Craig Anderson (1960s pitcher)
A right-handed pitcher whose brief Major League career is remembered for a spectacular start with the expansion-era New York Mets.
Born 1938 (age 88)·American baseball player·Birthday: July 1·The Silent Generation
Biography
Craig Anderson's baseball story is a classic study in early promise and hard luck. The tall right-hander from Washington D.C. debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1961, showing flashes of potential. His true, fleeting moment in the sun came after being selected by the newborn New York Mets in the 1962 expansion draft. In that famously dreadful first season for the Mets, Anderson emerged as a surprisingly effective arm, even throwing two complete-game victories in a doubleheader in May. But the relentless workload of a struggling expansion team took its toll; he lost his next 16 decisions that year, and his career never recovered. His time in the majors was short, but his name remains etched in Mets lore as a symbol of both unexpected hope and the brutal realities of the game.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Craig was born in 1938, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Craig Was Born
The biggest hits of 1938
#1 Movie
You Can't Take It with You
Best Picture
You Can't Take It with You
Craig's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1938Born
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1943Started school
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1951Became a teenager
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Could drive
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1956Could vote
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Turned 21
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1968Turned 30
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 40
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 50
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 60
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 70
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 80
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 88 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won both games of a doubleheader for the New York Mets on May 12, 1962, a rare feat for any pitcher.
- Pitched a complete game, 7-hit shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies in August 1962.
- Was selected by the New York Mets in the 1962 expansion draft from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Did You Know?
He was a standout basketball player at Lehigh University, not just a baseball athlete.
After baseball, he had a long career as a sales representative for a steel company.
His final major league win was the second game of that May 1962 doubleheader; he never won another game.
“I threw my best pitches, but the wins just didn't follow.”
