On November 4, 1963, Cardinals GM Bing Devine sent outfielder George Altman and pitcher Bill Wakefield to the New York Mets in exchange for hard luck hurler Roger Craig. The 6 foot 4 righthander had posted the most losses in the National League in back-to-back seasons with 24 losses in '62, then 22 losses in '63. A move to St. Louis didn't provide an instant turnaround for him as he posted just a 7-9 record during the regular season but it was what he did in the postseason that made the trade a great one. Craig turned in a relief performance in Game 4 of the '64 World Series that earned him a win and a key victory in a battle that would take 7 games for the Cardinals to prevail over the New York Yankees. When it came to the players that the Cardinals sent to New York, only Altman would play significant time in the major leagues. He never did hit higher than .235 after he was shipped out of St. Louis. While Craig spent just one season with the Cardinals, it was a season that ended with a World Series ring.You can read about Craig's victory in the Fall Classic here: http://onthisdayincardinalnation.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-11-1964-ken-boyer-slams-yankees.html
This is a story did for On This Day In Sports that is about Craig putting his losing streak to bed during the '63 season in New York: http://onthisdayinsports.blogspot.com/2013/08/august-9-1963-roger-craig-changes.html
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