Roger Craig is a name that both young and old Dodger fans know well. He managed the San Francisco Giants from 1985 to 1992; having coined the motto 'Humm Baby' as they won the NL West Division title in 1987 (Boo!). Craig was also a born and bred Dodger (Yeah!). He was signed as an amateur by the team in 1950, made his debut with Brooklyn in 1955 and would pitch 7 seasons in Blue.
In 1955, he started Game 5 of the World Series against the Yankees, and won. He went 6 innings and gave up just 2 runs. This victory allowed the Dodgers to take a 3 to 2 Series lead.
His forte on the mound was the split-fingered fastball; which he taught to ballplayers after his playing career was over. He would go on to be a pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres, before being the Giants skipper.
1961 was his last season as a Dodger. He would be taken in the MLB Expansion Draft by the New York Mets at the end of the season. So, he was a part of the very first Mets team, and lost the first game in team history (11-4 against St. Louis). Steve Treder at Baseball Analyst wrote a great biography about him that you can check out here.
Below are complete scans of every page from Roger Craig's 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet. Click any pic to embiggen.
UPDATE: I didn't even realize this until I saw a tweet from Night Owl Cards. Today is Roger Craig's 84th birthday. Happy Birthday, Roger!
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