Highlighted Year: Roger Craig, 1959

Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age: 29

5^th season with Dodgers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 190 

Prior to 1959:

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Craig was one of eight children. Tall and thin, he played shortstop in high school in addition to pitching. Drawing the attention of a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he signed with the club after a year at North Carolina State in 1950. Assigned to Valdosta of the Class D Georgia-Florida League, he produced a 14-7 record and 3.13 ERA while issuing 150 walks over 167 innings pitched. Promoted to Newport News of the Class B Piedmont League later in the season, he appeared in six games and had an astronomical ERA of 7.11. Returning to Newport News in 1951, he compiled a 14-11 tally and 3.67 ERA with 119 strikeouts and 175 walks over 221 innings. Drafted into the Army, he missed the next two seasons. Resuming his baseball career in 1954, he was back at Newport News where he went 8-3 with a 2.50 ERA and 108 strikeouts over 126 innings, while reducing his walks to 56 despite being sidelined until midseason by an elbow injury. Adding brief stops at Pueblo of the Western League and Elmira of the Eastern League, he finished with a combined record of 9-4. Advancing to the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA International League in 1955, his record stood at 10-2 with a 3.69 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 117 innings when he was called up by the Dodgers. In July. After going the distance and three-hitting Cincinnati in his debut outing, Craig went on to post a 5-3 tally in 21 appearances (10 of them starts) with a 2.78 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 90.2 innings. He capped his season by winning a Game 5 start at Ebbets Field in the World Series victory against the New York Yankees. As part of Brooklyn’s starting rotation from the start in 1956, Craig compiled a 12-11 record and 3.71 ERA with 8 complete games, 2 shutouts, and 109 strikeouts over 199 innings as the club again won the NL pennant. The Dodgers lost to the Yankees in the World Series and Craig made two appearances, one of them a start that he lost. In the team’s last season in 1957 Craig had a disappointing performance, starting in only 13 of 32 appearances and posting a 6-9 tally and 4.61 ERA with one complete game and 69 strikeouts over 111.1 innings. The Dodgers were in Los Angeles in 1958 but Craig was dealing with a sore shoulder and was sent down to the St. Paul Saints of the Class AAA American Association where he pitched through the pain and struggled to a 5-17 record and 3.91 ERA with 8 complete games and 119 strikeouts over 182 innings. Craig started the 1959 season in Class AAA with Spokane of the Pacific Coast League and was 6-7 with a 3.19 ERA and having improved his slider and added a sinker to his repertoire he was recalled to the Dodgers in mid-June. 

1959 Season Summary

Appeared in 29 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 29

Games Started – 17

Complete Games – 7 [18, tied with four others]

Wins – 11

Losses – 5

PCT - .688 [2]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 4 [1, tied with six others]

Innings Pitched – 152.2

Hits – 122

Runs – 49

Earned Runs – 35

Home Runs – 13

Bases on Balls – 45

Strikeouts – 76

ERA – 2.06 [Non-qualifying]

Hit Batters – 1

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 2 

Midseason Snapshot: 3-0, ERA - 3.10, SO - 16 in 29 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 7 (in 9 IP) vs. Pittsburgh 7/29

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 11 IP) at Mil. Braves 7/9, (in 9 IP) at San Francisco 7/21, (in 9 IP) vs. Philadelphia 9/10

Batting

PA – 57, AB – 52, R – 1, H – 3, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 3, BB – 1, SO – 28, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .058, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 4, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 38

Put Outs – 19

Assists – 18

Errors – 1

DP – 2

Pct. - .974

Postseason Pitching: G – 2 (World Series vs. Chi. White Sox)

GS – 2, CG – 0, Record – 0-1, PCT – .000, ERA – 8.68, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 9.1, H – 15, R – 9, ER – 9, HR – 2, BB – 5, SO – 8, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0 

Awards & Honors:

13^th in NL MVP voting, tied with Joe Cunningham, StL (12 points, 4% share)

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The Dodgers went 86-68 to finish tied for first in the NL with the Milwaukee Braves, which necessitated a season-extending best-of-3 playoff. The Dodgers won the first two games to clinch the NL pennant with a final record of 88-68. The pitching staff led the league in walks issued (614) and strikeouts (1077). The Dodgers were 4.5 games behind the first-place Braves when Craig arrived, to be joined by impact newcomers in shortstop Maury Wills and RHP Larry Sherry along with a key offseason arrival in outfielder Wally Moon. A three-team battle for first ensued with the San Francisco Giants joining the fray and taking the lead for all but two days over the remaining 10 weeks before dropping to third as the Dodgers and Braves deadlocked at the end, thanks to Craig’s eleventh win, to force the playoff. Won World Series over the Chicago White Sox, 4 games to 2 with Craig having a rough time in two starts, going 0-1 with an 8.68 ERA. For the season, Craig just missed the NL ERA title, narrowly following below the minimum threshold to qualify.

Aftermath of 1959:

Missing time due to a broken collar bone in 1960, Craig was limited to 21 appearances (15 of them starts) in producing an 8-3 record and 3.27 ERA with 6 complete games, one shutout, and 69 strikeouts over 115.2 innings. He appeared in 40 games in 1961, 14 of them starts, with disappointing results as he posted a 5-6 tally and 6.15 ERA with 2 complete games, 2 saves, and 63 strikeouts over 112.2 innings. In the offseason he was taken by the New York Mets in the NL expansion draft for the 1962 season. The top pitcher for a famously poor club, Craig, who started and lost the first regular season game in franchise history, showed great competitive spirit and ability but still ended up with a 10-24 record and 4.51 ERA with 13 complete games and 118 strikeouts over 233.1 innings. The situation was hardly better in 1963 as he lost 18 consecutive decisions, in seven of which the Mets didn’t score on his way to a 5-22 tally and 3.78 ERA with 14 complete games and 108 strikeouts over 236 innings. In the offseason he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals came from behind to narrowly win the NL pennant and Craig made 39 appearances, 19 of them starts, in posting a 7-9 record with 5 saves, a 3.25 ERA, and 84 strikeouts over 166 innings. In the seven-game World Series victory over the New York Yankees, Craig relieved twice, totaling 5 innings with no runs surrendered, picking up the win in Game 4. In the offseason, he was traded again, this time to the Cincinnati Reds. Appearing in 40 games out of the bullpen in 1965, primarily in long relief, he produced a 1-4 tally and 3.64 ERA with 3 saves and 30 strikeouts over 64.1 innings. Released by the Reds prior to the 1966 season, he joined the Philadelphia Phillies and lasted for 14 games before being let go. Craig took his worn out arm to Seattle of the Pacific Coast League for 6 games before calling it quits. For his major league career, Craig pitched in 368 games and produced a 74-98 record and a 3.83 ERA with 58 complete games, 7 shutouts, 19 saves, and 803 strikeouts over 1536.1 innings. With the Dodgers he made 187 appearances for a 49-38 mark and a 3.73 ERA, 28 complete games, 7 shutouts, 5 saves, and 450 strikeouts over 814 innings. Appearing in 7 World Series games, his record was 2-2 with a 6.49 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 26.1 innings. Never an All-Star, 1959 marked the only season in which Craig received votes in MVP balloting. Following his playing career, Craig scouted for the Dodgers in 1967 and then managed their Albuquerque club in the Class AA Texas League in 1968, where he made his last pitching appearance. After serving as a pitching coach for San Diego and Houston, he managed the Padres in 1978 and ’79. From there he became pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers where he began teaching the newly developed split-fingered fastball. The calm and positive Craig proved to be an effective instructor, especially with Detroit’s pitchers. Following the club’s World Series triumph in 1984, Craig stepped down and soon became manager of the San Francisco Giants from 1985 until 1992. His major league managing record was 152-171 with one pennant. Perhaps better remembered as a pitching coach and manager, Craig died in 2023 at age 93.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.