Ronald Maurice Darling Jr. (born August 19, 1960) is a retired American professional baseball pitcher and television sports color commentator.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher from 1983 to 1995, including as a member of the New York Mets team that won the 1986 World Series.

[2] He ranks fourth in Mets team history in wins (99) and is also in the top 10 in complete games, innings, strikeouts and shutouts.

[2] Darling is a color commentator for nationwide baseball coverage on TBS, as well as for the Mets on both SNY and WPIX; he also co-hosts several MLB Network programs.

Darling was named the league's MVP and outstanding pro prospect, and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2002.

[7] On May 21, 1981, Darling faced future Mets teammate Frank Viola, then playing for St. John's University, in an NCAA post-season game, and he had a no-hitter through 11 innings.

Darling would have compiled decent numbers with the AAA Tidewater Tides in 1982 and 1983 except for very high base on balls counts during both seasons.

He had a streak of seven wins in seven starts in June (5–0) and July (1.88 ERA) including a pair of complete game four-hit shutouts, but the other two-thirds of the season were not nearly as successful.

The Mets were in first place at the end of July but Darling's 2–6 record the rest of the way was little help, and the Chicago Cubs won the division by 6+1⁄2 games.

On July 4, Darling pitched on one day of rest, making the only relief appearance of his first seven seasons during a marathon 19-inning 16–13 win.

The Mets narrowly missed the postseason, but Darling established himself as a clear number-two starter behind Gooden's untouchable 24–4 season.

On May 27, Darling tied his career-high with 12 strikeouts in a five-hit complete game victory which, despite a poor April, raised his record to 6–0.

His worst blemish was off the field when on July 19, he and teammates Bob Ojeda, Rick Aguilera, and Tim Teufel were arrested outside a bar in Houston for fighting with security guards (who were also off-duty police officers).

Darling and Teufel pleaded guilty in 1987 to a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, were sentenced to a year of probation, and were ordered to pay $200 fines.

[20] The incident fed into the Mets' reputation as a rowdy crew that season, although Jeff Pearlman wrote in his book The Bad Guys Won that the four players involved were among the few exceptions, and the incident started when the normally placid Tim Teufel—being treated to drinks by the others to celebrate becoming a father—got more drunk than he ever had in his life and mouthed off to security guards who were looking for a fight.

The 1986 National League Championship Series was tied 1–1 when Darling started Game 3, but he pitched poorly and left after giving up four runs in five innings.

He rebounded to win six consecutive starts after the All-Star break, but a good second half only lowered his ERA to 4.29—the worst of his first seven seasons.

The Mets coasted into the playoffs, but Darling pitched poorly in the 1988 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Darling gave up six runs and was knocked out in the second inning while Hershiser pitched a five-hit shutout, shocking the Mets and winning the series' Most Valuable Player award.

He was also the last NL pitcher to win the award before Greg Maddux's remarkable streak of 13 consecutive Gold Gloves.

Unlike previous seasons, Darling posted poor numbers at Shea Stadium while pitching well on the road.

Darling's three starts for Montreal were poor, with an ERA of 7.41, and on July 31, 1991, the Expos traded him to the Oakland Athletics for two minor leaguers.

[2] Inconsistent for most of the season, Darling also showed flashes of brilliance, including three complete game two-hit shutouts—the only two-hitters of his career.

Darling re-signed with Oakland again after 1992, this time a multi-year deal for over $2 million per season, but he was unable to repeat his 1992 performance.

In a thirteen-season major league career, Darling posted a 136–116 won-loss record with 1,590 strikeouts and a 3.87 ERA in 1,620 innings pitched, including 13 shutouts and 37 complete games.

He ranks fourth in Mets team history in wins (99) and is also in the top 10 in complete games, innings, strikeouts and shutouts.

Darling worked alongside veteran play-by-play announcer Mel Proctor on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which suffered from low viewership due to legal battles between Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos and Comcast cable television.

[29] In 2019, Darling published his third book, a series of interconnected anecdotes of a variety of baseball players in 108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game.

[36] His younger brother, Edwin, a first baseman, was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1981 and played 69 games in their farm system over two seasons.

When it was shown for the first time two weeks later, Darling filmed a special introduction, apologizing on behalf of the Mets for preempting SNL.