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| Ray Crone | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1931-08-07)August 7, 1931 (age 94) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 13, 1954, for the Milwaukee Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 14, 1958, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 30–30 |
| Earned run average | 3.87 |
| Strikeouts | 260 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Raymond Hayes Crone (born August 7, 1931) is anAmerican former professionalbaseball player andscout. In his playing days, he was aright-handedpitcher who played inMajor League Baseball for theMilwaukee Braves from 1954 to 1957 and theNew York / San Francisco Giants in 1957 and 1958. The native ofMemphis, Tennessee, was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 165 pounds (75 kg).
Prior to playing professionally, Crone attended Memphis,Christian Brothers High School.[1][2] He signed aprofessional contract with theBoston Braves in 1949 at the age of 17 and began his career that season. He was used primarily as astarting pitcher in his early minor league career, reaching win totals as high as 19, accomplishing that with the 1953Jacksonville Braves.[1] That year, the Braves franchise was transferred to become theMilwaukee Braves.
Crone made his major league debut on April 13, 1954, at age 22. He spent 19 games with the big league club, starting two of them and going 1–0 with a 2.02 ERA in 49 innings of work. Of all pitchers on the team that season, he had the second-lowest ERA (trailing onlyCharlie Gorin's 1.86).[3][4] He also spent 14 games in the minor leagues that season.
With the Braves in 1955, Crone went 10–9 with a 3.46 ERA in 33 games (15 starts). In 1401⁄3innings pitched, he allowed only 117hits. Though he spent time in the minors in 1955, it was a short stint – only four games.
He went 11–10 with a 3.87 ERA in 35 games in 1956. Crone began the 1957 season with the Braves, going 3–1 with a 4.46 ERA in 11 games (five starts). On June 15, he was traded withDanny O'Connell andBobby Thomson to the New York Giants for Baseball Hall of Fame second basemanRed Schoendienst. He went 4–8 with a 4.33 ERA with the Giants that year, and went a combined 7–9 with a 4.36 ERA.
Crone played his final major league season in 1958, going 1–2 with a 6.75 ERA in 14 games (one start). On July 15 of that year, he was traded to theToronto Maple Leafs forDon Johnson. He finished the season in the minor leagues, playing his final big league game on July 14. Crone pitched in the minors until 1961, when he was 29 years old. In each of the final three seasons of his minor league career, Crone did not post awinning percentage over .444.[5]
Over the course of his five-year major league career, Crone went 30–30 with a 3.87 ERA in 137 games (61 starts). In 546 innings pitched, he struck out 260 batters and walked 173. He allowed 554 hits.
He spent 11 seasons in the minors, going 90–77 in 244 games. Although a .115 hitter (18-for-156) with just 5 RBI in his major league career, he fielded his position well, posting a .993fielding percentage, committing only one error in 134total chances.
A decade after retiring from the mound, Crone became ascout, based inTexas and working for theMontreal Expos,Baltimore Orioles,San Diego Padres[6] and, as of 2017, theArizona Diamondbacks.[7] His son, Ray Jr., is a scout for theDetroit Tigers, and formerly worked in that capacity for the Orioles andBoston Red Sox.[8]