After 50 years, Craig still fond of ’62 Mets

After 50 years, Craig still fond of ’62 Mets

Walter Kelleher/New York Daily News

Roger Craig switches jersey number to No. 13 after losing 18 straight games.

Two days before he took the mound for one of the most momentous occasions in New York baseball history the Mets inaugural opener which took place 50 years ago Wednesday in St. Louis Roger Craig says he twisted my ankle pretty bad during pitchers fielding practice.

Craig, a veteran of three World Series teams by the time he joined the Mets in 1962, kept his injury secret, confiding only in roommate Hobie Landrith and avoiding crusty manager Casey Stengel at all costs.

I told Hobie, Im not going to tell anybody, because I want to pitch that first game. The trainer taped it up and it didnt bother me too much, says Craig, now 82. I remember thinking, I waited a long time and worked too hard to be Opening Day pitcher and now I might lose it. If Casey would have known, he wouldnt have let me pitch.

Craig did indeed hurl the first pitch for the Mets that April 11 at Busch Stadium, and although some of the memories have faded, the North Carolina native remembers one detail clearly: We got blown out pretty good.

It was an 11-4 rout led by Stan Musial (3-for-3), Curt Flood, Minnie Minoso and Co., the first of nine straight losses to open the Mets first baseball season. Things did not get much better, with Stengels roster of fading stars and colorful characters winning 40 games against a still-record 120 losses.

Craig, who will throw out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday before the series fina le with Washington at Citi Field, still laughs when fans cite his 62 record.

People always bring up, Well, you lost 24 games. I say, Yeah, but we won 40 overall and I won 10 of them, Craig says. They say,How the hell did you do that?

Many predicted the 2012 Mets would be as bad as their 62 ancestors this season, but so far its been the opposite. Craig and his teammates would have preferred a similar start in 62, but the former Giants manager says he still has positive memories from his two-year stint in a Mets uniform.

Some reporter asked me this year, Are you proud of your (Mets pitching) record? I said, No, Im not proud, but Im not ashamed of it. Losing a lot, it really helped me when I was a pitching coach and a manager, says Craig. It really helped me relate to people that were in slumps and pitchers who were having trouble.

We had a lot of great players, added Craig, who also was the starting pitcher in the last game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957. We had Richie Ashburn, and Frank Thomas could still hit a few home runs (34). We had Gil Hodges. On paper we had a decent pitching staff and a decent ball club. It just didnt work out that way.