05 June 2023 , 13:53
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Four-time World Series-winning pitcher-turned-manager Roger Craig has died at the age of 93.
A spokesperson for the San Francisco Giants, whom he managed to a championship in 1989, was informed by a family member that, following a short illness, Craig died on Sunday (4 June) in San Diego. The Giants sent their heartfelt condolences to his wife, Carolyn; four children, Sherri Paschelke, Roger Craig Jr., Teresa Hanvey and Vikki Dancan; plus seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
As a player, Craig was a pivotal part of winning Brooklyn their one and only championship in 1955 before the Dodgers franchise relocated to Los Angeles. Four years later, in their second season in Southern California, Craig pitched in their second World Series win.
Another world championship would follow during a single season as a reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964. However, as a pioneering coach during the 1980s was when he was at his most impactful.
His split-fingered fastball changed the face of pitching, helping the Detroit Tigers to their 1984 World Series after he taught the technique to their right-hander, future Baseball Hall of Famer Jack Morris. On Craig's advice, Houston Astros right-hander Mike Scott won the 1986 National League Cy Young Award, awarded to the best pitcher in the N.L.
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He had previously coached the Texas-based ball club, too. That stop came between two stints as a coach with the San Diego Padres before eventually becoming their manager.
Roger Craig threw the first pitch in New York Mets history after being picked third in the 1962 expansion draft (Bettmann Archive)It is the Giants, though, where he won two division titles, plus the 1989 N.L. pennant, with whom Craig is most associated after turning the franchise from a losing team into a World Series-winning organisation. Modern-day president and CEO Larry Baer paid tribute to Craig in a statement.
"We have lost a legendary member of our Giants family," he said. "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."
His baseball career concluded in California in 1992. However, there were plenty more stops before that during what turned into a journeyman's existence as a pitcher.
Craig originally left LA and the Dodgers after being selected by the New York Mets during the 1962 expansion draft. He spent two historically losing seasons in the Big Apple before moving on to the Cardinals and winning a third championship as a pitcher.
At the end of that season, he relocated again, joining the Cincinnati Reds for another year-long stint before one last stop with the Philadelphia Phillies. Before entering the league, he spent a single year at North Carolina State University as a basketball scholar before switching sports and turning professional by signing in Brooklyn.
Growing up in Durham, North Carolina, he played multiple sports. He did so for Durham High School before graduating and choosing NC State.