So Roger Craig turned 84 the other day? The guy who twice lost 20 games for the hapless Mets in the early 60s. But this guy could pitch, let me tell you. In 1964, he was on the St. Louis Cardinals. They overcame both the Phillies and Reds to take the pennant. But the New York Yankees would prove to be St. Louis' greatest challenge!
The St. Louis Cardinals trailed 2 games to 1 going into game 4, and then it looked even worse.
Ray Sadecki, who had won the Cardinals' only game, started but the Yankees destroyed him. 4 straight hits and 2 runs and he was out of there. There was only one out and it was only the bottom of the first. Could Roger Craig help?
He came in, and was greeted the hard way as Elston Howard singled home Roger Maris. It was 3-0 Yankees, right off the bat. Craig managed to fan Tommy Tresh for the second out. Joe Pepitone was out on a flyball.
In the second inning, Craig really brought it!
First, he fanned Clete Boyer with a great pitch. Then he fanned his mound adversary, Al Downing (pitching a great game). Finally, he whiffed Phil Linz on a nice one that caught the left edge of the plate.
But things weren't so easy for Roger in the next two innings. This is where he needed to be "money" as we say now in sports.
The Cardinals failed to score in the top of the 3rd despite a walk and a single. Craig made it look easy as he got Bobby Richardson out on a grounder. That was definitely a key person to get out. Leading off, and always dangerous was the Yankees' second basemen. Then he got Maris to hit a comebacker.
And then, Roger Craig lost his control. The strike zone must have shrunk in half.
First, a walk to Mickey Mantle. Then, a walk to Howard. Tresh was the batter, but Craig would not have to worry about him. What he was thinking about was Mantle, who was in a conversation with Dick Groat. Groat, the Cardinals' shortstop, fooled Mantle into taking too big a leadoff by talking about The Mick's walkoff home run in game three. Craig had a great pickoff move to second, unlike most right handed pitchers. The Mick was caught off guard, and the Cards were out of the inning!
But back came some wildness from Craig again in the 5th.
Tresh fanned. But Pepitone walked. That was BB #3 for Roger. Clete Boyer didn't fan this time. He singled to center, but Pepi only made it to second. There was only one out, however. Pepitone, despite his too carefree style of life on and off the field, wasn't going to fall for the same trick as The Mick. Roger was going to have to do this the old fashioned way.
He fanned Downing. Roger then fanned Linz. He was up to 7 K's. The bad part was the 2 hits and 3 walks. But he had still not allowed a run in 3 2/3 innings pitched. Could he keep it up?
In the bottom of the 5th, Bobby Richardson got a hold of one and sent it right to Clete's older brother Ken at third. Maris went the other way on a fly and was retired. Craig humbled Mickey even more by fanning him. Wow! 4 2/3 innings pitched, 0 runs, 2 hits, 8 strikeouts and 3 walks!
But there was one slight problem to all that: It was still 3-0, New York!
Therein lies the problem. Downing had a 1-2-3 1st, a 1-2-3 2nd, a 1-2-3 4th, a 1-2-3 5th. The Cards weren't doing much. Craig himself had managed only a flyball out against Downing in the third. That had been the only inning the Cardinals had managed any baserunners.
Craig was about to be removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the 6th. Carl Warwick, 2-2 in the pinch hitting role, delivered for a 3rd time with a single to left to start the 6th. Curt Flood then singled. Lou Brock was out on a flyball. 2 on and 1 out. Dick Groat then did what you don't do: he hit a bouncing ball to second! A double-play ball!
Richardson, close to the bag at second, stopped it. But for whatever reason, he stumbled in getting it out of his glove. Then, his short toss to Linz at second went wide. Flood dumped Phil for good measure. It should have been the end of the inning. Instead, there was bases loaded and only one out.
Ken Boyer was the next batter. But Downing and the Yankees had handled him so well, it looked like Ken was going to be the goat of the Series. Big reason for the Yankees 2 - 1 lead in the Series? Ken Boyer. Just 1 hit in game 1, none in game 2, none in game 3. None so far in game 4. Downing had already whiffed him twice in the Series, including a K in just 1 2/3 inning of relief in game 1.
Downing missed with a slider. Elston Howard wanted a fastball, Downing's prized pitch, as the next one. It made sense, because the white shirts in the background (The Yankees would removed the black spot in center for the World Series, to make for more fans and difficult eyesight of many a batter!) made it next to impossible for St. Louis to actually see what Al was tossing. The way the game was going, the Cardinals might have to just swing wildly at any fastballs.
But Downing wanted a changeup. Howard decided to give in. But the pitch was at the letters, and it caught too much of the plate. Boyer was way out in front because he'd expected a fastball. Would it hurt?
It had the distance, but it was hooking with all that topspin! It managed to stay fair, but only by about 6 feet. The Cardinals were now up 4-3.
Canadian Ron Taylor took the hill in the bottom of the 6th. And he actually didn't give up a hit in this frame or any other remaining 3 innings. The Yankees managed just one walk off him. St. Louis had won the game, 4-3, which each team getting just 6 hits!
But it was Craig, with the win, whose great performance had turned the tide in the Cardinals favour. Craig did not get to pitch again in this Series. And as it turns out, he never again pitched in the postseason. But still, this performance saved St. Louis from going down 3-1 in the 1964 Fall Classic. The Cardinals went on to win the Series in 7 games. Bob Gibson was the MVP, but Roger Craig swung the pendulum in the St. Louis Cardinals direction!
Anderson, Dave. Pennant Races: Baseball At Its Best. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Print.
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.
Halberstam, David. October 1964. New York: Villard, 1994. Print.
Mantle, Mickey, and Mickey Herskowitz. All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When The Yankees Ruled Baseball. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
The St. Louis Cardinals trailed 2 games to 1 going into game 4, and then it looked even worse.
Ray Sadecki, who had won the Cardinals' only game, started but the Yankees destroyed him. 4 straight hits and 2 runs and he was out of there. There was only one out and it was only the bottom of the first. Could Roger Craig help?
He came in, and was greeted the hard way as Elston Howard singled home Roger Maris. It was 3-0 Yankees, right off the bat. Craig managed to fan Tommy Tresh for the second out. Joe Pepitone was out on a flyball.
In the second inning, Craig really brought it!
First, he fanned Clete Boyer with a great pitch. Then he fanned his mound adversary, Al Downing (pitching a great game). Finally, he whiffed Phil Linz on a nice one that caught the left edge of the plate.
But things weren't so easy for Roger in the next two innings. This is where he needed to be "money" as we say now in sports.
The Cardinals failed to score in the top of the 3rd despite a walk and a single. Craig made it look easy as he got Bobby Richardson out on a grounder. That was definitely a key person to get out. Leading off, and always dangerous was the Yankees' second basemen. Then he got Maris to hit a comebacker.
And then, Roger Craig lost his control. The strike zone must have shrunk in half.
First, a walk to Mickey Mantle. Then, a walk to Howard. Tresh was the batter, but Craig would not have to worry about him. What he was thinking about was Mantle, who was in a conversation with Dick Groat. Groat, the Cardinals' shortstop, fooled Mantle into taking too big a leadoff by talking about The Mick's walkoff home run in game three. Craig had a great pickoff move to second, unlike most right handed pitchers. The Mick was caught off guard, and the Cards were out of the inning!
But back came some wildness from Craig again in the 5th.
Tresh fanned. But Pepitone walked. That was BB #3 for Roger. Clete Boyer didn't fan this time. He singled to center, but Pepi only made it to second. There was only one out, however. Pepitone, despite his too carefree style of life on and off the field, wasn't going to fall for the same trick as The Mick. Roger was going to have to do this the old fashioned way.
He fanned Downing. Roger then fanned Linz. He was up to 7 K's. The bad part was the 2 hits and 3 walks. But he had still not allowed a run in 3 2/3 innings pitched. Could he keep it up?
In the bottom of the 5th, Bobby Richardson got a hold of one and sent it right to Clete's older brother Ken at third. Maris went the other way on a fly and was retired. Craig humbled Mickey even more by fanning him. Wow! 4 2/3 innings pitched, 0 runs, 2 hits, 8 strikeouts and 3 walks!
But there was one slight problem to all that: It was still 3-0, New York!
Therein lies the problem. Downing had a 1-2-3 1st, a 1-2-3 2nd, a 1-2-3 4th, a 1-2-3 5th. The Cards weren't doing much. Craig himself had managed only a flyball out against Downing in the third. That had been the only inning the Cardinals had managed any baserunners.
Craig was about to be removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the 6th. Carl Warwick, 2-2 in the pinch hitting role, delivered for a 3rd time with a single to left to start the 6th. Curt Flood then singled. Lou Brock was out on a flyball. 2 on and 1 out. Dick Groat then did what you don't do: he hit a bouncing ball to second! A double-play ball!
Richardson, close to the bag at second, stopped it. But for whatever reason, he stumbled in getting it out of his glove. Then, his short toss to Linz at second went wide. Flood dumped Phil for good measure. It should have been the end of the inning. Instead, there was bases loaded and only one out.
Ken Boyer was the next batter. But Downing and the Yankees had handled him so well, it looked like Ken was going to be the goat of the Series. Big reason for the Yankees 2 - 1 lead in the Series? Ken Boyer. Just 1 hit in game 1, none in game 2, none in game 3. None so far in game 4. Downing had already whiffed him twice in the Series, including a K in just 1 2/3 inning of relief in game 1.
Downing missed with a slider. Elston Howard wanted a fastball, Downing's prized pitch, as the next one. It made sense, because the white shirts in the background (The Yankees would removed the black spot in center for the World Series, to make for more fans and difficult eyesight of many a batter!) made it next to impossible for St. Louis to actually see what Al was tossing. The way the game was going, the Cardinals might have to just swing wildly at any fastballs.
But Downing wanted a changeup. Howard decided to give in. But the pitch was at the letters, and it caught too much of the plate. Boyer was way out in front because he'd expected a fastball. Would it hurt?
It had the distance, but it was hooking with all that topspin! It managed to stay fair, but only by about 6 feet. The Cardinals were now up 4-3.
Canadian Ron Taylor took the hill in the bottom of the 6th. And he actually didn't give up a hit in this frame or any other remaining 3 innings. The Yankees managed just one walk off him. St. Louis had won the game, 4-3, which each team getting just 6 hits!
But it was Craig, with the win, whose great performance had turned the tide in the Cardinals favour. Craig did not get to pitch again in this Series. And as it turns out, he never again pitched in the postseason. But still, this performance saved St. Louis from going down 3-1 in the 1964 Fall Classic. The Cardinals went on to win the Series in 7 games. Bob Gibson was the MVP, but Roger Craig swung the pendulum in the St. Louis Cardinals direction!
References
Anderson, Dave. Pennant Races: Baseball At Its Best. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Print.
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.
Halberstam, David. October 1964. New York: Villard, 1994. Print.
Mantle, Mickey, and Mickey Herskowitz. All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When The Yankees Ruled Baseball. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.
Major League Baseball. World Series Of 1964. Major League Baseball Productions, 1964. DVD.
Retrosheet. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <www.retrosheet.org>
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball. Vers. 1994. Portland, OR: Creative Multimedia Corp., 1994. Computer software. CD-ROM.
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