Praised on the mound, renowned on the air, this baseball legend wears many hats. Ron’s 13-year career on the diamond began as the 9^th overall 1981 Amateur Draft pick, by the Texas Rangers. Soon after, he was awarded a spot on the Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star Team. Most notably, Ron went on to play nine seasons as the Mets’ starting pitcher, highlighted by the Amazins’ 1986 World Series Championship. During his pitching career, the Gold Glove winner also played as an Oakland Athletic, and with the Montreal Expos.

In 2000, Ron traded the mound for the broadcast booth, for both the Athletics and the Washington Nationals. As a TV presence, he has hosted Fox’s Baseball Today, and Turner Broadcast Spots (TBS) MLB regular and post-season telecast coverage. Perhaps Ron’s greatest impact is his game analysis for SportsNet New York (SNY), for which he won two Emmy Awards as ‘Best Sports Analyst.’ Since joining SNY in 2006, Ron and former teammate Keith Hernandez, along with play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen, have become the ‘voices’ of the Mets. After nearly two decades, they are still at the top of their game, and were recently voted ‘the best booth in MLB’ for 2024. Ron was also officially inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame this year.

Ron’s impact extends to his personal life. He was born in Hawaii, and attended Yale (where he was a two-time All American). When his young son was diagnosed with diabetes, he founded the Ron Darling Foundation, raising funds for research into the disease. He also sits on the Board of Directors for both the Diabetes Research Institute and Habitat for Humanity. He has authored three books, appeared in several films, and raised three sons. Ron and his wife currently live in Connecticut.