Craig Steven Swan (born November 30, 1950) is a former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1984 for the New York Mets and California Angels. Swan's best season came in when he posted a 9–6 win–loss record and led the National League with an earned run average of 2.43. This was significant as the Mets were in the National League East cellar that year. Swan featured a fastball between 90 and 95 miles per hour with good movement and an occasional slider.
Early life and career
Swan was born in Van Nuys, California. At age 14, he pitched for Long Beach in the PONY League, hurled a no-hitter, and was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium before Game 5 of the World Series; his pitch was televised and can be seen on the TV broadcast, with announcer Ray Scott describing his pitching exploits. At age 17, was picked in the 23rd round of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Rather than sign as a low-round pick, Swan attended Arizona State University. In the 1972 College World Series, Swan allowed only one run in 18 innings pitched for a 0.50 ERA – tied for the best ever for 18 or more innings. For his efforts, he was named to the All-Tournament Team but Arizona State lost to the University of Southern California in the championship game.
Swan was chosen by the Mets in the third round of the 1972 Major League Baseball draft. He spent most of to in the minor leagues with only brief (and poor) stints in the majors. One of his better early performances came on May 11, , when he personally out-played the opposition by collecting a career-high three hits, knocking in one run, and scoring another at the plate while allowing no runs on four hits over six innings on the mound. Later that season, he broke his elbow and missed significant playing time. He returned successfully and, in , was named the International League Most Valuable Pitcher.
Productive years
Swan broke into the majors for good in . In the Mets' last good season of the decade, Swan was the fifth starter and posted statistics slightly below the league average with a 3.54 ERA and a 6–9 record. His highlight was his first victory of the season when he pitched a five-hit complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts. He was inconsistent for the season. After four terrible starts, the following three starts resulted in just a single earned run on 13 hits and four walks over 26 innings with 21 strikeouts — a fantastic 0.35 ERA.
In , Swan's numbers declined slightly but so did the rest of the team's as number one starter, Jerry Koosman, lost 20 games and the Mets sank into last place in the division.
In 1978, the Mets struggled to a 66–96 record but Swan started the season with a five-hit complete game shutout, the third of his career. In the second game of a July 4, 1978 doubleheader, Swan logged a career-high 13 strikeouts but surrendered two ninth-inning runs to lose the game 3–2. The loss dropped his record to 1–5 despite a very good 2.66 ERA. Swan's ERA continued improving and he won his next seven decisions. On September 16, he allowed one run and three hits over nine innings but was again denied a win. At season's end, Swan had the best ERA in the National League as well as the second-best WHIP and second-best hits per nine innings. His ERA was only 1.67 at Shea Stadium. Despite his excellent statistics, he finished with only a 9–6 record. The Mets were the third-worst pitching team in the league, and they finished with the worst record in the N.L.
was another good season for Swan and was also his most active. He set career highs in innings pitched, games started, complete games, shutouts and BFP. Swan was the lone bright spot for the Mets' pitching staff. His 14 wins were not only a career-best but were more than any two of his teammates combined. The Mets finished with 99 losses, again last in the National League.