Roger Craig
From BR Bullpen
Roger Lee Craig
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 191 lb.
- School North Carolina State University
- Debut July 17, 1955
- Final Game July 4, 1966
- Born February 17, 1930 in Durham, NC USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
A successful pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers and then a 20-game loser with the expansion 1962 New York Mets, Roger Craig went on to a long career as a pitching coach and a manager.
He was signed by the Dodgers in 1950. While in the minors, Craig missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons due to military service. He came up as a rookie in 1955, in time to be on the first World Series winning Dodger team. His best year was perhaps 1959, by which time the Dodgers had moved to Los Angeles, when he had an ERA of 2.06. He spent seven of his 12 major league seasons with the Dodgers.
Craig pitched in three World Series with the Dodgers (1955, 1956 and 1959) and one with the St. Louis Cardinals (1964).
Craig scouted for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1967, then was the manager of the Albuquerque Dodgers in 1968. He was a coach with the expansion San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1972. Craig was a minor league pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1973 before being a part of the Houston Astros staff in 1974 and 1975; both for the Padres and Astros, he worked under manager Preston Gomez. He re-joined the Padres the next season and began a two year stint as the club's manager in 1978 when Alvin Dark was fired in spring training. That year, he led the team to its first-ever winning record, but the team sank back into last place in 1979 and he was dismissed following the season.
After leaving San Diego, he was a Detroit Tigers coach from 1980 to 1984, leaving after the team won the 1984 World Series. He took over as manager of the San Francisco Giants in late 1985 and remained with them through the 1992 season, leading the club to the 1989 World Series.
In his first full year as Giants' manager, Craig made "Hum Baby" the baseball phrase of 1986. A player he liked was a "hum baby," a good play was a "hum baby of a play", one could merely exhort "hum baby" from the dugout in lieu of a "let's go". . . the potential uses were infinite.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL Shutouts Leader (1959)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1962 & 1963)
- Won three World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1955), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1959) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1964)
- Division Titles: 2 (1987 & 1989)
- NL Pennants: 1 (1989)
| Preceded by Alvin Dark | San Diego Padres Manager 1978-1979 | Succeeded by Jerry Coleman |
| Preceded by Jim Davenport | San Francisco Giants Manager 1985-1992 | Succeeded by Dusty Baker |
[edit] Year-by-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Albuquerque Dodgers | Texas League | 70-69 | 4th | Los Angeles Dodgers | ||
| 1978 | San Diego Padres | National League | 84-78 | 4th | San Diego Padres | ||
| 1979 | San Diego Padres | National League | 68-93 | 5th | San Diego Padres | ||
| 1985 | San Francisco Giants | National League | 6-12 | 6th | San Francisco Giants | replaced Jim Davenport (56-88) on September 18 | |
| 1986 | San Francisco Giants | National League | 83-79 | 3rd | San Francisco Giants | ||
| 1987 | San Francisco Giants | National League | 90-72 | 1st | San Francisco Giants | Lost NLCS | |
| 1988 | San Francisco Giants | National League | 83-79 | 4th | San Francisco Giants | ||
| 1989 | San Francisco Giants | National League | 92-70 | 1st | San Francisco Giants | Lost World Series | |
| 1990 | San Francisco Giants | National League | 85-77 | 3rd | San Francisco Giants | ||
| 1991 | San Francisco Giants | National League | 75-87 | 4th | San Francisco Giants | ||
| 1992 | San Francisco Giants | National League | 72-90 | 5th | San Francisco Giants |
