Roger Craig .... Drafted from the Dodgers and the "Boys of Summer" with the 6th pick in the '61 expansion draft, all Mets fans know who threw out the first pitch in Mets history. On 4/11/62, Craig and the Mets traveled to Sportsman Park in St. Louis to face Stan Musial and his gang of redbirds. Roger promptly allowed five runs in three innings to record the first Mets start and loss ever. He also recorded the first strikeout by fanning Gene Oliver in the 2nd inning. Anchoring a terrible team, Craig recorded 469.1 innings pitched over the '62 + '63 seasons. He also recorded 46 losses during that span, despite a decent 4.14 ERA. On November 4th, 1963, Roger was dealt to the Cardinals for Bill Wakefield and George Altman. In many ways, Roger Craig was the Mets first "Ace."
The top baseball was obtained via eBay, several months ago. The second baseball was signed through the mail, via a package sent to Mr. Craig's home in March 2018.
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