when he walked
Spike Owen. Marty Barrett singed for the second time but Darling got Bill Buckner to pop up to end the inning.
Game Six: In the legendary Game Six at Shea Stadium, the Mets had their backs against the wall down three games to two. As the game was about to begin, Darling was sitting in his usual non pitching day spot on the far side of the dugout ready to chart the pitches.
Trivia: After falling behind 5-3 in the top of the 10th inning the Mets would come back with two outs in the bottom of the inning collecting three straight singles. Then a wild pitch allowing Kevin Mitchell to score the tying run. They went on win the game on Mookie Wilson's little roller up along first that got by Bill Buckner gong under his legs allowing Ray Knight to score the game winning run. An incredible come back walk off win.
The entire 1986 season had come down to one game. ( & centerfieldmaz was there for it.)
In the top of the 3rd inning, Darling had an easy inning but in the 4th, he appeared to be tired. He started out the inning hitting Dave Henderson with a pitch, then Spike Owen flew out to deep right field.
After pitcher Bruce Hurst bunted successfully to move Henderson over, Mets manager Davey
Johnson came out of the dug out to remove Darling. He got a nice ovation when he left. After his two brilliant performances in his first two World Series starts the third didn't go as well.
Post Season Stats:
In the World Series Darling went 1-1 with a 1.53 ERA striking out 12 & walking ten in 17.2 innings pitched.
Later that week Darling & his wife Teri joined the Mets for the ticker-tape parade down the
canyon of Heroes in Manhattan.
On April 14th at Philadelphia he earned his first win, although he allowed five runs the offense scored seven runs in his support. On April 22nd, Darling gave up four runs in seven innings in Pittsburgh but still earned a win as New York won it 8-7. In the 5th inning he doubled off Bob Patterson driving in Kevin McReynolds with his second RBI of the year.
On May 13th, despite giving up just one run in Houston, he & the Mets took a 2-1 loss to nemesis Mike Scott. Scott had beaten the Mets in two games of the 1986 NLCS & was looming if a Game Seven was necessary The Mets had accused Scott of scuffing up the baseball.
At the All Star break the Mets were in third place 9.5 games back as Darling was 4-7 with a 4.69 ERA. After the All Star break, Ronnie got some offensive help & went on to win six consecutive starts.
Big Blow & Injury: 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.
The Mets lost the game & looking back it was that night that is pointed out being the key night Mets were eliminated from contention in 1987.
The Mets were only in first place briefly in April that season. They crawled back into second place getting as close as a game & a half by mid-September, but never caught the Cardinals. Without Darling the Mets finish was even tougher, as they finished second 92-70 three games back.
Yale: From 1979-1981 Darling attended Yale University where he majored in French & Southeast Asian history. Originally wanting to play both football & baseball, he chose to focus on the latter. He regrets not choosing to play football at Yale & missing the chance to play for legendary coach Carmen Cozza. But while focusing on baseball he became a star player, becoming one of the best baseball players in Yale’s history. He was one of the team's best hitters batting atop the lineup. On the mound he was the squad's best pitchers as well.
Ron Darling vs Frank Viola Pitcher's Duel: On May 21, 1981, Darling went up against St. John University's star pitcher, Frank Viola. The two tossed no hitters for their respective teams thru eleven innings.
In the 12th inning, St. Johns got their first hit & ended up winning the legendary game 1-0 on a double steal. Darling & Viola would later be teammates on the Mets becoming close friends as well.
With the Mets organization, he began his career at AAA Tidewater.
In 1983 at AAA Tidewater Darling played for manager Davey Johnson on team that included future Mets teammates Darryl Strawberry, Wally Backman, Terry Leach & Walt Terrell. Ronnie pitched well going 10-9 with a 4.02 ERA . But one issue that he would always struggle with was walks, as he gave up 102 walks in 159 innings pitched.
Darling pitched 6.1 innings giving up just one run which was the result of a balk with Mike Schmidt at bat & Joe Morgan on third base.
In his first at bat Ron struck out but his next time up he singled into left field. The Mets lost the game 2-0 with Ron taking his first loss. The Phillies' winning pitcher that night was former Met Tug McGraw.
On September 12th, in Philadelphia he took another close game loss 2-1, to John Denny. Darling allowed just two runs in seven innings but walked six. After losing his first three decisions, he pitched a complete game victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates
1984: Darling got a spot-on Davey Johnson’s 1984 starting pitching staff behind the young phenom Dwight Gooden & Walt Terrell.
On April 4th, Ron won his first start in the second game of the Mets season. He shut out the Reds in Cincinnati for six innings, beating Bruce Berenyi. Keith Hernandez drove in one of the Mets two runs that night. He gave up six runs in starts against Montreal & Philadelphia, taking losses while getting his ERA at 5.57.
On May 4th, Darling shut out the Astros over eight innings while just giving up two hits. Keith Hernandez drove in one of the two Mets runs & Hubie Brooks homered off Bob Knepper in the 2-0 win. On May 9th he got his third win in a six inning one run outing over the Braves.
On May 4th, Darling shut out the Astros over eight innings while just giving up two hits. Keith Hernandez drove in one of the two Mets runs & Hubie Brooks homered off Bob Knepper in the 2-0 win. On May 9th he got his third win in a six inning one run outing over the Braves.
On May 28th, his 2nd inning sac fly scored Ron Gardenhire with his first career RBI. At the end of May, Ron was 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA. From there he went on a roll.
First Career Shut Out: On June 14th in St. Louis, Darling threw a four-hit complete game shutout beating John Stuper & the Cardinals 6-0. It was his first career shut out as third straight victory. Including his last start he now had pitched eleven straight scoreless innings.
In his next two starts he took two back-to-back victories over the Phillies, one at Shea & the other at the Vet. Although he allowed nine runs combined in the two starts, the offense supported him in both games.
That summer the Mets stayed in contention for first place for the first time in nine years. There was a new excitement at Shea Stadium & it was fun to be at the ballpark which brought in the fans.
Shut Out: On a rainy July 6th Friday night, Ron threw his second shut out. A four-hit 1-0 complete game against Jeff Russell & the Cincinnati Reds at Shea Stadium. It was the first game of a double header sweep, where the Mets won the night cap on Kelvin Chapman's walk off RBI single.
From there Ronnie had four straight no decisions, allowing three runs in three of the four games.
On July 17th at the Astrodome, Ron faced off against Joe Niekro, pitching eight innings allowing just one run that was unearned due to Ron Gardenhire's error at short. Niekro held the Mets to a run as well. In the 9th inning Keith Hernandez put the Mets ahead but Doug Sisk gave up a two run walk off HR to Mark Bailey for the loss.
In back-to-back August games against the Giants he collected RBIs in each game.
Darling finished the year at 12-9 with a 3.81 ERA gathering 136 strikeouts, walking 104 (3rd most in the NL) in 205 innings pitched in 33 starts. He also had two shut outs (8th in the NL).
Ronnie was much better pitching at Shea Stadium than on the road, getting seven wins at home (7-2) posting a 3.01 ERA, while going 5-7 on the road with a 4.59 ERA.
Ronnie 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 one & two pitchers were among the best in the league.
Ronnie 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 one & two pitchers were among the best in the league.
#12: In Spring Training 1983 when Darling arrived with the Mets he was issued uniform #44. He kept the number thru the 1984 season. Prior to the 1985 season he switched to his uniform #12.
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He began the season allowing just one run, pitching seven innings in each of his first two starts while earning no decision each time, although the Mets did win both games later on.
On April 21st, he gave up a season high five runs in Philadelphia serving up HRs to Juan Samuel & Glen Wilson. Former Met Jerry Koosman made the start against his old team that day, giving up five runs as well, neither pitcher factored in the 10-6 Mets loss.
Shut Out: On April 26th, Darling tossed his first shut out of the season, earning his first win of the year as well, tossing a five-hitter over the Pirates, where he struck out a season high eleven batters. In the game he struck out Steve Kemp three times & three other Pirates twice each.
Shut Out: On April 26th, Darling tossed his first shut out of the season, earning his first win of the year as well, tossing a five-hitter over the Pirates, where he struck out a season high eleven batters. In the game he struck out Steve Kemp three times & three other Pirates twice each.
In his next start, he allowed five runs (three earned) in a 10-3 loss at Houston as Bob Knepper kept the Mets in check for the win.
From May 7th thru June 17th, Ron won five straight decisions posting a 2.09 ERA over nine starts. On May 7th at Shea, although Darling scattered nine hits he allowed just one run over eight innings, striking out seven Braves in a 5-3 Mets win.
In his next start he beat the Phillies at Shea 3-2.
On May 17th at Shea Stadium, he allowed two runs over nine innings against the Giants but got no decision. The Mets won the game in the 12th on Gary Carters walk off RBI base hit.
On May 27th, after another no decision, the Mets beat the Dodgers 8-1 behind Darling's one run seven K performance. The Mets were now just a half game out of first place, they would take over the top spot the next night remaining there for the next week.
19 Inning Fourth of July Classic: On July 4th in Atlanta, Darling made his first relief appearance in a epic 19 inning Fourth of July classic. The game went tied into extra innings, when in the 13th, Howard Johnson hit a two run HR to put New York ahead.
In the top of the 19th, the Mets put up five runs with a base clearing three run single from Danny Heep & RBI hits from Ray Knight & Wally Backman.
Darling came on in the bottom of the 19th, Claudell Washington reached on a Keith Hernandez error, then Darling issued back to back walks.
In a game that never seemed like it was going to end, Terry Harper delivered a two out, two run single making it a 16-13 game. But Darling finally ended it striking out Rick Camp who had homered earlier, to give the Mets the win.
In the top of the 4th inning, he singled with two men on but Danny Heep was thrown at home to end the inning. Later in the 6th, Ron reached on an error then he stole his only career base after reaching first base on an error. The steal came off Braves pitcher Jeff Dedmon & catcher Bruce Benedict.
On July 12th at Houston, Ronnie took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning but Alan Ashby tied the game with a two out solo HR. The Mets scored in the top of the 10th as Rafael Santana provided the RBI single which gave Darling the victory.
In his first start after the All-Star game, he earned his 10th win of the year beating the Braves at Shea Stadium.
Over the next two months, Ronnie had some control issues as he walked five or more batters seven times. In his last two starts of July, both at Shea, he walked five then six batters taking losses in each game as he gave up four runs to the Red then seven runs (five earned) to the Astros.
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Multi- Three Hit Game: On August 3rd he pitched a fine game at Wrigley Field, pitching into the 8th inning, although he gave up four runs just one was earned. He got no decision in the eventual Met win. In the game while at bat, he collected three singles.After another no decision, he took a tough 2-1 loss to Kevin Gross & the Phillies at Shea. After going head to head with Gross thru six scoreless innings, Rick Schu delivered an RBI single. In the 9th, Roger McDowell then gave up a run for the loss.
Six Straight Wins: From August 19th thru September 19th, Darling won six straight starts posting a 2.01 ERA in that time although he walked 25 batters & struck out 23 in 44.2 innings.
On August 19th in Montreal, he & Bryn Smith both shut out their opponents through seven innings. Darling got the win when Wally Backman's 8th inning double off Tim Burke scored Danny Heep with the game's only run.
On August 24th, he allowed one run to the Padres at Shea over seven innings for his 12th win of the year.
Complete Game: On August 30th, Darling snapped a Mets three game losing streak, as he threw his fourth complete game victory a 2-1 win in San Francisco over Mike Kruko. Keith Hernandez & Howard Johnson drove in the two runs. The Mets were now just two games behind the first place rival St. Louis Cardinals at this point.
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The Mets would win seven of ten games in California with Darling notching another win in San Diego for his 14th victory. Over his last five starts he allowed just five runs in 38 innings for a 1.18 ERA lowering his season ERA to 2.66.Mets Cardinal Rivalry: On September 10th, Darling got the start in a big game against the Cardinals at Shea Stadium. The previous game the Mets had beaten the LA Dodgers & combined with a St. Louis loss, the teams were tied for first place. Darling went up against 15 game winner Danny Cox.
In the top of the 1st, Darling gave up a HR to Tommy Herr. In the top of the 2nd Keith Hernandez tied the game with a base hit, then Howard Johnson hit a grand slam HR.
Darling pitched into the 7th inning leaving with a two run lead. Another Cardinal run was charged to him but Roger McDowell saved the game for a 5-4 win. The Mets took two of three games to get into first place.
On October 1st, the Mets went to St. Louis three games out of first place with six games left to play. Darling pitched the first game of the big series facing off against John Tudor in front of 46,026 fans at Busch Stadium. That season Tudor was 3-1 against the Mets with a 0.93 ERA. Darling & Tudor both shut out the other team for nine innings. Darling allowed just four hits while striking out seven & walking no one.
In the top of the 11th, Darryl Strawberry hit a massive HR off Ken Dayley that hit the clock tower at Busch Stadium. The Mets got to within one game the next night when Dwight Gooden beat Joaquin Andujar with his 24th win of the year.
The Mets lost three of their four last games with the Expos being the spoilers. Darling lost his last start of the year as well. The Mets finished second winning 98 games (98-64).
He finished up the year at 16-6 with his career best winning percentage (.727). His 2.90 ERA was 9th best in the league, as he pitched 248 innings (8th in the NL) with 167 strikeouts (7th in the NL) throwing two shut outs in 36 starts. His weaknesses was giving up 21 HRs & leading the league with 114 walks.
At the plate he batted a career best .171 with four doubles.
Toni Darling: In January of 1986 Ron married his girlfriend, Irish model Antoinette O' Reilly. The celebrity couple became popular around town making appearances & posing together in many magazine articles. The two lived on East 53rd St in Manhattan in a five story walk up.
On April 18th his first at Shea that year he beat the Phillies for his first win. Two no decisions followed including a five run outing in Atlanta. He ended April 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.
Five Straight Victories: As everything came together for the Mets, Ron Darling was no exception. From May 4th thru May 27th, he won five straight starts, with a 1.63 ERA allowing two runs or less in each start while pitching seven or more innings in four of the games.
On May 4th, although he walked a season high six batters he beat the Reds in Cincinnati allowing two runs on four hits. When the Reds came to Sha, he held them to a run in eight innings on a three hitter for his third victory.
Complete Game: On May 27th at Shea Stadium, he matched his personal career-high of 12 strikeouts, pitching a five-hit, one run complete game victory against Bob Welch & Dodgers.
In the 6th inning, George Foster hit a grand slam HR off Tom Niedenfuer. Foster took his curtain call responding to the fans as most Mets did that season after hitting a HR.
It was his fifth straight win to get to 6-1 as he cut his ERA n half from where he began the month, now at 3.38.
On June 16th In Montreal, Darling shut out the Expos thru seven innings but earned no decision. Jay Tibbs held the Mets to a run then Darryl Strawberry & Lenny Dykstra's 10th inning RBIs led New York to the win.
In his next start he only allowed two runs to the Cubs at Wrigley Field but earned no decision in the eventual 5-2 win.
Two decisions followed in his next two starts, including a nine K performance against the Astros & a Mets loss at Shea where Ronnie gave up just one earned run in seven innings to the Reds. Veterans Buddy Bell & Tony Perez provided the Cincy runs.
On July 11th at Shea Stadium, Gary Carter hit the first of two HRs off Braves pitcher Dave Palmer. After the HR Carter came out of the dug out to acknowledge the fans with a curtail which was the usual scene at Shea that year.
Darling was among the first to leave the dugout, along with Keith Hernandez & Rick Aguilera charging the mound to go after Palmer. The Mets went on to an 11-0 blow out win.
Shut Out: On July 13th, as the Mets honored Rusty Staub & inducted him in the team Hall of Fame, Ronnie made his last start before the All Star break. Darling pitched a four-hit shutout to beat the Braves & out duel veteran Doyle Alexander 2-0. He notched seven strike outs & walked three. Len Dykstra's HR leading the way. At the break he was 9-2 with a 2.84 ERA & 95 strike outs.
The loss snapped a five game win streak. Darling & some teammates ran into more troubles off the field.
The usually low key Teufel got the most drunk he ever had been in his life & got into an altercation with security guards, who were also off-duty police officers.
The Mets players were arrested & taken into custody. In the highly publicized ordeal, the four were quickly released & ordered to pay $200 fines & serve probation.
Trivia: Once again Darling, pitched well at Shea Stadium, going 10-2 at home during the 1986 championship season.
Brawl in Cincinnati: As the Mets continued on the road trip, they had another memorable game on July 22nd. In the top of the 9th inning Dave Parker dropped a fly ball in right field that allowed the Mets to tie the game. The game went to extras, in the bottom of the 10th Eric Davis came in to pinch run for Pete Rose.
The next night which was also his first start after the Houston incident, came in Cincinnati where he pitched eight innings, out dueling Tom Browning 3-2. Ron allowed just five hits along the way for his tenth win of the season.
In his next start at Wrigley Field he took the loss giving up four runs over six innings. It was the first of three straight games where he gave up a HR, the next two games were no decisions.
On August 19th, he reached 12 wins with a victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. At the plate he also had his second multi-hit game of the year, including a double off Fernando Valenzuela, the second straight game where he collected a two bagger.
On August 31st at home, he had his worst outing of the season giving up seven runs & nine hits in a 7-4 loss to the same Dodgers.
Mets Clinch NL East: The Mets suffered their fourth straight loss & weren't able to clinch the division on the road. The positive of that was that they would be clinching at home.
On September 17th they did just that with the fans storming the field in celebration. After the fans (including centerfieldmaz) were escorted off the field via the centerfield gates, the Mets players gathered on the mound for celebration.
Darlings next start came two days after the clinching as he won his 14th game in a victory over Philadelphia. On September 30th, he took a tough 1-0 loss to the Expos Bob Sebra in Montreal.
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 1986 regular season posting a 2.18 ERA (third best in the N.L.) with a 15-6 record (8th most wins in the league). He notched a career high 184 strikeouts (7th in the NL) with four complete games, two shut outs, while pitching in 237 innings making 34 starts (10th most in the NL).
He lowered his walks 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 & at the plate he had ten sacrifice hits batting .099.
He finished the 1986 regular season posting a 2.18 ERA (third best in the N.L.) with a 15-6 record (8th most wins in the league). He notched a career high 184 strikeouts (7th in the NL) with four complete games, two shut outs, while pitching in 237 innings making 34 starts (10th most in the NL).
He lowered his walks 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 & at the plate he had ten sacrifice hits batting .099.
In the top o the 1st, Darling was shaky as he gave up a base hit to Billy Hatcher who stole second on him. Denny Walling's base hit scored Hatcher with the first run.
Ron then threw a wild pitch & hit Glenn Davis with a pitch. Jose Cruz then singled for a 2-0 Astros lead.
In the 6th inning, Darryl Strawberry tied the game with a three run HR & after Houston went ahead, Lenny Dykstra's two run walk off HR won it in the bottom of the 10th. It was Darlings only start in the five game NLCS where the Mets beat Houston in an exciting Game #6 at the Astrodome advancing to their first World Series since 1973.
Ronnie pitched well in a game he later recalled as being one the better games he pitched in his career., allowing only one unearned run which was the only run of the game.
After a 1st inning single, he retired nine in a row including four straight strike outs from the 3rd inning into the 4th inning. Over the next two innings he scattered just two base hits keeping the Sox down thru the first six innings. Bruce Hurst was also shutting out the Mets bats.
In the top of the 7th inning, he walked Jim Rice to start the inning. After a wild pitch advanced Rice, Jim Gedman hit a ground ball to Tim Teufel. The ball went under Tim's legs into center field & Jim Rice scored easily in what was the only run of the game.
On the night, Darling pitched seven innings, allowing one run (unearned) on three hits, striking out eight & walking three.
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The Mets were down 2-1 in the Series as Darling went up against the Red Sox Al Nipper.
Ronnie was outstanding on this night as well, as he pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits with four strike outs. His only problem was control as did walk six on the evening.
In the 1st inning he loaded the bases after Marty Barrett's double walking Jim Rice & Don Baylor. But he got Dwight Evans to ground out to Rafael Santana to end the inning.
Spike Owen. Marty Barrett singed for the second time but Darling got Bill Buckner to pop up to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 6th, he issued a two out walk to Dwight Evans, then catcher Rich Gedman singled to left but was thrown out at second by Mookie Wilson trying to stretch it to a double. In the 7th he walked two more Red Sox but got out of the jam as Buckner popped up in the infield again to end the inning.
The Mets offense led by Gary Carter's two HRs helped Darling to what was to be his only career World Series victory. In his first two World Serie starts he had still yet to allow an earned run in 14 innings (0.00 ERA).
As New York took two of three in Boston it was back to Shea Stadium for Game Six.
That's when a man, Mike Sergio, landed on the Field in a parachute holding a sign "Lets Go Mets" As he was escorted off the field by police, Ronnie reached out to shake Sergio's hand.
SNL Trivia: 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 that SNL's night's show.
On October 27th, 1986, for Game #7 of the World Series Darling got the start. For Boston, it was Bruce Hurst who was 2-0 in the series holding the Mets to two runs over 17 innings.
In the bottom of the 2nd, The Sox got back-to-back HRs from Dwight Evans & Rich Gedman. Darling then walked Dave Henderson, who advanced on Bruce Hurst's sacrifice bunt. Wade Boggs then singled to center making it a -0 Boston lead.
In the top of the 3rd inning, Darling had an easy inning but in the 4th, he appeared to be tired. He started out the inning hitting Dave Henderson with a pitch, then Spike Owen flew out to deep right field.
Johnson came out of the dug out to remove Darling. He got a nice ovation when he left. After his two brilliant performances in his first two World Series starts the third didn't go as well.
Sid Fernandez came into the game & walked Boggs but got Marty Barrett to fly out to end the inning. Over the next two innings Sid revved up the crowd retiring six straight batters striking out four of them. It turned the game around.
In the bottom of the 6th the Mets tied it up on Keith Hernandez two run single & Gary Carter's sac fly. Later Ray Knight & Darryl Strawberry added HRs leading the Mets to the World Series victory, their first championship since 1969.
In the World Series Darling went 1-1 with a 1.53 ERA striking out 12 & walking ten in 17.2 innings pitched.Overall in four post season games he was 1-1 with a 2.78 ERA allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 19 hits. He struck out 17 & walked 12 in 22.2 innings of work.
After the the clubhouse celebration, Ron Darling, Howard Johnson, Rick Aguilera, Kevin Elster & some Shea employees went to the pitchers mound with a few bottles of champagne to continue the celebration.
After the the clubhouse celebration, Ron Darling, Howard Johnson, Rick Aguilera, Kevin Elster & some Shea employees went to the pitchers mound with a few bottles of champagne to continue the celebration.
canyon of Heroes in Manhattan.
After the Championship: Darling had a rough start in 1987, as did the whole ball club, coming off the World Series Championship, there was the drama of Dwight Gooden’s drug problems, then injuries to the team. Darling had to step up taking over as the ace of the staff as Gooden was off to rehab as the season began.
After his successful 1986 season leading the team in wins, Bob Ojeda got the Opening Day start. In the second game of the season, Darling earned no decision in the 4-2 win over the Pirates.
From April 26th to July 3rd, over an eight week period Darling lost six straight decisions over the course of 14 starts. He gave up 52 runs (45 earned) with 15 HRs & 44 walks in 85 innings of work.
On May 1st, Ronnie gave up what was to be a season high six runs to the Expos, but took no decision as the went on to a 7-6 win thanks to HRs by Darryl Strawberry, Barry Lyons & a walk off HR from Tim Teufel. In the Mets three run third, Darling added an RBI double for his third RBI of the season.
In June he allowed two earned runs or less in three of six starts but still did not earn a winning decision.
On June 28th he had a no-hitter going through seven innings in Philadelphia, but Greg Gross broke it up with a leadoff triple in the 8th inning. Juan Samuel drove in the first run & the Mets wound up losing the game 5-4.
On July 7th, in the first game of a double header sweep in Atana, Darling finally collected a win after allowing one run thru six innings of 5-1 win. Back in Houston he won his next start against Bob Knepper.
On July 22nd he beat Zane Smith & the Braves at Shea Stadium 4-3, he didn't strike out anyone in the six innings, but earned his fifth win. On July 28th, Ronnie opened up a big three game series in St. Louis with the first place Cardinals earning the win over Joe Magrane. The Mets swept the three game series getting them to withing 5.5 games of first place.
On August 2nd, with his win in Montreal, Ronnie reached the .500 mark to get to 7-7.
Complete Game: On August 7th at Shea, he struck out eleven Chicago Cubs, matching his season high, pitching a four hit one run, complete game victory at Shea Stadium. It was the only complete game he threw that season.
On August 16th, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, in a wild 23-10 win, he gave up HRs to Jody Davis & Rafael Palmeiro allowing a total of five runs but still earned the win as he reached double figures in wins (10-7) for the third straight year. He also collected his fourth & final RBI of the season. That year he batted .123.
On August 26th he beat Bob Welch & the Dodgers 3-2 in L.A. pitching into the 8th inning, as he fanned eight for his 11th win.
Dating back to July 7th Darling had gone 10-2 keeping the Mets in contention.
Quotes- Ron Darling: “They put me in my car and told me, ‘drive over to Roosevelt Hospital, take X-rays & they’re going to 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 were only in first place briefly in April that season. They crawled back into second place getting as close as a game & a half by mid-September, but never caught the Cardinals. Without Darling the Mets finish was even tougher, as they finished second 92-70 three games back.
Darling finished the year at 12-8 with 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. He pitched 207.2 innings making 32 starts with two complete games & the first year he did not throw a shutout.
