New York state of mind
The Mets’ Roger Craig watches the flight of a home run he gives up in 1963 to Milwaukee’s Hank Aaron at the Polo Grounds (Neil Leifer photo)
Roger Craig is a well-respected, mostly successful pitcher with the Dodgers over a six-year span from 1955-60.
His record in that time is 44-32 with a pair of World Series rings from his work for the Dodgers in 1955 and ’59.
Then comes the 1961 season, which for Craig is not so good as he stumbles to a 5-6 record with an unsightly 6.15 earned-run average.
He no longer is part of a starting rotation in Los Angeles that includes future Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, as well as more reliable options in Johnny Podres and Stan Williams.
Worse yet, Craig is going to turn 32 by Opening Day 1962.
Roger Craig in spring training under the watchful eye of Mets manager Casey Stengel
Even worse for Craig is the fledgling New York Mets pluck him from Los Angeles with their sixth pick of the expansion draft to stock both the Mets and Houston Colt .45s for their inaugural seasons in 1962.
Craig spends two seasons in New York, where he still is a well-respected pitcher but one that no longer is successful in terms of his record.
In fact, his win-loss record with the Mets is a horrific 15-46 – really, that’s not a typo – during the 1962 and ’63 seasons.
His 24 losses in 1962 are the most in the major leagues, as are his 22 losses in 1963.
Along the way he loses 18 straight decisions and – for a change of luck – switches his jersey number from 38 to 13.
“I had to be pretty good for them to keep sending me out there enough to lose that many games,” Craig later says.
Others, including controversial labor leader Jimmy Hoffa, simply pity Craig for having to toil with the woebegone Mets.
“He pitched all that time with a team like that behind him? Well,” Hoffa says at the time, “he sure as hell deserves a lot more than a raise. He ought to bargain for a piece of the ballpark.”
Craig actually does even better 61 years ago today as the Mets free him with a trade to St. Louis for outfielder George Altman and pitcher Bill Wakefield.
Craig spends only one season with the Cardinals, but pitches well for them with a 3.25 ERA during the regular season and then five shutout innings – and a win – in relief as St. Louis beats the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series.
The World Series title is Craig’s third in his first 10 seasons in the majors. Craig splits the 1965 and ’66 seasons – his final two as a player – between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, who if nothing else are not the Mets.