New York Mets: Five great pitching performances in home opener through the years
Darling Goes the Distance
Most everyone knows Ron Darling as a member of the SNY broadcast team. Some of our younger readers might not realize how good of a pitcher he was. During his nine seasons in Queens, Darling posted a 99-70 record and completed 25 games. Ten of those were shutouts. Darling is not just another talking head on the TV. He has the credentials to back it up.
Mets fans were treated to a good one on April 12, 1988 as Ron Darling took the hill to face Pasqual Perez and the Montreal Expos. The Mets had high hopes for 1988, now that they were healthy coming back from a down year in 1987. The two teams matched zeros except for the bottom of the second inning. Leading off the frame, Darryl Strawberry took Perez deep on a 3-2 pitch to stake the Mets to a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, Howard Johnson singled off of Perez, driving home Kevin McReynolds and Gary Carter to give the Mets all the insurance needed.
But the man of the hour was Ron Darling who went the full nine to pitch the shutout. He scattered only five hits, walking three but striking out four. The Mets during the decade of the 1980s were built on young pitching. Ron Darling was one of the players at the forefront of that. He was acquired by the Mets from the Texas Rangers before he ever made it to the big leagues. He was a cog in the championship of 1986 and he was great on this day in 1988.