Former Major League pitcher and manager Roger Craig of Durham, North Carolina passed away on Sunday according to Mike Fitzpatrick of the Associated Press. He was 93 years old and died of an illness.
Career as a Pitcher
Craig pitched 12 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Dodgers organization (1955 to 1957 with Brooklyn and 1958 to 1961 with Los Angeles), 1962 and 1963 with the New York Mets, 1964 with the St. Louis Cardinals, 1965 with the Cincinnati Reds and 1966 with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 368 games and 1536 1/3 innings pitched, Craig had a record of 74 wins and 98 losses, and had 58 complete games, seven shutouts, 19 saves, and 803 strikeouts. He allowed 1528 hits, 653 earned runs, 186 home runs, and 522 walks. Craig also had a career WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.33.
Craig won three World Series. He won with the Dodgers in 1955 and 1959, and with the Cardinals in 1964.
National League Leader in Shutouts in 1959
While with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1959, Craig was tied for the National League lead in shutouts with four. He was tied with San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Antonelli of Rochester, New York, Giants pitcher Sam Jones of Stewartsville, Ohio, Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale of Van Nuys, California, and Milwaukee Braves pitchers Warren Spahn of Buffalo, New York, Lew Burdette of Nitro, West Virginia, and Bob Buhl of Saginaw, Michigan. Craig’s shutouts in 1959 came in a 1-0 Dodgers win over the Giants on July 21, in a 2-0 Dodgers win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 29, in a 5-0 Dodgers win over the Phillies on September 10, and in a 3-0 Dodgers win over the St. Louis Cardinals on September 23.
Struggles with the Mets
Craig had a record of 15 wins and 46 losses with the Mets. He led Major League Baseball with 24 losses in 1962 and 22 losses in 1963.
Major League Manager
Craig managed the San Diego Padres (1978 and 1979), and the Giants (1985 to 1992), He had a record of 738 wins and 737 losses.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
