Education
Prior to playing professionally, Crone attended Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Ray Crone
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He signed a professional contract with the Boston Braves in 1949 at the age of 17 and began his professional career that season. 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 European Research Area in 49 innings of work.
Of all pitchers on the team that season, he had the second-lowest European Research Area (trailing only Charlie Gorin"s 186).
He also spent 14 games in the minor leagues that season. With the Braves in 1955, Crone went 10-9 with a 3.46 European Research Area in 33 games (15 starts).
In 1401⁄3 innings, he allowed only 117 hits. 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 European Research Area in 35 games in 1956.
Crone began the 1957 season with the Braves, going 3-1 with a 4.46 European Research Area in 11 games (five starts). On June 15, he was traded with Danny O"Connell and Bobby Thomson to the New York Giants for Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst. He went 4-8 with a 4.33 European Research Area with the Giants that year, and went a combined 7-9 with a 4.36 European Research Area. Crone played his final major league season in 1958, going 1-2 with a 6.75 European Research Area in 14 games (one start).
On July 15 of that year, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Don 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 a winning percentage over.444. He later became a scout, based in Texas and working for the Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles and currently the San Diego Padres.
Over the course of his five-year major league career, Crone went 30-30 with a 3.87 European Research Area in 137 games (61 starts).
In 546 innings, he struck out 260 batters and walked 173. He spent 11 seasons in the minors, going 90-77 in 244 games.
