Former Braves Starter, Who Was Flipped For A Future Hall Of Famer, Dies At 94

The Atlanta Braves have won a pair of World Series championships and plenty of National League pennants since relocating to their home city in Georgia. But the franchise has a long and rich history that spans much more of the country.

The team was founded as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871 before numerous rebrands in Massachusetts, a move to Milwaukee and eventually a transition to Atlanta in 1966. And across all of that time, the franchise has hosted countless players.

In 1954, while the organization was still known as the Boston Braves, Ray Crone joined that group. Just one day after graduating high school, in 1949, the starting pitcher began his career by signing with the Braves as a 17-year-old. Now, the organization has learned that Crone has died at age 94.

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Boston Braves Pitcher Ray Crone Dies

Crone might not persist in the minds of many contemporary fans of the Braves, but he did log 43 starts for the Braves between 1954 and 1957, including a standout season in 1956.

“In 1955, Crone shuttled between the Braves’ rotation and bullpen, going 10-9 with a 3.46 ERA in 33 games (15 starts),” Jon Paul Hoornstra wrote for Newsweek. “In 1956, Crone went 11-10 with a 3.87 ERA, setting a career-high in innings pitched (169.2) while starting 21 of his 35 games. Crone tossed 11 innings in a single game on May 26, 1956, a 2-1 complete-game victory over the Reds.”

In 1957, Crone was traded from the Braves to the New York Giants — who later moved and became the San Francisco Giants — as part of a package that landed future Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Red Schoendienst.

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Schoendienst was a 10-time All-Star at that point and he was Major League Baseball’s hits leader in the 1957 season. Schoendienst and the Braves went on to win the 1957 World Series against the New York Yankees shortly after the team cut ties with Crone.

Crone was sent to the Giants alongside Danny O’Connell and Bobby Thomson as part of that transaction. Crone pitched for the New York Giants in the 1957 season, then moved with them to San Francisco for the 1958 season, which proved to be the last of his big-league career.

Following the end of his playing days, Crone became a professional scout and worked for the Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. His son followed in his footsteps to become a professional baseball scout as well, working for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and the Orioles.