Craig Swan: 1978 N.L. ERA Leader (1973-1984)

Craig Steven Swan was born on November 30, 1950, in Van Nuys, California. His father was a draftsman for an aviation company & wanted the young Craig to be a quarterback. While throwing a football his arm became strong & the young Craig preferred baseball.

Dodger Stadium 1965 World Series: He pitched a no hitter in the PONY League & his team won the 1965 championship. The Dodgers invited Swan to throw out a ceremonial pitch in Game #5 of the 1965 World Series. Craig got to meet Sandy Koufax & Don Drysdale in the dugout as well.

He was drafted at age 17 but chose to attend Arizona State University instead. There he was a top pitcher, setting a record in the 1972 College World Series allowing only one run over 18 innings pitched.

The six foot three, right-handed Swan, had a good moving fastball in the low nineties and a hard slider. He was selected by the New York Mets in the third round of the 1972 draft. 

Mets Career: Swan was invited to Mets Spring Training in 1973, getting coaching tips from Tom Seaver & Jerry Koosman. 

He spent most of the year right up at the AAA level with Tidewater going 7-5 with a 2.34 ERA. He missed over two months due to a burst appendix. He had a brief cup of coffee in September 1973, arriving to find his locker was right next to Wille Mays'. There were five boxes sitting in his locker, all of it fan mail to Mays. 

Swan debuted on September 2nd, where he gave up four earned runs on nine hits in four innings in a loss to the Phillies. His next outing went better, pitching two scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs, two weeks later. He found himself right in the middle of the 1973 NL Pennant race, although he pitched in just three games, all Mets losses.    

1974 After the Pennant: Swan made the club to start the 1974 season, He started the year at 0-2, losing a relief effort & then his first start. On May 11th he pitched six shutout innings at Wrigley Field, at the plate he had three hits, driving in a run, scoring another while earning his first win.

In June he had arm trouble which turned out to be a broken arm and missed the rest of the season. He went 1-3 with a 4.45 ERA. 

In 1975 he returned to AAA Tidewater winning the International League MVP going 13-7 with a 2.24 ERA.

1976 Bicentennial Year: Swan made the 1976 Mets staff as their fifth starter, behind Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack, Jerry Koosman & veteran Mickey Lolich, who was brought in from Detroit in the horrible Rusty Staub trade. 

After losing his first decision on April 18th, he pitched a five hit complete game shut out over the Braves in Atlanta. He struck out a career high 11 batters in that game as well.

His next start was also impressive, as he beat the Big Red Machine. But they got him back in Cincinatti collecting six runs in five innings of work. 

This started a rough stretch where he suffered five straight losses. On June 7th in San Diego, he didn't allow any earned runs, but a Mets error led to Willie McCovey's two run double in the 5-1 loss.

On June 12th, he got his first winning decision in a month, beating John D'Acquisto & the Giants 3-1 at Candlestick Park, in a complete game. 

In his next start, he pitched ten innings of shutout ball against the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. He matched Don Sutton nine shutout innings but got no decision. The Mets won the game on Dave Kingman's walk off HR in the 14th off Charlie Hough. 

In five games from June 7th to June 17th he gave up just one earned run in 26 innings (0.35 ERA) with 21 strikeouts.

In July he had more arm trouble & would miss all of August. He returned to pitch in September.
going 1-1 in five starts. He finished the year 6-9 with a 3.54 ERA, with 89 strikeouts in 23 appearances in 132 innings pitched. 

Swan had issues with weight up to the point where he finally decided he needed to do something about it permanently. At age 25 he began a strict diet & workout routine, shedding a good twenty pounds.

1977: In his first start of the season Swan, got pounced for five runs by the Cardinals, exiting the game after just two innings. In his second start, the Cards beat him again, this time in a 3-2 loss to Bob Forsch in St. Louis. He would start the year at 1-4 record with an ERA of 6.16.

He notched consecutive wins over Montreal & Philly where he beat Jim Kaat. He then took a loss, when he was defeated by the Astros in Houston only giving up one earned run.  

On the trade deadline, the Mets traded away Tom Saver & Swan became a bigger part of the Mets rotation. In the first start after the trade, Swan pitched a complete game win over the Astros at Shea, giving up just one run on six hits while striking out three & walking three.

On July 16th, he beat the Pirates 5-3 at Shea Stadium, going seven innings, allowing three runs. 

On July 25th, in Los Angeles, he pitched a three-hit shutout, against the eventual NL Champion Dodgers. He beat Dou Rau 1-0, the only run coming in the 1st inning, on Steve Henderson's RBI double. The win got Swan to .500 at 6-6.

On July 31st, he gave up six earned runs to the Padres, but still got a win as the Mets scored ten runs for a 10-9 win. 

As the Mets 1977 season went into the dumps, Swan had just two more victories in the final two months (2-4). On September 16th, he shut out the Cubs into the 7th inning to earn his ninth win. 

He finished the year at 9-10, which was, the second most wins on the staff. He struck out 71 walked 56 with a 4.23 ERA in 146 innings pitched in 26 appearances (24 starts).

1978 NL ERA Leader:  In 1978 the Mets didn't have much to cheer about, they finished in last winning just 66 games. One of the only true bright spots was Craig Swan's pitching. It was so good; he won the leagues ERA title.

Swan began 1978 with a five-hit shutout over the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium, in the Mets, 5th game of the season. 

Although he pitched well, he didn’t earn another victory for three months, until mid-July. From April 15th to July 15th, Swan gave up two runs or less in eleven starts. In five of those starts he did not allow any runs. He had pitched into the 7th inning or beyond, nine times in that period as well. 

That's how bad the Mets offense was. During that stretch Swan posted a 2.65 ERA going 1-5. 

On April 26th, Swan lost a 1-0 game to Bert Blyleven & the Pittsburgh Pirates. On May 14th, he pitched seven shutout innings against the Astros, but the Mets lost 5-4. 

On May 19th, Swan allowed just one run to the Phillies over seven innings, but the Mets lost 4-3. On June 19th, he gave up just one run to the Giants, in seven innings, but the Mets got blanked by Vida Blue.

In the second game of an Independence Day double header, with the Phillies at Shea, Swan struck out a season high, 13 batters But in the top of the 9th inning, he gave up a two run, pinch hit HR to Jose Cardenal as the Mets lost 3-2.

His fortunes got a little better & he was one of the best attractions at Shea for the Mets in the summer of ’78. From July 19th to August 30th, he won seven straight decisions. 

On July 19th, he beat Houston's Mark Lemongello in a 2-1 duel, striking out seven. 

Pete Rose Hitting Streak: On July 26th, Swan went into the record books, when Pete Rose singled off him setting an NL record for hitting in 38 consecutive games. The game was at Shea Stadium & drew one of the largest crowds of the year at 38,158.

On August 15th, he pitched into the 9th inning, allowing an unearned run in a five hitter, over the Padres at Shea Stadium. When he faced them again, in San Diego on the West Coast Road trip, he beat Gaylord Perry in a 2-1 pitcher's duel allowing just five hits.

On August 20th, although he lost to the NL Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, he struck out a season high ten batters. 

On September 16th, he allowed one run and three hits over nine innings to the Phillies. The only run-on Greg Luzinski's HR. But Steve Carlton kept the Mets to one run & the Phillies won it on Mike Schmidt's walk off HR off Dwight Bernard. 

Trivia: It was another no decision for him, he had 13 in decisions in 28 starts that year.

Overall, Swan won eight of his last nine decisions, posting the league’s best ERA at 2.43. 

He went 9-6, pitching in 207 innings allowing just 56 earned runs. He struck out 125 batters & walked 58. Right-handed batters hit just .198 against him. At Shea Stadium he posted a 1.68 ERA with a 5-2 record, a shutout & four complete game.

1979: After Jerry Koosman got traded in the off season, Swan became the Mets main pitcher. He
was the Mets 1979 Opening Day starter & earned the win, in a wild 10-6 victory at
Wrigley Field.

 In his next start he allowed just one earned run in nine innings pitched against the Expos but go no decision. 

Two Hitter: On April 25th, in front of just 5,665 at Shea Stadium, he tossed a two-hit shutout over the San Francisco Giants. He struck out four & walked only one batter. The offense was led by John Stearns' HR.

He had a fine start to the dismal Mets season, gong 3-2 with a 2.40 ERA & 22 Ks in six April starts.

It took another shut out performance, to earn his next win. Although he didn't finish the game he went 8.1 innings in a 3-0 win over the World Champion "We Are Family" Pirates. On May 25th in strange game with the Pirates at Shea Stadium, he struck out a season high nine batters, in a game that ended in an 11-inning tie.

In June he won three straight games, allowing just three runs in 27 innings, in over three straight complete games. 

Shut Outs: On June 9th, he pitched a seven-hit shutout over the Astros at Shea Stadium. On July 25th, in San Francisco he tossed his third shutout of the season, a six hitter with seven strike outs in the 3-0 win. 

He made it four straight winning decisions, as he won his first three games in August, highlighted by a one run complete game win over the Expos, at Shea on August 10th. 

He did not pitch as well in the final month & half, suffering four straight losing decisions. He fell to 12-13 but won his last two starts to get over the .500 mark for the season.

He finished off the 1979 with 14 wins (14-13) winning almost a quarter of the Mets 66 victories. He led the Mets staff in that category, with the next highest total being six wins by Pete Falcone & Kevin Kobel.

Swan averaged two walks every nine innings which was one of the league's best ratios as well.

For 1979 he led the staff in ERA (3.29) wins (14) strike outs (145) shut outs (3) complete games (10) innings pitched (251) starts (35) as well as HRs, hits & runs allowed. He had now developed into a mature pitcher who was one of the better starters in the league. 

Quotes- Craig Swan: "The team really hit the skids there in the late 1970's & it took a long time to recover. It really affected my morale. Absolutely, I didn't feel that the team was going to be a winning team, so it kind of turned me in on myself. I lost the team concept that I enjoyed about baseball".

Pay Day: In the off season, he became the highest paid Mets pitcher in history signing a large contract that got him $560,000 for the 1980 season. 

1980: On Opening Day, the Mets lineup consisted of Frank Tavares, Eliot Maddox, Lee Mazzilli, Steve Henderson, Mike Jorgenson, Jerry Morales, John Stearns & Doug Flynn. This ensemble, under Manager Joe Torre would finish last once again for the third straight year.

On Opening Day at Shea in 1980, he beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2. Swan would not get credit for another win until May 9th, when he beat Steve Rogers & the Expos in Montreal, allowing just one run on three hits, in a complete game win. 

Shut out: On May 25th he beat the Atlanta Braves throwing a three-hit shutout at Shea. He beat Phil Niekro who gave up a two run HR to Mike Jorgensen in the 3-1 win.

On June 5th, he pitched another one run, complete game victory, this one a 2-1 win over the Cardinals, striking out his season high eight batters.

By mid-June he was 5-4 with a 2.21 ERA on yet another bad hitting team. 

Torn Rotator Cuff: After losing his next four decisions, he was placed on the disabled list. Swan had suffered what turned out to be a torn rotator cuff.  In those days doctors recommended rest instead of surgery. He attempted to pitch through the injury.

Quotes: Craig Swan: "This was also the first-time I had made really big money. I had waited five years for Seaver & Koosman to leave & make room for me. I didn't want the Mets to think, we're paying this guy & he's throwing 80%. That was my biggest mistake".

He made two poor starts in August, but he was done for the rest of the season. He ended 1980 at 5-9 with a 3.58 ERA, pitching 128 innings striking out 79 batters & walking 30.

1981 Strike Shortened Season: Swan started out pitching on April 19th, 1981 taking a loss to the Expos. He allowed three earned runs in 5.1 innings. 

Another Injury: In his second start, he got injured again on a strange play bad luck play. He fractured a rib, when he was hit by a throw from catcher Ron Hodges trying to throw out Tim Raines at second base. 

He went on the DL & made just two brief relief appearances before the baseball strike. 

When play resumed, he made just one start before landing on the DL again, due to the rotator cuff which had never healed.

Major Accomplishment: He really should be recognized for the amazing accomplishment of
being one of the first pitchers to successfully come back from rotator cuff surgery. 

1982: He began the season as a starter, but new manager George Bamberger wanted to go with a four-man rotation. On April 21st he made his first relief appearance, he posted a 1.30 ERA as a reliever in 15 appearances. Swan earned a win, pitching one inning of relief, on April 21st against the Cubs, at Shea Stadium & then another on May 26th in Atlanta with six innings of relief work. 

By June he was back in the starting rotation, winning his first two starts in the month, beating the Reds allowing just two runs in eight innings of work. He then gave up just one run to the eventual World Champion Cardinals in a June 12th win. 

 On July 18th, he made one more relief appearance & collected a save in Los Angeles. 

Only Career HR: On August 4th, teammate Joel Youngblood made history getting traded & playing for two different teams on the same day. Swan was the winning pitcher in the Mets 7-4 win at Wrigley Field. That day he also hit his only major league HR, it came off Ferguson Jenkins.  

On August 19th, Swan pitched a complete game, one run performance over the Reds, but got no decision in the 3-1 Mets loss. 

In September as the Mets were on their way to lose 97 games, Swan won four of his five starts, allowing just five earned runs in 26 innings in those games. 

On September 25th, in his final start of the season, he beat Steve Carlton & the Phils 2-1 at Shea Stadium in front of just 8,870 fans on a Saturday afternoon.

In 1982 he came in second to Joe Morgan, for the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Swan led
the team with 11 wins (11-7) posting a .611 winning %, pitching in 37 games, making 21 starts pitching 166 innings, with 67 strikeouts & a 3.35 ERA. 

1983: During Spring Training of 1983, Swan felt something pop in his arm, but he pitched through the injury. He had a cartilage pull in the right side of his ribs.

After Tom Seaver's Opening Day return to New York, Swan got the call for the second game. He went on to beat Philadelphia 6-2. 

He was in pain with his ribs & then suffered a triceps injury as well. It affected his throwing & his ERA climbed over six. He went back to the bullpen in a relief role & would only win one more game on the year, going 2-8 with a 5.51 ERA, making 18 starts in 27 appearances.

1984: The scene was different at Shea Stadium in 1984. Davey Johnson was the Manager & good young players had become a big part of the team. 

The Mets were now back to being a good team & competing for a pennant. Swan managed put in eight relief appearances that April. On April 21st he had one of the worst days of his pitching life, giving up eight runs on seven hits, including a pair of HRs to the Phillies in a three inning 12-2 loss. His ERA ballooned to over ten, he was released on May 7th.

The California Angels signed him two weeks later, but he made just two appearances before needing surgery to repair a muscle that was restricting an artery. He never returned & was released in November.

In a 12-season career, he finished up lifetime at 59-72 with seven saves, 673 strikeouts 368 walks & 3.74 ERA in 1235 innings pitched. He pitched in 231 games making 185 starts.

All Time Mets Leader Board: Swan is tied with Rick Reed for 14th on the Mets all-time list in victories (59). His 71 losses are eight most.

Swan is 9th in both innings pitched (1230) & tied with Ron Darling for complete games (25). He is tenth in starts (184).  

Swan is tied with Al Leiter at 11th in shut outs (7). He is 14th in Strike outs (671) & his 229 appearances are 21st in Mets history.

Retirement- Rolphing: As Swan was recovering from rotator cuff surgery, he discovered the technique of Rolfing. It helped strengthen his muscles back into shape. 

He enrolled in the Rolfe institute in Boulder Colorado & went into the practice. His office is located in Greenwich Connecticut, with his son now on his staff. 

Quotes- Craig Swan "I look forward to work every day. There's a lot of geometry & body mechanics. I was drawn to it; my dad was a draftsman & I took courses in high school."

Swan lives in the Riverside section of Greenwich, Connecticut. Among the patients he has helped, is former teammate & Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. Seaver was also a Greenwich resident.

Seaver had persuaded the young Swan to move there when he joined the club. He & Seaver would play squash together in the off season.

Years ago, Swannie lost millions of dollars in bad investments, and credits Fred Wilpon in helping get his daughter into the University of Michigan.

Honors: Swan was at the closing ceremonies of the final game at Shea Stadium in 2009.

Family: Craig met his wife Sandra in at Arizona State University. They were married in 1971 & had two children.