Major league career[edit]

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 ERA in 49 innings of work. Of all pitchers on the team that season, he had the second-lowest ERA . He also spent 14 games in the minor leagues that season.

With the Braves in 1955, Crone went 10-9 with a 3.46 ERA 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 ERA in 35 games in 1956. Crone began the 1957 season with the Braves, going 3-1 with a 4.46 ERA in 11 games (five starts). On June 15, he was traded  to the New York Giants. He went 4-8 with a 4.33 ERA with the Giants that year, and went a combined 7-9 with a 4.36 ERA.

Crone played his final major league season in 1958, going 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 14 games (one start). On July 15 of that year, he was traded. He finished the season in the minor leagues, playing his final big league game on July 14.