Former Mets Ron Darling, Lenny Dykstra beefing over tale from 1986 World Series

Former New York Mets teammates Ron Darling and Lenny Dykstra are in disagreement over a tale as old as 1986 involving Game Three of the World Series.

Former New York Mets pitcher and current broadcaster Ron Darling has a book to sell and his ex-teammate Lenny Dykstra believes there are lies being told about him. According to Darling’s book, Dykstra helped the Mets win Game 3 of the 1986 World Series thanks in part to some “vile” and “racist” words spewed at Boston Red Sox pitcher Oil Can Boyd from the on-deck circle.

Dykstra doesn’t have a reputation as a law-abiding citizen nor does he have a place as near and dear to the hearts of Mets fans when compared to Darling. However, this is a piece of baseball history nobody has ever made note of before. Dykstra has denied this ever happened, setting up for a beef between the two.

As he typically does, Dykstra had his say on Twitter this weekend about how he really feels. Exclamatory, accusatory, and not for the faint of heart, he has received support in pleading his case. Fans have taken sides in this 1986 Mets battle.

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Darling may have the edge over Dykstra in a feud from a professional standpoint and history of staying out of trouble. However, in this instance, it doesn’t seem so easy. It’s a case of he said versus he said with one man lying about what really happened.

Personally, I’m apt to believe the man who stayed out of trouble more than the one who has been involved in more than one scandal and even served prison time. Dykstra is in the category of ex-baseball players alongside guys like Jose Canseco. That said, the one thing those members of baseball history have often been is honest in the end; at least to some degree.

Believe it or not, Dykstra has something to lose with this information coming out. For as unfavorable of a reputation as he has, there’s still further to drop. With that in mind, I understand why he might defend himself even if he knows it’s the truth.

Meanwhile, I question how much Darling could actually gain from lying here. I have a hard time believing this is merely a tactic to sell books. He cannot possibly need money that badly where he’d openly lie about something like this. It does, though, make for an interesting story.

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I suppose there’s no real way to know the truth. Until Oil Can Boyd comes out and confirms, we’ll all have to make our best-educated guess. Based on the circumstantial evidence, I already know which former Mets player I believe more.