Roger Craig was a professional baseball player and coach who had a long and successful career in the sport. He was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1930 and began playing baseball at a young age. Craig attended North Carolina State University, where he played college baseball and was named an All-American in 1950.

After college, Craig was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and began his professional career in the minor leagues. He made his major league debut in 1955 and played for several teams over the course of his career, including the Dodgers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Craig was primarily a pitcher, and he was known for his ability to throw a variety of pitches, including a slider, curveball, and sinker. He was also a skilled fielder and won a Gold Glove award in 1961.

In addition to his playing career, Craig also had a successful career as a coach. He began coaching in the minor leagues in the 1960s and worked his way up to the major leagues, where he served as a pitching coach for several teams, including the San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers.

Craig was known for his innovative approach to coaching, and he was credited with developing the split-finger fastball, a pitch that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. He also emphasized the importance of conditioning and mental preparation for pitchers, and he was known for his ability to help struggling pitchers improve their performance.

Throughout his career, Craig was highly respected by his peers and was known for his professionalism and dedication to the sport. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame in 2008.

Overall, Roger Craig had a long and successful career in baseball, both as a player and a coach. He was known for his skill as a pitcher and his innovative approach to coaching, and he left a lasting impact on the sport.

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New York Mets vs Houston Colt .45s - Game 2 of DH - Radio Broadcast video clip
New York Mets at Colt Stadium. The starting pitchers were Roger Craig for the Mets and Turk Farrell for the Colt .45s. At this point in the season, both teams were struggling, with the Mets in their inaugural season and the Colt .45s in their first year as well. The 1962 season was marked by the expansion of the league, with both the Mets and the Colt .45s being new additions. However, the Mets were infamous for their poor performance, finishing the season with a record of 40-120, the worst in modern MLB history. The Colt .45s, on the other hand, were faring slightly better, but still below .500. The game began with a scoreless first inning, but the Colt .45s managed to score a run in the second inning, thanks to Bob Aspromonte's single and Bob Lillis's double. The Mets, however, came back strong in the third inning, scoring four runs on a walk by Elio Chacon and singles by Charlie Neal and Marv Throneberry. The Colt .45s responded with a run in the bottom of the third, narrowing the Mets' lead. The game then entered a period of relative quiet, with the Mets unable to score until the eighth inning and the Colt .45s adding a run in the sixth and seventh innings. The back and forth continued into the eighth inning, with the Mets adding a run to their tally, but the Colt .45s responded with a run of their own, tying the game at 5-5. After a scoreless ninth inning, the game moved into extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth, the Colt .45s managed to score the winning run, ending the game with a 6-5 victory. The game was a microcosm of the 1962 season for both teams. The Mets, despite showing flashes of potential, were unable to maintain their early lead, a pattern that was seen throughout their season. The Colt .45s, meanwhile, demonstrated their ability to fight back and secure a win, a trait that helped them finish the season with a more respectable record than the Mets. Despite the struggles of both teams, the 1962 season was a significant one for Major League Baseball, marking the beginning of expansion that would continue over the next few decades.
Joe Garagiola interviews Harvey Haddix - Radio Broadcast video clip