Sunday, March 17, 2024

2024-03-11 American League Dead Ball ERA season leaders under 1.50

MONDAY  — 11-Mar

Q.  Which Modern Era righty is the only pitcher to hit more than two hundred batters in his career on a major league mound?

Hint: #1  He had thirty-eight pitching victories where the final score was one to zero.

Hint: #2  Of his twelve season strikeout crowns, eight were in consecutive seasons.

A.  WALTER JOHNSON   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Johnson is the owner of 205 HBP.  Eddie Plank & Randy Johnson are tied for 2nd at 190.

-  #1  He also lost 27 G by a score of 1-0.

-  #2  Won the AL K crown 1912-1919.

FCR -  Matt Dicker, Chicago

Incorrect guesses:  Don Drysdale, Lefty Grove, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Bob Gibson, Bob Feller, Pedro Martinez

 

 

TUESDAY  — 12-Mar

Q.  Who is the most recent pitcher to rack up forty wins in a single season?

Hint: #1  His career earned run average would have won a season ERA crown one hundred eight times since the beginning of the Expansion Era.

Hint: #2  He is the only American Leaguer to pitch two complete-game victories in one day and then repeat that performance three years later.

A.  ED WALSH   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Walsh won 40 G playing for CHW in 1908.  Hard to imagine what the team’s 88-64-4 record that year might have been without him.  Only 1 other P won 40+ in the Modern Era—Jack Chesbro won 41 in 1904 for NYY.

-  #1  Walsh’s ERA of 1.84 is the best all-time.

-  #2  In the G on 26-Sep-1905(1), Walsh came in to relieve Doc White after White had surrendered a hit  and pitched 9 complete innings.  Next G, same place, same teams 26-Sep-2905(2), Walsh started and pitched the whole G.  On 29-Sep-1908(1) & 29-Sep-1908(2), he started and finished both games.

FCR -  Steve Berman, Bergenfield, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Jack Chesbro, Hoss Radbourne

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 13-Mar

Q.  Which Hall of Famer pitcher is the only one ever to throw a perfect game against a team whose starter won forty or more games that season?

Hint: #1  Statistics show his WHIP to be the best of all-time.

Hint: #2  He was a sports writer in the off-season.

Hint: #3  His Double-Unique status remains intact still, more than one hundred twenty years later.

A.  ADDIE JOSS   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 02-Oct-1908, in his penultimate start of a watershed season, Joss kept Ed Walsh from celebrating his 40th W of the year by throwing a perfect game against the White Sox.  It was a G emblematic of the Deadball Era, lasting just 1:40 as 2 of the finest moundsmen of any era faced off against each other.  Joss threw a total of 74 pitches.

-  #1  WHIP (Walks+ Hits/Innings Pitched) is naturally better when it’s low & now pitcher’s career number is lower than Joss’s 0.968.

-  #2  Off the field, Joss worked as a newspaper sportswriter in Cleveland from 1906 until his death.

-  #3  No other “Addie”; no other “Joss” ever in the majors, measured since his debut in1902.

FCR -  Andy McCue, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Cy Young, Urban Shocker, Nolan Ryan

 

 

THURSDAY  — 14-Mar

Q.  Which lantern-jawed pitcher’s record for strikeouts in an American League season did Nolan Ryan break in 1973?

Hint: #1  He (not Ryan) was the first pitcher to lead his league in strikeouts for six consecutive seasons.

Hint: #2  He threw the first Immaculate Inning ever recorded in the American Leagued.  It was also the first in the Modern Era.

A.  RUBE WADDELL   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Waddell’s record of 349 K in 1904 was the major league record until broken by Sandy Koufax’ 382 in 1965.  It wasn’t until Ryan’s eye-popping 383 in 1973 that Waddell’s record fell.

-  #1  Wadell led the AL in K in 1902, pitching for PHA, w/210.  He then led the majors for the next five straight years w/302, 349, 287, 196, 232.

-  #2  On 01-Jul-902 in the 3rd inning, Waddell fanned Billy Gilbert, Harry Howell & Jim Cronin of the Baltimore Orioles.  He threw only 9 pitches, all strikes, 3 apiece.

FCR -  Lincoln Mitchell, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Christy Matthewson, Bob Feller, Sam McDowell, Walter Johnson, Amos Rusie, Lefty Grove, Eddie Plank

 

 

FRIDAY — 15-Mar

Q.  Who was the ace of their pitching staff when the Boston Red Sox won the first World Series of the four they would win that decade?

Hint: #1  He also won the first, fourth, eighth and final game of that World Series.

Hint: #2  His son later played for the Red Sox.

A.  SMOKY JOE WOOD   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Wood had a pitching record of 34-5 in 1912.  No BOS pitcher has ever won more in 1 season.  Cy Young is 2nd (33), 3rd (32), 4th (28) & 5th (26) on that list.  BOS won the WS in 1912, 1915, 1916 & 1918.

-  #1  In a best-of-9 WS, Wood quieted the bats of NYG in G 1, 4 & 8.

-  #2  His son, Joe Wood, had a brief 3-G career w/BOS during WWII.

FCR -  Julian Keifetz, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Dutch Leonard, Bill Dineen, Curt Schilling, Herb Pennock

 

 

SATURDAY — 16-Mar

Q.  Which former major league pitcher owned extensive California vineyards?

Hint: #1  He became a hero to Japanese Americans.

Hint: #2  His pitching records are well-documented, but he collected records outside of baseball too.

A.  DUTCH LEONARD   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Raised in Fresno, California, Leonard returned there after his playing days & ran a profitable enterprise for many years.  Fellow Fresno HS alum Tom Seaver was also a successful vintner.

-  #1  His humane approach to previously interned Japanese American during and after WWII is a story worth reading.

-  #2  Leonard collected vinyl records too, amassing as many as 150,000 at his home in Fresno.  For his baseball records, it's hard to beat his all-time best ERA in 1914 of 0.96 (Not a typo.)

*Perfect game

FCR -  Steve Riach, Southlake, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Hideo Nomo, Tom Seaver, Lefty O’Doul, Joe Blanton

 

SUNDAY  — 17-Mar

Q.  Which young hurler had an unmatched start to his major league career, when, in the first ten starts of at least seven innings, he surrendered two runs or fewer?

Hint: #1 He is a member of the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

Hint: #2  He is the last one qualifying for this week’s theme.

A.  HARRY KRAUSE   [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  Krause’s 1909 for PHA feat has not been matched since then, but CIN’s Johnny Cueto in 2014 started the year with 9 such starts , putting Krause’s name prominent in the news for the first time in a century.

-  #1  Krause won a total of 249 games in the PCL over 16 seasons.

-  #2  See below.

FCR -  Steve Riach, Southlake, Texas

Incorrect guesses:  Fernando Venezuela, Steven Strasburg, Lefty Gomez, Von McDaniel, Mike Mussina, Vean Gregg

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – AL Dead Ball ERA season leaders under 1.50

 

Waddell.......... 1905............ 1.48.............. PHA............... 58.4

Joss............... 1908............ 1.16.............. CLE............... 45.3

Krause........... 1909............ 1.39.............. PHA................. 8.7

Walsh............. 1910............ 1.27.............. CHW............... 65.9

Johnson........ 1912............ 1.39.............. WSH............. 165.1

Johnson........ 1913............ 1.14.............. WSH............. 165.1

Leonard......... 1914............ 0.96.............. BOS............... 37.0

Wood............. 1915............ 1.49.............. BOS............... 40.1

Johnson........ 1918............ 1.27.............. WSH............. 165.1

Johnson........ 1919............ 1.49.............. WSH............. 165.1

 

First Correct Respondent identifying themeKen Kirk, Corning, New York (after Wood)

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Pitchers with the most games won by the score of 1-0

            -  Pitchers on Strat-o-Matic’s original American League Hall of Fame A team

            -  Pitchers whose career batting averages (times 10) were higher than their ERA's

            -  Pitchers with more than 10 shutouts in a season

 

 

Thur     -  Hall of fame pitchers with the lowest career ERA

-   Lowest career ERA for a pitcher, modern era

-   Pitchers with highest career percentage of Starts that were Shutouts

 

Fri        -  Career franchise leaders in ERA for original American League teams

-   Deadball Era pitchers with sub 2 ERAs

 

If you know someone who would enjoy receiving daily Horsehide Trivia questions, they need only drop an email message to horsehidetrivi@aol.com.

 

This site has this week’s quiz compete with incorrect guesses as well.  Scroll back and you’ll find quizzes that were sent out as early as 2010.  Qualification exam will be waived.

 

Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.  ⚾️

 

 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

2024-03-04 First time a Gold Glove was won at each position by a Hall of Famer

MONDAY  — 04-Mar

Q.  Who was the first player to lead the majors in sacrifice flies in a season the inaugural year it became a recognized stat and incredulously, still holds that record more than a half century later?

Hint: #1  His cumulative time in the majors before leaving for military service was three plate appearances while playing third base.

Hint: #2  He was the initial Gold Glove winner at first base.

A.  GIL HODGES   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Hodges had 19 SF in 1954.  Andre Dawson came closest in 1983 when he had 18 for MON.  The Sacrifice Fly has a motley history.

-  #1  Hodges’ 1st G was 3½ years before his 2nd.

-  #2  Hodges won the GG in the first year it was offered, 1957.

FCR -  Noel Salguero, Long Beach, California

Incorrect guesses:  Eddie Murray, Mickey Vernon, Frank Malzone

 

 

TUESDAY  — 05-Mar

Q.  Who is the only player to have a four-home run game and a three-triple game?

Hint: #1  His six career stolen bases are the most in All-Star game history.

Hint: #2  He was the first player to be a 2-time All-Star game MVP award winner?

A.  WILLIE MAYS   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Three 3B = 15-Sep-1960; 4 HR = 30-Apr-1961.  47 Players have tripled thrice 48 times.  16 players have homered 4 X in a G.  Only Mays is on both lists.  Lou Gehrig would also qualify for both, but a trio of triples he hit in his first 3 AB one day were rained off his record.  Details here.

-  #1  Mays played in 24 ASG.

-  #2  ASG MVP in 1963 & 1968.

FCR -  Michael Green, Las Vegas

Incorrect guesses:  Shawn Green, Mike Trout, Joe Morgan

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 06-Mar

Q.   Who is the only major leaguer to get both 2,000 hits as a player and 2,000 wins as a manager?

Hint: #1  He was the first National League player/manager in the Expansion Era.

Hint: #2  As a manager, he didn’t lose a World Series until he had won four of them.

A.  JOE TORRE   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Torre’s 2,342 H when he played were divided among he playing positions:  903 at C; 787 at 1B; 515 at 3B; & 5 in the OF.  He managed 5 teams (NYM, ATL, STL, NYY & LAD), but only had a winning record with the last 2 & only took 1 of them to the postseason. In all, he managed 4,323 MLB G.

-  #1  His last season as a player was the 1977 NYM where he also began his managing career.

-  #2  Torre took NYY all the way in 1996, 1998, 1999 & 2000, but fell short in 2001 & 2003.

FCR -  Tom McLaughlin, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Pete Rose, Lou Boudreau, Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel, Bruce Bochy

 

 

THURSDAY  — 07-Mar

Q.  Who was the first designated hitter inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Hint: #1  No one won a batting title at a younger age.

Hint: #2  He is one of only three Hall of Famers born in the city that has produced 179 major leaguers.

A.  AL KALINE   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Kaline first DH’d in 1974 when all but 3 of his 147 G were as a DH.  Elected to the Hall on the 1st ballot in 1980

-  #1  Kaline was just 20 years old when he hit .340 in his 2nd full season, 1955.  He was one day younger than Ty Cobb when Cobb won the 1st of his record 12 batting crowns.

-  #2  Babe Ruth (1895), Kaline (1934) & John Schuerholz (1940) are the only Hall of Famers born in Baltimore, Maryland.

FCR -  Tom Galligan, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Incorrect guesses:  Edgar Martinez, Carl Yastrzemski, Harold Baines, Orlando Cepeda, Paul Molitor

 

 

FRIDAY — 08-Mar

Q.  Who was the first pitcher to win Gold Gloves in double figures?

Hint: #1  He surrendered Bert Campaneris’ 1st HR on 1st pitch Campaneris saw in the majors.

Hint: #2  The batter who  was the answer to Thursday’s question is the only one to homer off this pitcher more then nine times.

Hint: #3  He worked as a minor league analyst for the Home Team Sports network during the 1981 players' strike.

A.  JIM KAAT   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Kaat won his  10th GG in 1970.  He  won 16 in all, passed only by Greg Maddux’ 18.

-  #1  The G on 23-Jul-1964 was the KCA’s SS Campaneris’ MLB debut.  He homered in his 1st AB in the 1st inning, but took Kaat deep again in the 7th.

-  #2  Al Kaline had 10 career HR off Kaat. 

-  #3  Home Team Sports is now part of the Monumental Sports Network.

FCR -  Victor Piacentile, Yorktown Heights, New York

Incorrect guesses:  Bobby Shantz, Gregg Maddux, Jim Palmer, Jerry Reuss

 

 

SATURDAY— 09-Mar

Q.  Who was the first player to capture a league MVP, an All-Star game MVP and a World Series MVP?

Hint: #1  He once received a standing ovation from the home crowd after striking out.

Hint: #2  He passed Willie Mays in a category where Mays had been a standout.

A.  BOOKS ROBINSON   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Brooks was AL MVP in 1964, the 1966 ASG MVP & the 1970 World Series MVP.  When Frank Robinson won the 1971 ASG MVP, he became the  2nd & last person to win all 3.

-  #1  He had been called out on strikes in the 8th inning of 5th & final G of the 1970 WS . Returning to the dugout, head hung low, the Oriole faithful rose with a standing ovation for his dream WS. 

-  #2  Mays was the 1st player to win Gold Glove 12 straight years:  1957-’68, tied in 1970 by Roberto Clemente.  Robinson got his 13th in 1972 then added 3 more.  No other position player has that many.

FCR -  Rich Lerner, Silver Spring, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Reggie Jackson, Jim Palmer, Derek Jeter, Sandy Koufax, Willie Stargell, Cal Ripken, Steve Garvey

 

 

SATURDAY SPECIAL — 09-Mar

Q.  Who ranks fifth all-time as the most difficult major league to strike out ever?

Hint: #1  The year he was voted his league’s Most Valuable Player, his teammates finished 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 9th , 20th and 28th behind him.

Hint: #2  One of his managers decided to rest him for a couple of days, but soon lamented his decision, saying, “I took it for a couple of days.  Then I had to put him back in the lineup.  On the bench, he was driving me crazy.”

Hint: #3  In postseason play, it was a fortified wine from southern Spain that took the go out of his team’s “Go-go”.

A.  NELLIE FOX   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Fox’s K rate was 5th best all-time, behind the likes of Joe Sewell & Willie Keeler but ranking him ahead of some of the best batters in history, such as Tony Gwynn, Charlie Gehringer & Joe DiMaggio.

-  #1  Luis Aparicio was 2nd in the 1959 AL MVP voting & the only other player any receiving 1st-place votes.  HOF Early Wynn was 3rd; CF Jim Landis was 7th; C Sherm Lollar was 9th; P Bob Shaw tied for 20th; & P Gerry Staley was the last on the list at #28.

-  #2  The quote is from Paul Richards, Fox’s manager on CHW 1951-54.

-  #3  Dodger Pitcher Larry Sherry was the 1959 WS MVP, with 2 wins & 2 saves against the White Sox.  Sherry, of course, is a sweet Spanish wine enjoyed by many.  That White Sox team was dubbed the “Go go Sox” & had convincingly won the AL pennant.

FCR -  Andy McCue, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Phil Rizzuto, Hugh Duffy

 

 

SUNDAY — 10-Mar

Q.  Who led the majors more times than anyone else in being hit by pitch?

Hint: #1  He once said (paraphrasing here), “There might be players who are better hitters than me, have more power, have a stronger throwing arm, are better fielders, can even bunt better, but nobody ever hustled more on the field of play.  I’ll admit that there are some who maybe hustled as much as I did, but nobody hustled more than I did.  Nobody”

Hint: #2  He played professional baseball in parts of seven decades.

A.  MINNIE MINOSO   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Minoso led MLB in HBP 9 X!  Once he led only the AL.  He was “out hit” over in the NL in 1952 when Solly Hemus beat him 20 bruises to 14.

-  #1  Watch this video for the full quote.

-  #2  Played in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960 and had stunt appearances in 1976 & 1980.  In 1993, he had an at-bat for the independent minor league Saint Paul Saints. In 2003, he made a 1 at-bat appearance for the Saints at age 77

FCR -  Barry Nelson, Guilderland, New York

Incorrect guesses:  Don Baylor, Ron Hunt, Hughie Jennings, Craig Biggio, Pete Rose, Eddie Stanky

 

WEEK’S FINALE— 10-Mar

Q.  Who is the final player to qualify for this week’s theme?

Hint: #1  His native country has produced more than five hundred major leaguers, but he is the only one of them now in the Hall of Fame.

Hint: #2  He changed his socks more than once.

A.  LUIS APARICIO   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Aparicio is the SS (see below)

-  #1  Venezuela’s major leaguers .  There will very likely soon be additions to the Hall.

-  #2  Played for the White Sox 1956-62; for the White Sox again 1968-70: & for the Red Sox 1971‑73.

FCR -  Michael Schneider, Wilmington, Delaware

Incorrect guesses:  David Ortiz, Mariano Rivera, Roberto Clemente, Tony Lazzeri

 

WEEK’S THEME – First time a Gold Glove was won at each position by a Hall of Famer

 

Player          POS   Year         Team       GGs      WAR

 

Mays........... OF........ 1957....... NYG........ 12..... 156.1

Kaline.......... OF........ 1957........ DET........ 10....... 92.8

Minoso........ OF........ 1957....... CHW......... 3....... 53.2

Fox.............. 2B........ 1957....... CHW......... 3....... 49.5

Hodges........ 1B........ 1957....... BRO.......... 4....... 43.8

Aparicio...... SS........ 1958....... CHW......... 9....... 55.8

Robinson.... 3B........ 1960........ BAL........ 18....... 78.4

Kaat.............. P......... 1962........ MIN........ 16....... 50.5

Torre............ C......... 1965........ MLN.......... 1....... 57.5

 

First Correct Respondent identifying themeJoe Cohen, Holden Massachusetts (After Kaline)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  Hall of Famers who managed the Mets

 

Weds   -  Hall of Fame players who ended their careers with the New York Mets (X5)

            -  Something to do with a 4 home run game

            -  Players who were in uniform and not in the dugout for The Shot Heard Round the World

            -  Hall of Famers who Played for and or managed more than 1 New York team

            -  Hall of Famers who have worn the jersey of the New York Mets and another New York team.

 

If you know someone who would enjoy receiving daily Horsehide Trivia questions, they need only drop an email message to horsehidetrivi@aol.com.

 

This site has this week’s quiz compete with incorrect guesses as well.  Scroll back and you’ll find quizzes that were sent out as early as 2010.  Qualification exam will be waived.

 

Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.  ⚾️