MONDAY
Q. Who was the first reliever to convert 40 consecutive save opportunities?
SABR Hint: He was the first pitcher to save fifteen post-season games.
Twint: He was the first pitcher to pitch 100 career complete games while earning 100 career saves.
A. Dennis Eckersley (Save 1991-92; 100 CG, 390 Saves)
First Correct Respondent - David Krassin, New York
MONDAY BONUS
Q. Who will likely soon become the Twins’ career saves leader?
Twint: He went to high school in Orange County.
FCR - David Girdany, Bedford, PA
TUESDAY
Q. Which pitcher earned the most career wins without ever pitching a shutout?
Hint: More than 100 of his wins were in relief.
Twint: He was the first pitcher to save 150 games for the Yankees.
A. Rich Gossage (124 W; 151 Saves for NYY)
FCR - David Krassin, New York
TUESDAY BONUS
Q. Who was drafted as a catcher, but made his major league debut three seasons later as a relief pitcher?
Hint: He earned the first of his 168 career victories three seasons after that.
SABR Hint: He was the last pitcher to toss MORE THAN ten innings in a game in the 20th century.
Twint: He was the last pitcher to win 20 games for each of four consecutive seasons.
A. Dave Stewart (Drafted 1975, debut ’78, 1st W 81; 20 W 1987-90; 11 IP on 01-Aug-1990) FCR - Phil Oppenheim, Sacramento
WEDNESDAY
Q. What starting pitcher was removed so quickly that the pitcher who relieved him set the record for World Series strikeouts by a reliever?
Hint: He holds the record for World Series runs-batted-in by a pitcher.
SABR Hint: He was the first native of his state to receive a Hall of Fame vote.
Twint: A bat he once borrowed to hit with now resides in the Hall of Fame.
FCR - John Rickert, Terre Haute
WEDNESDAY BONUS
Q. Who was the last pitcher to record the final out in 75 games in a season?
Hint: He never spent a single day on the disabled list in his twelve seasons in the majors.
Hint: His college alma mater has campuses in eleven different cities.
SABR Hint: His only career hit came off Tim Belcher.
Twint: Only Mariano Rivera has won as many Rolaids Relief Awards.
FCR - Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, PA
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. What pitcher led his league in win/loss percentage the year his team swept the Yankees in the World Series?
Hint: He was Frank Robinson’s teammate on two different teams.
SABR Hint: He lead the American League in saves the first two seasons it was an official stat.
Twint: He was the first pitcher to appear in 50 games for ten consecutive seasons.
A. Ron Perranoski (16-3, .842% in 1963; Robinson’s teammate on ’72 Dodgers & ’73 Angels; Saves leader 1969-70; 50 G 1961-70)
FCR - Paul Hirsch, Danville, CA
THURSDAY
Q. Who was the pitching coach for the Chinese National Team in the 2010 Asian Games?
Hint: He received exactly zero Hall of Fame votes the only time his name appeared on the ballot.
Hint: Dave LaRoche was a high school teammate.
SABR Hint: He was the keynote speaker on SABR Day in America at the largest chapter meeting held that day.
Twint: George Brett was also a high school teammate.
FCR - Al Blumkin, Brooklyn
FRIDAY
Q. Who was the last player named the Sporting News Man of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year in the same season?
Hint: After his final 20-win season, it was a full decade before any pitcher on his team again won 20 games in a season.
Twint: Following his career, he was the Executive Vice-President for Munro Oil Tool, Inc. in Lafayette, Louisiana.
A. Ron Guidry (1978; 22 W in 1985, 22 W for Andy Pettitte in 1996)
FCR - Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, PA
IN MEMORIAM
Q. Who is the last player traded during a season in which he won a home run title?
Hint: He also led the league in RBI and strikeouts that year.
Hint: He only played four games that year for the team that traded him away.
SABR Hint: He played the most games with the Philadelphia A's without ever having played for Connie Mack.
Twint: He was nicknamed "Ozark Ike" when he played for the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League in 1948.
A. Gus Zernial (1951, traded from the White Sox to the A’s; 528 G) FCR - Dave Serota, Kalamazoo
FRIDAY BONUS
Q. Who was the starting pitcher of the victorious team in the famous “Denkinger” game?
Hint: His team was once eliminated from the postseason when he lost a 3-hit complete game 1-0 on a fielder’s choice.
Hint: He surrendered one of the most famous walk-off home runs in World Series history.
SABR Hint: In spite of a fourteen-year career in the majors, he was never named to an All-Star team.
Twint: He attended university in Oxford.
FCR - Jim Casey, Savannah
IN MEMORIAM 2
Q. Who was the Toronto Blue Jays first ever manager?
Hint: He saw his team draw over 1,000,000 fans each of their first three years in a market known better for hockey.
SABR Hint: He played for the Braves before they moved to Milwaukee and coached for them after they moved from Milwaukee.
Twint: He was traded to the Dodgers for Andy Pafko.
Twint: He never played for the Dodgers, but coached for them in the majors for four seasons.
A. Roy Hartsfield (1977; ’77-’79; Boston Braves 1950-52, Atlanta Braves coach 1973; Pafko trade 1953, L. A. Dodgers coach 1969-72) FCR - Peter Beagle, Oakland
IN MEMORIAM 3
Q. Who was the first player to collect ten career pinch-hit home runs?
Hint: He was Indiana’s first “Mr. Basketball”.
Hint: He was the only player on the Cincinnati Redlegs not elected to start the 1957 All-Star game.
SABR Hint: He was an All-Star the next season.
Twint: His brother coached Oscar Robertson at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis to two state basketball titles.
A. George Crowe ([Home run maven David Vincent tells us that Crowe was actually the first to hit 12, 13 & 14 PH HRs. Cy Williams was actually the first to hit 10 & 11.] Crowe broke Williams’ record 16-Jul-1960; 1939; 1955-56) FCR - Chuck Durante, Dover, DE
IN MEMORIAM 4
Q. Who was the last Detroit Tiger to hit three home runs in a game until Bill Freehan did it in 1971?
Hint: He succeeded Billy Martin and Dick Williams.
Hint: He was the Most Valuable Player of the American Association just before coming to the majors.
SABR Hint: He was a personal friend of reader Dave Raglin.
Twint: Teammate Paul Foytack nicknamed him “Wheatie” for his strapping physique and healthy lifestyle.
A. Steve Boros (3 HR game 06-Aug-1962; Succeeded Martin as mgr of the A’s in 1983, succeeded Williams as Mgr of the Padres in 1986) FCR - Phillip Oppenheim, Sacramento
SATURDAY
Q. Who was the last American League pitcher IN THE 20TH CENTURY to lead the league in winning percentage in consecutive seasons? [Pedro Martinez has done it in the 21st.]
Hint: He was the first Blue Jays pitcher to strike out MORE THAN ten batters in a game.
Hint: He played Clu Hayward in the movie Major League.
SABR Hint: He was the last pitcher to give up a post-season home to Reggie Jackson.
Twint: He was known for such odd behavior as fidgeting and pacing around the mound, crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue out at batters.
Twint: He occasionally dry-heaved at the back of the mound, and would scream at umpires while he was in the stretch.
FCR - Phillip Oppenheim, Sacramento
SATURDAY BONUS
Q. What former Giant was the first pitcher born in Puerto Rico to win 20 games in a season in the majors?
Hint: He wasn’t, however, the first to win 18. That was done 35 years earlier.
Hint: He was also not the first to win 19. That was done 14 years earlier.
Hint: He is, as of this writing, the ONLY native Puerto Rican to win 20 games in a season.
SABR Hint: He was the Yankee staff's biggest winner over their three AL championship seasons from 1976-78.
Twint: He was the first pitcher to be traded for Bobby Bonds.
FCR - John Rickert, Terre Haute
WEEKEND BONUS
Q. Who was an All-Star only once, in spite of being one of the first pitchers to make $1,000,000 in a season?
Hint: Only 12 pitchers have thrown more career innings for the White Sox.
Hint: He was the first pitcher to be traded with Bobby Bonds.
Twint: After Reb Russell in 1913, he was the next White Sox P to earn 20 victories in a season before turning 25.
A. Richard Dotson (AS 1984, $1,075,000 1987; 1,606 IP; trade w/Thad Bosley 05-Dec-1977; 22 W in 1983 @ age 24)
FCR - Rod Nelson, Detroit
SUNDAY
Q. Who signed the first ten-year contract after the advent of free agency?
Hint: He led his league in losses the first year of the contract.
SABR Hint: He was released halfway through the contract.
Twint: In his penultimate season, he pitched a two-hit shutout in front of 73,000 fans—the largest crowd in seven years in the majors.
A. Wayne Garland (10 years, $2.5M in 1976 w/Cleveland; 19 L 1977; SHO 03-Jul-1980) FCR - John Sours, Smyrna, GA
SUNDAY BONUS
Q. What former All-Star had accumulated 107 wins over nine seasons for his team, but was traded straight-up for an outfielder with a .242 career average?
Hint: That outfielder would only hit .233 over the next two seasons for them.
Hint: His son Jeff was USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year for the 2006-07 and now plays for the Edmonton Oilers.
SABR Hint: He was tagged with his team’s only loss in their first seventeen games of the season.
Twint: He was the only pitcher to suffer a loss for the Tigers in the 1984 World Series.
FCR - Dave Raglin, McLean, VA
WEEK-ENDING BONUS
Q. What pitcher, despite having only one career save, and that in Rookie-A ball, was anointed closer of his major league team?
Hint: Five years later and still pitching in the majors with 118 appearances, he still doesn’t have a major league save.
Hint: During his two weeks as closer he earned no saves, had three blown saves and four losses.
SABR Hint: He was the first major leaguer who had been a starter on the Lake County Captains.
Twint: He has twice won 15 games for his team since taking the spot in the rotation opened up by the departure of Cliff Lee.
Twint: His namesake made a deal with the devil.
A. Fausto Carmona (Indians 2006; Captains; Close career 23-Jul- to 05-Aug-2006) FCR - Neil Cohen, Brooklyn
WEEKLY THEME – American League pitchers who received votes, but finished behind their own Cy-Young-Award-winning teammates.
Pitcher Year Placed Teammate Team
First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one