In April 1982, Ron Darling joined the majors as a minor league prospect through a valuable trade with the Texas Rangers, where he was exchanged along with pitcher Walt Terrell for infielder Lee Mazzilli. An Ivy League graduate from Yale with an outstanding athletic background, the right-hander rapidly established himself as a key member of the starting rotation. Although Dwight Gooden dominated the national headlines with his spectacular performances, Darling proved to be a reliable and steady frontline pitcher for the team.
Darling consistently delivered at least 12 wins over six consecutive seasons, leveraging a wide array of pitches and an outstanding pickoff move to weaken opposing offenses. His first major personal achievement came in 1985, when he won 16 games with a remarkable 2.90 ERA, earning his only All-Star nod and cementing his status as a leading pitcher.
He followed that surge with a masterful 1986 season, reaching a 15-6 record and lowering his ERA to 2.81, third best in the league. His performance earned him fifth place in NL Cy Young voting and helped his team win 108 games. In the Fall Classic, he pitched 17.2 innings with just three earned runs, and won Game 4 at Fenway, tying the series.
Darling still contributed significantly to the franchise's identity; he amassed a large number of wins, finishing with a career-high 17 in 1988, and earned a Gold Glove Award in 1989, recognizing him as one of the best fielding pitchers of his era. The story in New York ended when he was traded to the Montreal Expos during the 1991 season.
Darling compiled a 99-70 record, a 3.50 ERA, and 1,148 strikeouts as a Met, and in 2020, he was selected for the franchise’s Hall of Fame.
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