Lenny Dykstra Sues Former Mets Teammate Ron Darling for Libel, Defamation

In his new book, Ron Darling claimed former Mets teammate Lenny Dykstra shouted racial slurs at Red Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd during the 1986 World Series.

Lenny Dykstra sued his former Mets teammate Ron Darling on Tuesday for libel and defamation over claims made in the retired pitcher's new book.

The lawsuit was filed in the New York Supreme Court and names Darling, Martin's Press LLC and Macmillan Publishing Group LLC as defendants. Dykstra is seeking monetary damages, punitive damages, attorneys fees and compensatory damages–including emotional distress damages for loss of opportunities, for the severe mental anguish, loss of reputation and humiliation, caused by Defendants' unlawful and malicious conduct.

In Darling's new book, 108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darnest Characters from My Time in the Game, he claimed Dykstra shouted racial slurs at Red Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd during the 1986 World Series.

Darling wrote that Dykstra "[was] shouting every imaginable and unimaginable insult and expletive in his [Boyd's] direction – foul, racist, hateful, hurtful stuff," while standing on the on-deck circle at Fenway Park in Boston.

In a recent interview on ESPN's Golic and Wingo, Darling said there is "no chance that I misremembered" the alleged incident, adding that his former Mets teammates "have my back." He released a statement last week saying, "I stand by all recollections that were written."

Dykstra denied the allegations on The Howard Stern Show last week and also said he was planning to sue Darling and the book's publisher in an interview with The Michael Kay Show. 

Mets legend Daryl Strawberry defended Dykstra on The Michael Kay Show last week and said that he "never heard Lenny say anything racist."