Who was Roger Craig the former MLB pitcher and Giants manager who passed away?
MLB and the San Francisco Giants are in mourning this week after the passing of longtime pitcher and former manager, Roger Craig. He was 93-years-old.
Nicknamed “Humm Baby,” Craig was a starting pitcher for a number of teams in the league across a career that spanned more than a decade and saw him win three World Series along the way. Interestingly, he also led the league in losses during a brief stint with the then new expansion team, 1962 Mets, who went 40-120-1.
Roger Craig passes away
According to an official statement from the San Francisco Giants, former pitcher and manager Roger Craig has passed away at the age of 93. “We have lost a legendary member of our Giants family,” Giants president Larry Baer said in a statement. “Roger was beloved by players, coaches, front office staff and fans. He was a father figure to many and his optimism and wisdom resulted in some of the most memorable seasons in our history. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Carolyn, his four children, Sherri Paschelke, Roger Craig Jr., Teresa Hanvey and Vikki Dancan, his seven grandchildren, his 14 great grandchildren as well as his extended family and friends.”
Who was Roger Craig?
In a pitching career that lasted 12 seasons, Craig played for a variety of teams. Firstly, with Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers before short runs with the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies. Of course, the shining moments of his long career were the three World Series titles which he won: two with the Dodger in 1955 and 1959, and then later with the Cardinals in 1964. When he retired in 1966, he brought the curtain down on a tenure in which he posted a 3.83 ERA over 368 appearances and 186 starts, with a 74-98 record.
It wouldn’t be long before Craig returned to the game albeit in a coaching capacity. Hired by the San Diego Padres in 1969 as the first pitching coach in the franchise’s history, Craig would actually be appointed as the team’s manager some years later in 1978. During his two seasons in control of San Diego, the team went 152-171. Yet, the defining moment of his managerial career was yet to come. Following the 1985 season, the Giants hired Craig and his effect on the franchise was almost immediate. During his second year in San Francisco, just two years after a 100-loss season, Craig led the club to a NL West title, its first in 16 years. Indeed, he led the Giants to the World Series in 1989 and though they were eventually swept by the Oakland A’s, it represented their first appearance in Fall Classic in almost three decades. In the end, Craig was dismissed after the 1992 season with an overall record of 586-566. To this day, it stands as the sixth-most wins in franchise history and third-most by a manager since the team relocated to San Francisco.