Profile of Ron Darling on Famous Like Me

Ronald Maurice Darling (born August 19, 1960 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is a former starting pitcher for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics and Montreal Expos for a very brief period. He batted and threw right-handed. Since his retirement from the game, Darling has entered into the sports broadcasting field.

College And Career

Darling attended Yale University. In a game he pitched there against Frank Viola of St. John's University, Darling pitched 11 no-hit innings, and lost in the 12th, 1-0. It is still the longest no-hitter in NCAA history, and that game is still often considered the greatest college baseball game of all time.

He was selected in the 1st round (9th overall) of the 1981 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers. Before the 1982 season began, he was traded to the Mets for Lee Mazzilli.

He played in his first Major League game on September 6, 1983. His first full season was 1984 when he went 12-9 with a 3.81 ERA. For the next 5 seasons, he won at least 12 games in each. One of the highpoints of his career came in 1988. That year, in 34 starts, he went 17-9 with a 3.25 ERA. 1986 was also an outstanding year in his career. That year, his ERA dropped to 2.81. It was the 3rd best in the National League.

Sadly, his career would go downhill after 1989. In 1991, he was traded to the Expos for Tim Burke. After going 0-2 in 3 games with the Expos, he was again traded to the Athletics for Matt Grott and a prospect. Many said the talent level of Grott showed his diminished value. At one point in his career, he was one of the top pitchers in the Major Leagues.

After the 1991 season, he was a free agent. He enjoyed his half-season with the Athletics and resigned with them. In 1992, he had his last quality year, finishing with over 200 innings pitched, a 3.66 ERA, and 15 wins. He would get into double digits in wins once again in 1994, but finished 10-11 with a 4.50 ERA. 1994 was the strike year, and Darling finished with 25 games started, 1st in the NL that year.

After a bad 1995 season, the Athletics released him and his career was over. He was considered one of the class acts of baseball, and was considered one of the more solid pitchers of his era.

He was never the best control pitcher and finished in the top 4 in base on balls 3 times in his career. He was, however, known for his fielding. He was considered one of the best fielding pitchers of the time, winning a Gold Glove Award in 1989.

An excellent fielder, Darling was known to have one of the best pick-off moves among right-handers. He was sometimes used as a pinch runner, and in 1989 he hit homers in two consecutive starts.

During his 13-year career, Darling amassed a 136-116 won-loss record including 1,590 strikeouts and a 3.87 ERA (earned runs average).

Darling currently serves as part of the television broadcast team, along side Mel Proctor, for the Washington Nationals. He is not expected to return in that capacity next season.

Info

• Ended his career with 13 shutouts
• Was a NL All-star in 1985
• Won the Gold Glove in 1989
• As a batter, he hit 2 home runs, both coming in the 1989 season
• Helped the Mets win the infamous 1986 World Series, with a 1.53 ERA for the series

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