Roger Craig

Roger Lee Craig (February 17, 1930 – June 4, 2023) was an American professional baseball pitcher, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball. Born in Durham, North Carolina, he graduated from Durham High School, where he played multiple sports. He began his college career at North Carolina State University on a basketball scholarship but stayed only one year before signing a professional baseball contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950 for $6,000. Craig threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 4 inches tall, and weighed 190 pounds. After his first two seasons in the Dodger farm system, he missed 1952 and 1953 while performing Korean War military service.

Craig pitched in the majors between 1955 and 1966, appearing for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Philadelphia Phillies. He later became an acclaimed pitching coach and a manager, working between 1969 and 1992. As a player and coach, Craig was part of four World Series championship teams. As a manager, he led the 1989 San Francisco Giants to the franchise's first National League championship in 27 years.