MAKING IT
BIG Ron Herion was frequently told he was too small to make the Big Leagues as a pitcher. The former Baltimore Orioles pitcher proved coaches and scouts wrong, while learning to accept life is about more than balls and strikes. “Hard work can help you achieve almost anything, and having good friends is priceless,” he said. Long before moving to Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, Ron grew up in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. At the age of 5, one of his neighbors handed him a baseball for the first time. The neighbor was Charlie McConville, a former pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics. Charlie coached Ron 14
Winter 2022 Issue
through high school, letting him play with older players, which is “how you learn,” according to Ron. He played baseball at Northeast High School in Philadelphia and for the American Legion. He entered the Pendel League, a collegiate/ amateur baseball league in the Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks County area, at age 19, as one of the youngest players.
He played in the minor leagues for Ithaca and Rochester, New York, as well as in Georgia and Maryland. He was always transferred with the same catcher, second baseman and short stop.
“Every team I ever played for, I made the All Stars. I never received a trophy, and I didn’t want one,” he recalls. “I just wanted to work hard and get better.”
The four meet often to sky dive and are up to 94 jumps. Baseball players are known for being superstitious, and they only jump if all four of them are able.
“We’re still the best of friends,” Ron said. “With them, I had a great time. They’ve kept me going over the years, and I love being called ‘the kid.’”
