Rawlings baseball in clear collector's cube autographed by Ron Darling.

Let's get down to brass tacks, this is why Darling is so beloved to New Yorkers! The 1986 National League Championship Series was tied 11 when Darling started Game 3 but he pitched poorly and left losing 40. The Mets recovered to win both the game and eventually the series. Darling opened the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. He pitched extremely well in Game 1 allowing only a single unearned run but lost a hard-luck 10 game to Bruce Hurst. With the Mets in danger of falling into a 31 series deficit, Darling started Game 4 and extended his 0.00 ERA to 14 innings as the Mets won easily, 62. After Game 6, Bill Buckner and the Sox bounced back in Game 7, scoring three early runs against Darling. Shaky into the fourth inning, Darling was relieved but the Mets recovered to win their second World Championship.