March 3-9, 2014 Pitchers who lost 2 games in a World Series sweep

MONDAY

Q.         Whose lack of run support as a Dodger pitcher may have prompted him to ask, after hearing that Sandy Koufax had just pitched a no-hitter, "Did he win it? "

Hint:     He led his 1965 World Series winning team with a season .508 slugging percentage.

Hint:     He twice tied the National League record of seven homers in a season by a pitcher.

Twint:    Orlando Cepeda said the trick to batting against him was to "…hit him before he hits you".

A.         Don Drysdale (After Koufax' 3^rd no-no 05‑Jun‑1964, although another account has Drysdale responding that way because earlier that year Ken Johnson lost despite throwing a no-hitter; 7 HR established by Don Newcombe 1955, Drysdale 1958/1965)

FCR -    Chris Wiseman, Lake Wales, FL

Incorrect answers:  Don Newcombe, Claude Osteen

TUESDAY

Q.         Which manager took the New York Yankees to a World Series victory with the help of Bucky Dent?

Hint:     He had taken over the Yanks mid-season that year.

Hint:     Three years later he did a mid-season takeover again, piloting the Bronx Bombers to the World Series.

Hint:     He was in center field for Bob Feller’s second no hitter.

Twint:    As a reward for the 1978 series win, he was kept on the payroll with a lifetime contract which continued in effect when he passed away in early 2000.

A.         Bob Lemon (1978 NYY, Dent's famous HR against BOS and 1978 Series MVP; 1981 NYY; 30‑Apr‑1946 Feller’s 2^nd; 11‑Jan‑2000 Steinbrenner rewarded him until then)

FCR -    Doug Greenwald, San Francisco, CA

Incorrect answers:  Dick Howser, Billy Martin, Ralph Houk, Gene Michael

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who was the first Cy Young Award winner to have 200 strikeouts in a season?

Hint:     He was the second Yankee to win the award.

Hint:     He was also the second lefty to take the prize.

Twint:    He shares a nickname with Frank Sinatra.

A.         Whitey Ford (CYA 1961 w/209K; Bob Turley 1958; Warren Spahn 1957; "Chairman of the Board")

FCR -    Blake Sherry, Dublin, OH

Incorrect answers:  Ron Guidry, Lefty Gomez, Bob Turley, Three Finger Brown, Lefty Grove, Dave Righetti, Don Newcombe

MIDWEEK BONUS

Q:         What reliever converted 48 of 48 saves opportunities one year, including the postseason, to help his team secure victory in World Series?

Hint:     He was the losing pitcher the time Joba Chamberlain got his only postseason decision.

Hint:     During his junior year in college, he won the Big East Conference Pitcher of the Year Award.

Hint:     The bridge to him was not always successful.

Twint:    On 12‑Aug‑2013 he signed a one day contract with the Phillies so that he could officially retire a member of their team.

Twint:    There was no doubt he was "Lights Out".

A.         Brad Lidge (G 4 2009 WS; Pitched at Notre Dame, 1998 Big East POY; Brad Lidge retires a Phillie)

FCR -    Samuel Olken, Chicago, IL

Incorrect answers:  Eric Gagne, Brian Wilson, Jonathan Palpebon, Mariano Rivera, Kevin Foulke, John Franco, Jose Valverde, Jim Johnson

THURSDAY

Q.         Who received the most Cy Young Award votes from 1987-1990 without ever winning the award?

Hint:     Unlike the winners those four years, he won 20 games in each of those seasons.

Hint:     It was the only four seasons of his 16 year career for which he’d get even a single Cy Young vote.

Hint:     … or win 20 games.

Hint:     In fact, his 84 wins those four years accounted for half of his career total wins.

Twint:    His glare was beyond compare.

A.         Dave Stewart (171 CY votes 87-90; Career stats; Career 168W-129L; Fearsome visage)

FCR -    Chuck Durante, Dover, DE

Incorrect answers:  John Smoltz, Al Leiter, Mike Mussina, Dick Martin, Frank Viola, Dave Stieb, Jack Morris

FRIDAY

Q.         Who established (and still shares) the record for most innings pitched in a seven-game World Series?

Hint:     He held the Tigers record for most wins in a season for 59 years until Denny McClain won 31 games.

Hint:     He still holds the Tigers record for most innings pitched in a career and in a single season.

Hint:     He remains the 2^nd all-time Tigers wins leader.

Twint:    Ty Cobb claimed no one ever pinch-hit for him, but this player did so and hit a triple.

A.         George Mullin (1909 WS, 34 IP.  Note that the 1903 WS went 8 games with 3 P w/34+ IP; 1909 29 W tied by Hal Newhouser 1944, broken by McClain 1968; 209 W second to Hooks Dauss‘s 223; 1,904 IP 382.1, Career IP 3,394; 18‑Sep‑1906 PH 3b)

FCR -    Mark Pattison, Washington, DC

Incorrect answers:  Hal Newhouser, Paul Derringer, Virgil Trucks, Jim Bunning, Bill Donovan, Mickey Lolich, Jack Morris, Joe McGinnity

IN MEMORIAM

Q.         Whose medical technique extended the careers of David Wells, Orel Hershiser, Ferguson Jenkins, John Smoltz, Kerry Wood, and… oh, yes:  Tommy John?

Hint:     He once generously said, "I'm not a great surgeon, but I have the best patients in the world."

Hint:     His concept, previously used on hands and to reinforce joints in polio patients, had never been applied to pitchers or elbows.

Hint:     He was honored by the Hall of Fame during induction week in Cooperstown in 2013.

Hint:     He was part of the Dodgers organization for the last fifty years of his life.

Twint:    In 2012, he was honored by the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation with the Dave Winfield Humanitarian Award.

Twint:    He was captured by the Nazis in World War II, but earned multiple medals during his time in the service.

A.         Dr. Frank Jobe, who passed away on Thursday (Check out these two great photographs:  Picture #1, Picture #2)

FCR -    Bob Chan, Oakland, CA

Incorrect answers:

SATURDAY*

Q.         Who was the only pitcher besides Carl Hubbell ever to win either league's MVP despite double-digit losses that season?

Hint:     He won the pitching Triple Crown that year, and also performed well at the plate with a batting average of .325.

Hint:     His debut was in 1931, but he didn’t pitch a game until late in the 1934 season.

Hint:     Prior to that, he played almost exclusively third base.

Twint:    By 1936—his second year as a full time starter—he led the league with 21 losses.

Twint:    Down 3 games to 2 in the 1940 World Series, he staved off elimination when he threw a complete game shutout and had two RBI on a homer and fielder's choice.

Twint:    He originally signed with the Braves and ended with the Braves, but only played with them for four innings in his sixteen-year career.

A.         Bucky Walters (1939 MVP 27-11; 2.29 ERA, 27 W, 137 SO; 07‑Oct‑1940 Reds vs. Tigers 4-0 with Reds taking the series the next day)

FCR -    Larry Lamb, Kettering, OH

Incorrect answers:  Lefty Grove, Hal Newhouser, Wes Ferrell, Paul Derringer, Lefty Gomez, Tommy Bridges

*Some subscribers received this as “Bridge-to-the-Weekend Bonus”

SATURDAY NIGHT BONUS

Q.         Along with Hall of Famer Mel Ott, which major leaguer was born in Louisiana in 1909?

Hint:     His 2^nd place finish for MVP is the highest achieved for a Chicago Cubs pitcher.

Hint:     That season he led the league in wins, win-loss percent, ERA, games started, shut outs, and ERA+.

Twint:    Two years later, he led the league with 118 earned runs.

Twint:    He was not a spaceman.

A.         Bill Lee (21-Oct-1909, Ott 2-Mar-1909; 1938 MVP vote; 188 ER in 1940; the other Bill "Spaceman" Lee pitched 1969-82)

FCR -    Damian Begley, New York, NY

Incorrect answers:  Lon Warneke, Claude Passeau

WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Who was the last right-handed pitcher in the 20th Century to earn 25 victories in a season for the Yankees?

Hint:     While with the A's, he set the record for most losses in a single season during the Deadball era.

Hint:     He and Grunting Jim Shaw are the only pitchers to lead the American League in wild pitches in the Deadball and live ball eras.

Hint:     He holds the dubious honor of losing the most consecutive World Series games.

Twint:    He was the "Little Boy" that slew the NYG "Goliath" in the 1913 World Series.

Twint:    His Polish mother knew him better as Leslie Ambrose.

A.         Bullet Joe Bush (26-9 in 1922; 24 L 1916; WP leader 1916, 23, 24 with Shaw 1919-20; 5 consecutive WS losses; Game 3 1913 WS, the victory that turned the series in favor of the A's)

FCR -    Chaunce Venuto, Toole, UT

Incorrect answers:  Eddie Plank, Ron Guidry, Jack Chesboro, Catfish Hunter, Lon Warneke

DST SPECIAL

Q.         Who was the first Giants pitcher to lead his league in win-loss% since Juan Marichal's .806 in 1966?

Hint:     He precisely tied Sid Fernandez to share that honor.

Hint:     That same year he led the league in ERA and WHIP, but never led the league in another category in his 10 year career with the Giants.

Hint:     In high school he once struck out 22 batters in a 7-inning game—a feat that did not go unnoticed by the scouts.

Twint:    The Giants drafted him in the first round,15^th pick in the June 1979 amateur draft.

A.         Scott Garrelts (1989 .737 both had 14-5 records; Buckley High 1978)

FCR -    Michael Remillard, Harrisburg, PA

Incorrect answers:  John Burkett, William VanLandingham, John Montefusco, Rick Reuschel, Attlee Hammaker, Jason Schmidt, Kirk Reuter, Mike Krukow, Catfish Hunter, Billy Swift, Mike McCormick

SUNDAY

Q:         With his team down 4-1 in the inning in a regular-season game, no outs and runners on 1^st and 2^nd, what pitcher came into the game, and threw one pitch that ended the inning?

Hint:     He went on to finish the game and take a 9-8 victory.

Hint:     The next year he went on to lead his league with a .714 win-loss%.

Hint:     Though not the first player with that sobriquet, his 5'10"‑160‑lb. frame merited "Wee Willie".

Twint:    It was decades before the save became an official stat, he led the National League in saves for three seasons despite being a starting pitcher.

Twint:    In fact, he won 21 games the last year he led his league with 5 saves.

A.         Bill Sherdel (TP STL vs PHI 30‑Jul‑1924; 1925 .714; SVs 1920, 27 & 28)

FCR -    Dave Serota, Kalamazoo, MI

Incorrect answers:  Tippy Martinez, Willie Hernandez, Billy Swift, Greg Maddux, Ron Guidry

Week’s theme – Pitchers who lost twice as their team was swept in a World Series

Pitcher        G L       WS        Teams                    Result

Mullin          2, 5       1907       CHC over DET        4-0-1

Bush           1, 5       1922       NYG over NYY        4-0-1

Sherdel       1, 4       1928       NYY over STL         4-0

Lee             1, 4       1938       NYY over CHC        4-0

Lemon        1, 4       1954       NYG over CLE        4-0

Ford           1, 4       1963       LAD over NYY        4-0

Drysdale     1, 4       1966       BAL over LAD         4-0

Garrelts       1, 3       1989       OAK over SFG        4-0

Stewart       1, 4       1990       CIN over OAK         4-0

Walters       2, 4       1939       NYY over CIN          4-0

Lidge          2, 4       2005       CHW over HOU       4-0

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Makoto Ozawa, Scarsdale, NY

Incorrect theme guesses:

Tuesday   -  HOF pitchers with the most HRs

               -  HOF pitchers with 3 letter first names

               -  Pitchers with 200 or more wins and 25 or more homeruns

               -  20 game winners who led position in home runs for season

               -  Pitchers who batted higher in the batting order

               -  HOF pitchers elected by the BBWAA with fewer than 300 wins

               -  Good-hitting pitchers

               -  Hall of Fame Pitchers who lead their league in homers by a pitcher

               -  Pitchers with 20 or more careers home runs

               -  Second bananas among pitchers who each won 150 games as teammates

               -  Pitchers who hit 2 home runs in a single game

               -  All-time HR leaders among pitchers

Wednesday

               -  HOF pitchers who only played for one team

Friday

               -  Struck out the side in an All Star Game

               -  The year they received their most MVP votes a teammate won the MVP.

Saturday

               -  In their best year they did not have the lowest ERA on their team.

Sunday

               -  Pitchers who had the best won loss percentage that got tagged in the World Series that year

Horsehide Trivia blog has the questions and answers from this week as well as from previous weeks:  http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/

Horsehide Trivia home page:  https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia

February 24-March 2, 2014 Players who scored the World Series-winning run in extra-innings

MONDAY

Q.         Who was the first Hall of Famer to go in as a Toronto Blue Jay?

Hint:     He began his pro career as a Rainbow.

Hint:     He was involved in a trade that some call the biggest ever.

Twint:    His early baseball tutors included Thurman Munson and Graig Nettles.

A.         Roberto Alomar (1985 Charleston Rainbows; He and Joe Carter were traded from the Padres to the Blue Jays for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez 05‑Dec‑1990; His father Sandy, when playing for the Yankees 1974-76, would let his sons into the club house and onto the field to learn from the best.)

FCR -    Darrell Jarvis, Royal Oak, MI

Incorrect:  Nolan Ryan, Joe Carter, Paul Molitor, Pat Gillick, Roy Halladay, Dave Stieb

TUESDAY

Q.         Who is the only player to collect 500 career RBI while hitting fewer than five career home runs?

Hint:     He turned more double plays in a season than any other catcher in Boston Red Sox history.

Hint:     He played for St. Louis as a rookie then again eighteen years later then fourteen years later was the manager of that same franchise.

Twint:    He was General Manager of the Detroit Tigers 1954-56 and later special advisor to the owner.

A.         Muddy Ruel (536 RBI, 4 HR; 17 DP in 1922; Rookie in 1915 for SLB, as a veteran for them in 1933 and Mgr in 1947)

FCR -    Kenny Fink, Ocala, FL

Incorrect:  Rick Ferrell, Bill Carrigan, Mike Tresh, Luke Sewell, Birdie Tebbetts, Roger Clemens, Billy Southworth, Darrell Johnson

TUESDAY TWICE

Q.         Who was the inaugural member of the National League’s 500-Home-Run Club?

Hint:     He was the only player to receive exactly 100 bases-on-balls for three consecutive seasons.

Hint:     None of those was enough to lead the league.

Twint:    He played his first pro baseball was as a left-handed catcher.

A.         Mel Ott (500^th HR 01‑Aug‑1945, the next was Willie Mays, 20 years later; 100 BB X3 1939-41

FCR -    Frank DiPrima, Morristown, NJ

Incorrect:  Jimmie Foxx, Hack Wilson, Willie Mays, Rogers Hornsby, Ernie Banks, Babe Ruth

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who collected 22 World Series paychecks during his baseball career?

Hint:     He was once suspended for the first thirty days of a season for shoving an umpire during the previous year’s World Series.

Hint:     Few people remember him with the Pilots.

Twint:    No one wore Yankee pinstripes longer than he.

A.         Fankie Crosetti (7 WS as a player:  1932, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42 & 43 Then 15 as a coach:  1947, 49, 50, 51; 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63 & 64; 3^rd base coach for the Seattle Pilots 1969; Yankee for 37 consecutive seasons 1932-68

FCR -    Dean Kloner, New York, NY

Incorrect:  Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, Leo Durocher, Whitey Ford, Billy Martin, Lou Piniella, Casey Stengel,, Don Zimmer, Fred Stanley, Eddie O’Brian, Ted Williams

THURSDAY

Q.         What BL-TR UND infielder co-holds the dubious modern record for consecutive hitless at-bats in a single season?

Hint:     He won the NLCS MVP as his team overcame ATL.

Twint:    He played for five teams in his sixteen-year major league career.

Twint:    His father played for four seasons in the Twins farm system.

Twint:    After removing players who benefited from PEDs, in 2009 The Onion proclaimed him "the best player of the past 15 years".

A.         Craig Counsell (44 hitless AB July-August 2011 [Record over 2 seasons is 46, held by Eugenio Velez 2010-11.]; 2001 NLCS MVP where he slugged .524; Father was John Counsell.)

FCR -    Walt Cherniak, Dayton, MD

Incorrect:  Al Weis, Ken Oberkfell, Sid Bream, Terry Pendelton

FRIDAY

Q.         Who is the only player to hit a grand slam in World Series competition with golden tresses flowing down to his shoulders?

Hint:     He played for the Giants in two countries.

Hint:     His first professional team was in the same city where he played college baseball.

Twint:    He is the color commentator for the Minnesota Twins baseball radio broadcast network.

Twint:    His daughter Ashley married the son of his former Twins teammate Gary Gaetti.

A.         Dan Gladden (GS w/hair on 17‑Oct‑1987; San Francisco Giants 1983-86—Yomiuri Giants 1994; Fresno State 1978-79, Fresno Giants 1979)

FCR -    Mark Hayne, Dumfries, VA

Incorrect:  Kevin Mitchell, John Bowker, Chuck Hiller, Oscar Gamble, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, Kent Hrbek, Monte Irvin, Tom Haller, Cory Snyder, Jason Werth, Eric Byrnes

SATURDAY

Q.         Which player had the most hits and total bases in Fenway Park’s inaugural game?

Hint:     He also scored the winning run in the 11^th on a Tris Speaker RBI, beating the NY Highlanders 7‑6.

Hint:     He was often slated in the order between Hall of Famers Harry Hooper and Tris Speaker.

Hint:     A childhood accident left him with burns on his face and mouth, but it didn’t hinder his career.

Twint:    Despite what was described as “syrupy footwork”, he was one of the Speed Boys.

A.         Steve Yerkes (5 H, 7 TB, 20‑Apr‑1912 Fenway Opener; SABR BIO -1912 Red Sox were called The Speed Boys and though his slow footwork hindered him, moving him to second base resulted in him having a career year.)

FCR -    Leonard Levin, Providence, RI

Incorrect:  Larry Gardner, Duffy Lewis, Harry Hooper

SUNDAY

Q.         Who is the only player to score the winning run in the College World Series and the World Series?

Hint:     When he did it in the majors, it was the second year in a row he won a World Series ring.

Hint:     He drove in the winning run that gave the Cubs their 10,000^th franchise victory.

Twint:    In that game, he singled home Mike Fontenot, so the Cubs benefitted from three things that ended in O-T.

A.         Ryan Theriot (NCAA WS w/LSU in 2000, w/SFG in 2012; WS w/STL in 2011; CHC H 23‑Apr‑2008)

FCR -    Les Weber, Fort Wayne, IN

Incorrect:  Joe Girardi, Kip Wells, Mike Fontenot

WEEKLY THEME – Players who scored the World Series-winning run in extra-innings.

Scored            Year                       Game                Opponents               Driven in by

Yerkes            16‑Oct‑1912        8, 10^th Inn.       BOS over NYG         Larry Gardner

Ruel                 10‑Oct‑1924        7, 12^th Inn.       WAS over NYG        Earl McNeely

Ott                   07‑Oct‑1933        5, 10^th Inn.       NYG over WSH        His own self - HR

Crosetti          08‑Oct‑1939        4, 10^th Inn.       NYY over CIN           Joe DiMaggio

Gladden         27‑Oct‑1991        7, 10^th Inn.       MIN over ATL          Gene Larkin

Alomar           24‑Oct‑1992        6, 11^th Inn.       TOR over ATL           Dave Winfield

Counsell         26‑Oct‑1997        7, 11^th Inn.       FLA over CLE            Edgar Renteria

Theriot           28‑Oct‑2012        4, 11^th Inn.       SFG over DET           Marco Scutaro

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Joe Ullian, Santa Barbara, CA (after the Ott question)

Horsehide Trivia blog has the questions and answers from this week as well as from previous weeks:  http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/

Horsehide Trivia home page:  https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia

February 17-23, 2014 Most common last names in major league history

MONDAY

Q.         Who is the career leader in assists by a shortstop?

Hint:     His thirteen (13!) consecutive Gold Glove Awards are the most ever by a shortstop.

Twint:    He won two Gold Gloves before he even became a St. Louis Cardinal.

A.         Ozzie Smith (8,375 A; NL GG 1980-92; 2 GG with SDP 1980-81)

FCR -    Joe Thompson, Splendora, TX

Incorrect: Omar Vizquel, Luis Aparicio, Ryne Sandberg, Bert Campaneris, Cal Ripken, Ernie Banks, Mark Belanger

TUESDAY

Q.         Who the founder and first president of the American League?

Hint:     He was its president for 27 years.

Hint:     His effective administration earned him a place in Cooperstown.

Twint:  A forced resignation at the hands of Baseball Commissioner Landis saw the end of his tenure.

Twint:    He played catcher without a glove, mask or chest protector in his college.

A.         Ban Johnson (AL 1901-27; HOF 1937; Studied law and played ball at Marietta College (OH))

FCR -    Jeremy McDougal, Madison, AL

Incorrect:          Joe Cronin, Ed Barrow, Happy Chandler, Albert Spalding

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who is the youngest member of the 20/20 club?**

Hint:     He carries a scar on his chest from an iguana bite during his childhood.

Hint:     Ten consecutive Gold Glove Awards speak to his fielding prowess.

Twint:    His career defensive WAR is, by over 25%, the best in the 137-year history of the Braves.

A.         Andruw Jones (Rabbit Maranville 2^nd with 19.2 WAR)

**Vada Pinson:  20^th HR 22‑Sep‑1959 @ 21 Yrs 34 days [20^th SB 20‑Sep‑1959]

Jones:       20^th SB 08‑Sep‑1998 @ 21 Yrs 140 days [20^th HR 08‑Aug‑1998]

Several readers pointed this out.  Thank you all.

FCR -    Will McCracken, Bradenton, FL

Incorrect:     Bryce Harper, Ken Griffey, Jr., Robin Yount, Willie Mays, Mike Trout, Ivan Rodriguez, Al Kaline, Roberto Clemente, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Davis, Jose Canseco, Carlos Beltran

THURSDAY

Q.         Who was the National League Player of the Month for May 2013?

Hint:     He had planned to attend the University of Miami to play wide receiver, but the Phillies’ $200,000 signing bonus convinced him to choose baseball instead.

Twint:    During the seven games 25-31 May last year, he hit seven home runs and batted .444.

A.         Domonic Brown

FCR -    Andy Milner, Bryn Mawr, PA

Incorrect:  Jimmy Rollins

FRIDAY

Q.         Whom did Ring Lardner pick as the utility man on his personal all-star team?

Hint:     On his first team he was befriended by a future Hall of Famer partly because of their shared ethnic heritage.

Hint:     He owned an apartment that was the birthplace of his nephew, a future Detroit Tigers manager.

Hint:     After being passed over as the Cardinals manager, he enlisted in the Marines corps.

Twint:    He was hired as the manager of the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League and led them to a championship in his very first season.

A.         Dots Miller (Honus Wagner on the 1909 Pirates;  Nephew

FCR -    Micki Maynard, Phoenix, AZ

Incorrect:  Mike O'Neill, Charlie Gehringer, Leo Durocher, Jimmy Dykes, Hank Gowdy

T.G.I.F. BONUS

Q.         Whose career record for National League home runs did Rogers Hornsby break?

Hint:     Baseball magazine once ran an article on him entitles "The Greatest Outfielder in the National League".

Twint:    Per SABR, some of the finest buildings on Wisconsin's Upper Peninsula stand today as tributes to his architectural talent.

Twint:    He was the first Philadelphia player of either league to hit forty home runs in a season.

A.         Cy Williams (Hornsby’s 252^nd HR 29‑Jun‑1929; 41 HR in 1923)

FCR -    Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, MD

Incorrect:  Tris Speaker, Dale Murphy, Hack Wilson, Gavvy Cravath, Buck Williams, Ross Youngs, Roger Connor, Ned Williamson, Stan Musial, Ed Roush, Zack Wheat

SATURDAY

Q.         Who hit .347, slugged .571 and had eleven runs in thirteen games in the World Junior Championships as his team won Silver?

Hint:     As did the player who beat him out for Rookie of the Year, he only had one All-Star appearance during an otherwise substantial career.

Hint:     In his sophomore year, he led the majors in strikeouts by a batter.

Twint:    His step-father and uncle appeared with Bob Costas detailing the MLB Channel’s All-Time #1 game.

Twint:    The same season he was traded to a team where it was predicted he wouldn’t thrive, he led the league in RBI.

Twint:    That was also the only year he received MVP votes.

A.         Preston Wilson (1992 U.S. team; Scott Williamson 1992 ROY; AS 2003; 187 K in 2000; Mookie Wilson is his step-father AND uncle.  Mookie married Preston’s mother after Preston was born.  Mookie was involved in G 6 of the 1986 WS; 141 RBI 2003; 12 NVP votes [3% for 16^th place])

FCR -    Damian Begley, New York, NY

Incorrect:  Joe Charbonneau, Mark Reynolds, Steve Balboni, Pete Incaviglia, Dave Kingman

SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL

Q.         In 2013, which Blue Jay circled the bases on a single that bounced off the pitcher's leg followed by two throwing errors?

Hint:     In 2006 Baseball America rated him as the fastest baserunner in the International League.

Hint:     That same year he made his debut in the majors, but despite his speed was caught stealing in three of his four attempts.

Twint:    He hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 18^th against the Rangers to end the longest game in Blue Jays history.

A.         Rajai Davis (14‑Aug‑2013 bottom 3^rd off John Lester's leg followed by E1 and E9 throwing errors; Fastest baserunner accolade citation; W-O H 08-Jun-2013)

FCR -    Tommy Garber, Dallas, TX

Incorrect:  Colby Rasmus, Adeiny Hechavarria, Emilio Bonifacio, Jose Reyes

SUNDAY

Q.         Who led the Tampa Bay Rays starting rotation with seventeen wins in 2013?

Hint:     He also led their starters with a winning percent of .810.

Hint:     He also easily led all starters issuing 76 bases on balls, with the next closest yielding 50.

Hint:     His victories, no doubt, were related to his team-leading 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Twint:    He accomplished this despite being the youngest pitcher on the team (with at least 5 innings pitched).

A.         Matt Moore (STATS: 17-4, ERA 3.29, 143K/150IP; born 18-Jun-1989 age 24)

FCR -    John Michael Pierobon, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Incorrect:    David Price

CLOSING CEREMONY BONUS

Q.         What pitcher led the National League in losses for the first season of the 20^th century?

Hint:     Despite these losses, his 18 wins accounted for over a third of his team's wins that year.

Hint:     He couldn’t blame the roar of the crowd for effecting his pitching.

Twint:    In 1902 he and another player with the same nickname were the first two players with their disability to face each other on a big league field.

Twint:    Because of a rainout, he never pitched in the World Series.

A.         Dummy Taylor (27 L in 1901; NYG 52-85; He was deaf; 16-May-1902 Dummy Hoy ; Rainout on 11‑Oct‑1905 meant he sat and Christy Mathewson took the mound the next day)

FCR -    Fred Worth, Arkadelphia, AR

Incorrect:  Cy Young, Pink Hawley, Noodles Hahn,

WEEKLY THEME – Most common last names in major league history, in descending order, minimum fifty instances.

Count*  Last

147       Smith

107       Johnson

95         Jones

87         Brown

85         Miller

75         Williams

71         Wilson

66         Davis

51         Moore

50         Taylor

*According to the Lahman database http://seanlahman.com/

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Dennis Kill, Las Vegas, NV (after the Johnson question)

Monday

               -  Players born in Alabama

               -  Players who grew up in Watts

               -  Players who had a future hall of famer as a teammate in high school

               -  Players who did backflips on the field

Tuesday   -  Baseball figures after whom athletic buildings or streets have been named.

Horsehide Trivia blog has the questions and answers from this week as well as from previous weeks:  http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/

Horsehide Trivia home page:  https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia