| Pete Craig | |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Bats: | Left |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 10 July 1940 |
| Birth Place: | LaSalle, Ontario, Canada |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | September 6 |
| Debutyear: | 1964 |
| Debutteam: | Washington Senators |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | September 24 |
| Finalyear: | 1966 |
| Finalteam: | Washington Senators |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 0–3 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 11.50 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 3 |
| Teams: |
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Peter Joel Craig (born July 10, 1940) is a Canadian former professional baseball player. He pitched in six games in Major League Baseball, four as a starter, over parts of three seasons (1964–1966) for the Washington Senators. He also pitched in the minor leagues from 1963 to 1967. Craig batted left-handed, threw right-handed, stood 6inchesft5inchesin (ftin) tall and weighed 220lb.
Born in LaSalle, Ontario, Craig attended Assumption College School, where he failed three times to make the school's baseball team.[1] He attended college at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he spent three years pitching for the Detroit Mercy Titans. In his first varsity start on April 15, 1961, he pitched a seven-inning no-hitter against Olivet College.[2] He finished his college career with a 20-4 win–loss record and a school-record 219 strikeouts.[3] [4]
Craig was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers on June 13, 1963, for about $13,000 and was assigned to the Class A Duluth-Superior Dukes of the Northern League.[5] [6] He pitched a complete game, one-hitter against the Winnipeg Goldeyes on July 21.[7] After Duluth-Superior won the Northern League championship, Craig was promoted to the Double-A Knoxville Smokies in late August.[8] He finished the 1963 season with a 8–6 record and 2.32 earned run average across both leagues, with his 2.51 mark with Duluth-Superior the lowest in the Northern League.[9] [10] In April 1964, he was claimed by the Washington Senators for $8,000.[11] In 28 games with the Rocky Mount Senators in 1964, he led the league with 20 complete games and 208 innings pitched and was named a Carolina League all-star.[12]
Craig was called up to the Senators on September 3, 1964, and made his major league debut on September 6 against the Tigers.[13] [14] He allowed four earned runs in 1.0 innings in his debut, and would make one more appearance on October 4. In a start against the Boston Red Sox, he yielded five runs and issued three base on balls in 0.2 innings.[15] [16]
In April 1965, the Senators sent Craig down to the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders.[17] After going 14-11 for Hawaii, he was recalled to Washington on September 4.[18] [19] He started and lost all three games that he appeared in, allowing 13 earned runs in 14.1 innings and striking out two batters.[20] He won 14 minor league games for the third-straight season in 1966 before being recalled on September 6, 1966.[21] Craig appeared in one major league game that month, pitching 2.0 innings against the Chicago White Sox on September 24.[22] He began the 1967 season with the Indianapolis Indians before rejoining the Islanders on July 11.[23] [24] Craig quit baseball after the 1967 season and worked at a bank in North Carolina.[25]