MONDAY
Q. What Hall of Famer hit his first career home run in the majors off future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn?
Hint: His career took off the year he followed his 8-13 season with a 18-13 season.
Hint: Most people focus the 111-34 pitching victory record he posted over the next five seasons.
Hint: A few people know he played basketball at Cincinnati.
- 8-13 in 1960 then 18-13 in 1961
FCR - Jayson Stark, New Town, Pennsylvania
Incorrect answers: Willie Mays, Bob Gibson
TUESDAY
Q. Who is the only living major leaguer to amass a Rookie of the Year Award, a Cy Young Award and a National League MVP in his career?
Hint: He’d readily exchange those last two for a World Series ring that same year.
Hint: He was the first pitcher to surrender a walk-off home run in a World Series game.
- ROY 1949; CYA (1st one ever awarded) 1956; NL MVP 1956 (Dodger teammates finished 2nd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 16th, 21st & 30th in the MVP voting that year.) Newk is 91 and looking good. Shown here with Hunter Green, the Reds’ top 2017 draft pick.
FCR - Madison McEntire, Bryant Arkansas
Incorrect answers: Clayton Kershaw, ,Dennis Eckersley
TUESDAY TWICE
Q. In the 146 years of major league baseball, what pitcher trails only Nolan Ryan in hits allowed per 9 innings pitched?
Hint: In walks and hits allowed per 9 innings pitched, he trails only Addie Joss.
Hint: He owns more Cy Young Awards than those two other pitchers combined.
Hint: When he debuted, he was the youngest player in the majors, a title he held for one full season
Hint: Only Sandy Koufax has led the National League in ERA for more consecutive seasons.
- Kershaw led the NL in ERA 2011-14, 4 straight years. Koufax had 5 (1962-66). The major league record is 6, held by Lefty Grove (1934-39).
FCR - Michael Green, Las Vegas
Incorrect answers: Steve Carlton, Don Drysdale, Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, J.R. Richard, Max Scherzer, Bret Saberhagen, Bob Gibson, Mike Maddux, Warren Spahn, Christy Mathewson, Sandy Koufax
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who is the only black Hall of Fame pitcher born in a state in the Midwest?
Hint: He was the first member of his university’s Hall of Fame.
Hint: As a youth growing up in Depression-era poverty, he suffered from asthma, had hay fever, had a heart murmur, he contracted rickets and almost died of pneumonia.
FCR - Bill Hays, Herrin, Illinois
Incorrect answers: Satchel Paige, Don Newcombe
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Who is the only Hall of Famer pitcher baptized a Mormon?
Hint: If my sister-in-law is to be believed, he’s also the Hall’s best-looking inductee.
Hint: “The Nation” gets to enjoy him more than the rest of the continent.
- Mormon i.e., LDS, i.e., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They claim him all the while acknowledging that he has not participated in church activities since childhood.
- Color announcer on NESN, the New England Sports Network, which broadcasts to what is often referred to as “Red Sox Nation”.
FCR - Scott Matteson, Shawnee, Kansas
Incorrect answers: Roger Clemens, Catfish Hunter, Ted Williams
THURSDAY
Q. What Hall of Fame pitcher still holds the record for the lowest ERA the year he won the Cy Young Award?
Hint: He led the Upland, California American Legion team to the U.S. national title.
Hint: The standout on that team, he was named the American Legion Player of the Year.
Hint: He was the only pitcher to win the World Series MVP for an entire decade.
- Am Leg. POY in 1964
- WS MVP 1974; No other WS MVP for a pitcher between Mikey Lolich in 1968 and Bret Saberhagen in 1985
FCR - Madison McEntire, Bryant, Arkansas
Incorrect answers: Jim Palmer, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Madison Bumgarner, Randy Johnson, Orel Hershiser
FRIDAY
Q. Who was the first 21st century rookie pitcher to earn 15 victories out of his team's first 125 games?
Hint: On July 4th of his rookie season, he and both his relievers all reached triple-digits on the radar gun.
Hint: Much of the reason for his team’s not winning the World Series that year is due, many feel, to the sub-par fielding of the pitching staff, with him not excluded.
Hint: In Little League, some children would start crying in the on-deck circle when they saw how fast he was throwing.
- Ended up w/a 17-9 record.
FCR - Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland
Incorrect answers: Kerry Wood, Mar Prior, Herb Score
SATURDAY
Q. Who broke Gaylord Perry’s record as the most superannuated Cy Young Award winner?
Hint: He never, however, had a 300-strikeout season, his best effort only ranking 70th all-time.
Hint: His career numbers tell a different story.
- Age 41 in 2004 time of his 7th and final CYA, then w/HOU. Perry was 39 when he won his 2nd w/SDP in 1978.
- His career total of 4,672 ranks him 3rd all-time, behind only Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Randy Johnson (4,875).
FCR - Jeff Kallman, Las Vegas
Incorrect answers: Don Sutton, Bert Blyleven, R.A. Dickey, Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro
SATURDAY NIGHT BONUS
Q. Who is the only native to Puerto Rico to win a Cy Young Award?
Hint: He earned, in the same season, the saves in each of his team’s games that clinched the division, pennant and World Series.
Hint: His consideration for the Hall of Fame consisted of 2 votes out of 460 possible in his only year of eligibility. (0.4%)
Hint: He never received even a single CYA votes other than in the year he won.
FCR - Kellen Nielson, Blanding, Utah
Incorrect answers:
SUNDAY
Q. Who is the only pitcher to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award unanimously?
Hint: His father-in-law had also won an MVP.
Hint: He played his last game the same day a future Hall of Famer played his first.
Hint: SABR reports that if a batter hit the ball hard off him, the next time up the batter would often get the same pitch in the same location as if to say, “Here you go, let’s see you hit it again.”
- Lou Boudreau 1948 AL MVP (Came within 2 votes for Joe D. of also being unanimous). McLain married Boudreau’s daughter Sharon in 1963.
FCR - David Ramsden, Barcelona
Incorrect answers: Vida Blue, Al Rosen, Trevor Rosenthal
WEEKEND-ENDING BONUS
Q. What pitcher holds the modern record of 14 games started with 0 wins?
Hint: He once had a season with 300+ strikeouts, but didn’t exceed even 200 in any other of the remaining 16 seasons of his career in the majors.
Hint: He was the first pitcher to start an All-Star game in each league.
Hint: He’s one of only a handful of pitchers with 6 victories in a single month of April.
- 301 K in 1971, next best season 189 in 1975
- 6-1 in April 1971
FCR - Bill Deane, Cooperstown
Incorrect answers: Sam McDowell, Gaylord Perry, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Roy Halladay
WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers who won a Cy Young Award and league MVP the same season
Blue 1971
Clemens 1986
Eckersley 1992
Fingers 1981
Gibson 1968
Hernandez 1984
Kershaw 2014
Koufax 1963
McLain 1968
Newcombe 1956
Verlander 2011
First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Chaunce Venuto, Tooele, Utah (after Newcombe)
Incorrect theme guesses:
Tuesday - Dodgers Cy Young winners
- Dodger MVP’s
- Dodger pitchers who have appeared in an All-Star game
- Dodger pitchers who won CYA & MVP in same season
- Pitchers That Won a Cy Young and pitched in post season
Wed - All Star pitchers who have won an MVP award.
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