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Ron Darling, RHP, Cotuit Kettleers
Ron Darling was one of the
best all-around players in Cape League history. During 1980, he
was voted league MVP, selected to the All-Star Team and won the
Outstanding Pro Prospect Award. Darling also batted .336 with six
home runs and 26 RBI, while going 4-3 as a pitcher. In the CCBL
All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium against the Atlantic Collegiate
League, he singled, doubled and homered, and drove in two runs.
Darling capped off his performance by coming in from leftfield,
with the score 10-9 and two runners on, and retiring the final two
batters. Ron pitched in one of the greatest
pitching match-ups in college history when his Yale squad faced
St. John's in the 1981 NCAA Regional. The Redmen, behind pitcher
Frank Viola, won 1-0 in 12 innings. Darling finished with a one-hitter,
including a no-hitter through 11 innings. He spent 13 years in the
major leagues with the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics and Montreal
Expos, compiling a 136-116 record with a 3.87 ERA. He was a member
of the 1986 World Champion NY Mets.
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 AL 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 has served as part of the television
broadcast team, along side Mel Proctor, for the Washington Nationalsand
has also had small roles in the films Shallow Hal and The
Day After Tomorrow.
* 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
Text
Courtesy John Garner, Cape Cod Baseball League & Baseball Encyclopedia.Com
Photo
Courtesy of Yale University Archives
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