Ron Darling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ron Darling |
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Darling in 2009
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: August 19, 1960 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 6, 1983, for the New York Mets | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 15, 1995, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 136–116 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.87 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,590 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Ronald Maurice Darling Jr. (born August 19, 1960) is a former American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 1995. He is famous for being a key player on the New York Mets team that won the 1986 World Series.
After his playing career, Ron Darling became a well-known television sports color commentator. Since 2006, he has been a main commentator for Mets games on SNY. He works alongside his former teammate Keith Hernandez.
Darling was chosen for the All-Star team in 1985. He also won the Gold Glove Award in 1989 for being the best fielding pitcher in the National League. He is fourth in Mets history for wins (99). He is also in the top 10 for complete games, innings pitched, strikeouts, and shutouts. In the 1986 World Series, Darling pitched very well. He helped the Mets win Game 4, which tied the series. In 2020, Ron Darling was honored by being inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.
Ron Darling used five different types of pitches when he played. These included a slider, a curveball, a circle changeup, a splitter, and a four seam fastball. Early in his career, he sometimes struggled with throwing the ball exactly where he wanted. But as he played more, his control got much better. He was known as one of the best fielding pitchers of his time. He was also very good at picking off runners from base. Darling was a good athlete and sometimes even ran for other players. In 1989, he hit home runs in two games in a row! Besides the Mets, he also played for the Montreal Expos and the Oakland Athletics.
Today, Darling is a baseball commentator for TBS across the country. He also works for the Mets on SNY and WPIX. He helps host shows on MLB Network. In 2022, he even recorded announcements for the NYC Subway's 7 line, along with Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Where Ron Darling Grew Up
Ron Darling was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother was of Hawaiian-Chinese background, and his father was French-Canadian. He grew up in Millbury, Massachusetts. For high school, he went to St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
Playing Sports in College
Darling was first asked to play college football as a quarterback at Yale University. He played for the Yale Bulldogs football team. But Yale had many talented quarterbacks, so he switched to playing defensive back. After his first year, he left the football team to focus on baseball.
He started playing shortstop for the Yale Bulldogs baseball team. Later, he agreed to pitch only if he could still play shortstop and outfield on his days off.
In 1980, Darling played summer baseball for the Cotuit Kettleers. This team is part of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). He hit very well, with a batting average of .336 and six home runs. As a pitcher, he had 4 wins and 3 losses. At the league's All-Star game, he hit a single, a double, and a home run. He even pitched in the last inning to help his team win! Darling was named the league's best player and top pro prospect. He was later inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2002.
On May 21, 1981, Darling pitched against Frank Viola, who would later be his teammate on the Mets. Darling pitched an amazing game, not allowing any hits for 11 innings. This game is still the longest no-hitter in NCAA history. Many people consider it one of the best college baseball games ever.
Darling was drafted by the Texas Rangers in June 1981. He was set to graduate from Yale in December 1982. He played more games in Major League Baseball than any other Yale player since the 1800s.
Ron Darling's Professional Baseball Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The Texas Rangers picked Ron Darling in the first round of the 1981 MLB draft. He played for their minor league team, the AA Tulsa Drillers. On April 1, 1982, Darling was traded to the Mets. He went to the Mets along with Walt Terrell in exchange for Lee Mazzilli. Darling and Terrell would go on to have many good seasons for the Mets.
Darling played for the AAA Tidewater Tides in 1982 and 1983. He had good stats, but he walked many batters. Even with these control issues, Darling was called up to the major leagues in late 1983. The Mets were not doing well when he made his debut on September 6, 1983. He pitched well in his first game, but the Mets lost. He finished his first season with a complete game victory. After that, he stayed in the Major Leagues for good.
Playing for the New York Mets
Becoming a Champion with the Mets
In 1984, Ron Darling earned a spot in the Mets' starting pitching group. He stayed there almost every year until 1990. Early on, he walked a lot of batters, even leading the league in walks in 1985. But his control improved greatly over time.
With Darling, Terrell, and the new young star Dwight Gooden, the Mets improved a lot. They went from being one of the worst teams in 1983 to one of the best in 1984. Darling finished 1984 with 12 wins and 9 losses.
The 1985 season was even better for Darling. He had a career-high 16 wins and only 6 losses. He pitched a one-hit game and a five-hit shutout early in the season. On July 4, Darling pitched in a very long 19-inning game. He finished the game, which the Mets won 16–13. After starting the season with 9 wins and 2 losses, he was chosen for his only All-Star team. Darling became the clear second-best pitcher for the Mets, right behind Dwight Gooden.
Winning the World Series
In 1986, everything clicked for the Mets, and Darling was a big part of it. He finished with 15 wins and 6 losses. His 2.81 ERA was the best of his career and third-best in the National League. He even received votes for the Cy Young Award, which is given to the best pitcher. The Mets were a top team all season. On May 27, Darling pitched a complete game victory with 12 strikeouts. He was especially good when pitching at home.
In the 1986 National League Championship Series, Darling started Game 3. He didn't pitch his best, but the Mets still won the game and the series. Darling then started Game 1 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. He pitched very well, allowing only one run, but the Mets lost 1–0. With the Mets in a tough spot, Darling started Game 4. He continued his great pitching, and the Mets won easily. In Game 7, Darling started again. He was relieved early, but the Mets came back to win their second World Championship!
Later Years with the Mets
In 1987, Darling had 12 wins and 8 losses. He had a tough start to the season but improved later on. He missed the last few weeks of the season due to an injury.
In 1988, Darling bounced back with a career-high 17 wins. He started strong with two shutouts in his first four games. He finished the season with four shutouts, which was a career best. The Mets made it to the playoffs easily. However, Darling struggled in the 1988 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the final Game 7, Darling gave up six runs early, and the Mets lost the series. This was the Mets' last playoff appearance until 1999.
After their great 1988 season, the Mets started to decline. Darling's 1989 season began poorly, but he recovered. He finished with 14 wins and 14 losses. Darling became the first Mets pitcher to win the Gold Glove Award for his excellent fielding. He was the last National League pitcher to win it before Greg Maddux won 13 in a row! By August 1989, Darling had won 83 games with the Mets. This put him fourth on the Mets' all-time wins list.
In 1990, Darling's role changed. He spent some time pitching from the bullpen instead of starting every game. This was his first losing season, with 7 wins and 9 losses.
Moving to Other Teams
Ron Darling was still with the New York Mets in 1991. On July 15, 1991, he was traded to the Montreal Expos. He only made three starts for Montreal before being traded again on July 31, 1991, to the Oakland Athletics.
With Oakland, Darling started strong, winning his first three games. But then his control problems returned, and he lost seven games in a row. After the 1991 season, Darling signed a new contract with Oakland.
In 1992, he had his last really good year. He pitched over 200 innings pitched and had 15 wins. He also pitched three complete game shutouts where he only allowed two hits. Oakland made it to the playoffs easily. Darling started Game 3 of the series. He pitched well but gave up two home runs, and the A's lost. This was Darling's last time pitching in the postseason.
Darling signed another contract with Oakland after 1992. However, he couldn't repeat his 1992 performance. The 1993 season was tough for him. In 1994, he had a great July, winning five starts. But the season ended early due to a strike. Darling reached double-digit wins again, but his overall record was below .500.
When the strike continued into 1995, Darling struggled badly. He won only four games. On August 19, 1995, his 35th birthday, Oakland released him. This marked the end of his playing career.
Career Statistics: Ron Darling's Numbers
Over his thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball, Ron Darling had a record of 136 wins and 116 losses. He recorded 1,590 strikeouts and had a 3.87 ERA in 1,620 innings pitched. He pitched 13 shutouts and 37 complete games. He is still fourth in Mets team history for wins (99). He is also in the top 10 for complete games, innings pitched, strikeouts, and shutouts.
Life After Baseball
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Since 2000, Ron Darling has been very active in television. He provides baseball analysis for various networks.
In 2001, Darling was on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He received only one vote and was removed from future consideration. However, on January 28, 2020, the Mets announced that Darling would be inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on July 31, 2021.
In 2005, Darling became a television color commentator for the first season of the Washington Nationals. In 2006, he was hired by SportsNet New York to be a color commentator and studio analyst for the New York Mets. He works with Gary Cohen and former teammate Keith Hernandez. He won an Emmy Award for being the Best Sports Analyst for his work on Mets broadcasts.
In 2007, Darling was a color analyst for TBS during the 2007 MLB Playoffs. He continues to provide commentary for their regular-season games. In 2013, Darling also joined MLB Network as a studio analyst.
In April 2019, Darling took a break from broadcasting due to health reasons. He later announced that he had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Darling is also a New York Times best-selling author. He has written three books about baseball.
Ron Darling's Personal Life
Ron Darling was married to Antoinette O'Reilly, a model. They had two children, Tyler and Jordan. He later married Joanna Last, a makeup artist, in 2004. They have a son named Ronald Maurice Darling III, born in 2016.
His younger brother, Edwin, also played baseball in the minor leagues.
Ron Darling in Pop Culture
Ron Darling has appeared in several interesting ways outside of baseball:
- He was on the cover of GQ magazine in August 1986.
- Game 6 of the 1986 World Series ran so long that it delayed Saturday Night Live. When the show finally aired two weeks later, Darling filmed a special introduction, apologizing for the delay.
- In 1988, Darling appeared on Sesame Street. He taught Telly Monster about baseball statistics.
- Darling was on the cover of the baseball video game R.B.I. Baseball '95.
- He had small acting roles in the movies Shallow Hal, The Day After Tomorrow, and played himself in Mr. 3000.
Images for kids
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Darling in 1986
