MONDAY
Q. Who shared World Series MVP honors with Curt Schilling?
Hint: He was the first pitcher to throw a perfect game after his 40th birthday.
SABR Hint: His 300th win was one of only eight he earned for his final team.
Twint: He won it in a rainstorm in a game that probably should have been postponed on account of inclement weather.
A. Randy Johnson (Perfect game 18-May-2004; 300th W 04-Jun-2009)
First Correct Respondent – Bob Kimball, Washington, DC
TUESDAY
Q. Who was the last pitcher to throw a perfect game for the New York Yankees?
Hint: After his debut with the Royals, he won a total five World Series rings with two different American League East teams.
SABR Hint: He was the American League player representative during the 1994-95 players' strike.
Twint: He won the first Marty Lyons Childrens Award for his off-field accomplishments.
Twint: He quarterbacked his football team at an all-boys Jesuit school.
Twint: He led his team to the district football championship.
Twint: He also played point guard on the school's basketball team.
Twint: He did not play baseball in high school because they did not have a baseball program at the time.
FCR - Judah Kaplan, New York
WEDNESDAY
Q. After Orel Hershiser in 1988, who was the next pitcher in the majors to compile a 40+ scoreless innings streak?
Hint: He was his team’s Opening Day starter in 2009, but did not appear in another game all year.
SABR Hint: He got his first Major League assignment when Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling went down with injuries.
Twint: A section of Highway 60 is named in his honor.
A. Brandon Webb (42 scoreless IP 20-Jul through 17-Aug 2007; “Brandon Webb Highway” near Ashland, KY)
FCR - Gregg Gaylord, Chicago
WEDNESDAY BONUS
Q. Who was the first player to be awarded $1,000,000 through arbitration?
Hint: He was a Cardinal and Oriole and even a Red Wing, but never a Blue Jay.
Hint: He surrendered Steve Carlton’s only career grand slam.
SABR Hint: In the past thirty seasons, he and Mike Hampton are the only left-handed pitchers to win the National League Gold Glove Award.
Twint: His screwball was regarded the best one since Carl Hubbell’s.
Twint: He is the youngest of twelve children.
A. Fernando Valenzuela (19-Feb-1983; 16-May-1984 all 4 runs unearned; GG 1986)
FCR - Bert Rosica, McClean, VA
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Who faced Barry Bonds more than any other pitcher?
Hint: No one gave up more home runs to Bonds.
SABR Hint: He was his team’s second draft pick, after they’d selected Drew Hall.
Twint: His brother is a long-time major league pitching coach.
A. Greg Maddux (Pitched to Bonds 157 times; 1984 MLB draft; 9 HR; brother is Mike Maddux)
FCR - Dave Mason, Ottawa
THURSDAY
Q. Who was the first right-handed pitcher to have 300 strikeouts with an ERA under 2.00 since Walter Johnson in 1912?
Hint: His brother Jesus rose to the majors with the Dodgers.
SABR Hint: He was once traded for Delino DeShields.
Twint: He threatened to “…drill Babe Ruth in the ass.”
A. Pedro Martinez (Stats year 1997 for Montreal; Jesus Martinez, called up in 1996, but never played in the majors; DeShields trade 19-Nov-1993.)
FCR - Stefan Grossman, Bethesda, MD
FRIDAY
Q. Which new Brewer started the 2011 season on the DL after fracturing a rib playing basketball?
Hint: He is married to a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.
SABR Hint: His first Major League hit was a home run against Russ Ortiz.
Twint: He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2002.
Twint: The next year he was Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year.
A. Zack Greinke (wife Emily Kuchar; 1st H HR 10-Jun-2005)
FCR - John Wilson, Mesa
SATURDAY
Q. Who was the first PAC-10 player to win the Freshman of the Year Award and the Pitcher of the Year Award in the same season?
Hint: Even so, Ian Kennedy was chosen ahead of him for the all-conference team.
SABR Hint: He had been selected in the 48th round of the major league draft, and so decided to attend college instead.
Twint: It took him nine games to move from Low-Class A too AAA.
A. Tim Lincecum (PAC-10 award in 2004; minor league rise in 2006.)
FCR - Mitchell Below, Oakland
IN MEMORIAM
Q. Who was the last Major Leaguer born in Italy?
Hint: He was raised in Canada.
Hint: He played briefly in Japan, but requested his release because his young son had been ill since the family moved to Japan.
Hint: After his career ended he returned to his adopted hometown to teach high school.
Hint: He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Hint: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame president and CEO Tom Valcke had once been his student.
SABR Hint: He roomed with Al Kaline for five years when both were young Tigers.
SABR Hint: In later years he said his career highlight was hitting a 2-run home run in Yankee Stadium on Opening Day.
Twint: In his first Major League at-bat, Satchell Paige struck him out (as he recalled it, on three straight pitches).
Twint: His next-door neighbor was NBA and MLB player Hank Biasatti (also born in Italy).
A. Reno Bertoia, who passed away this week: http://www.windsorstar.com/sports/Bertoia+remembered+baseball+pioneer/4622621/story.html (Windsor, ON; Opening Day HR 11-Apr-1961; Debut 22-Sep-1953)
FCR - Rich Klein, Plano, TX
IN MEMORIAM II
Q. Who was the last manager of the Philadelphia A's?
Hint: In his ninth season, his batting average was fifty points below the league average, yet his on-base percentage was fifteen points above league average.
Hint: Even with the low average, he received two first-place votes in that year’s MVP balloting.
Hint: Before he started wearing glasses on the field, he threatened the record for lowest single-season batting average by a player with at least 400 at-bats.
Hint: After donning glasses to correct for astigmatism, he twice had more walks than hits in a season.
SABR Hint: His record for most career home runs by an A's shortstop lasted for 59 years.
SABR Hint: He committed an error on what would have been Paul Waner's 3,000thcareer hit. The hometown scorer originally gave Waner a hit, but Waner motioned for the scorer's attention and indicated that it should be scored an error and the call was changed.
Twint: After his baseball career ended he spent 10 years working for Wilson Sporting Goods, based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
A. Eddie Joost, who died this week: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/13/SPC81IUDSO.DTL (A’s Mgr ; 1947 stats-Avg .206, OBA.348, 114 BB; More BB than H 1947, 49; A’s SS HR record 116 broken by Miguel Tejada in 2002; E on Waner 17-Jun-1942.)
FCR - Rich Klein, Plano, TX
WEEKEND BONUS
Q. Who is the only pitcher to face Barry Bonds more than 50 times without surrendering a home run?
Hint: After Hippo Vaughn in 1919, he was the next Cubs pitcher to steal home.
SABR Hint: He pitched the first shutout at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
SABR Hint: The losing pitcher also went the distance.
Twint: He lost the closest Cy Young Award vote in history.
A. Rick Sutcliffe (Pitched to Bonds 51 times; 29-Jul-1988 Charles Nagy; 06-Apr-1992 ; 1987 CYA lost to Steve Bedrosian by 2 voting points.)
FCR - Rich Klein, Plano, TX
SUNDAY
Q. Who was the first Mariners pitcher to hit a home run?
Hint: It was a grand slam off a two-time Cy Young Award winner.
Hint: All four runs were unearned.
Hint: He wears long sleeves during games to keep sweat from running down his arm and interfering with his grip.
SABR Hint: Although he had more substantial offers with other teams, he signed with the Mariners because his idol played for them.
Twint: At age 14, his fastball was clocked at 94 miles per hour.
Twint: He is active in domestic violence awareness and with the humane society in his adopted city.
A. Felix Hernandez (23-Jun-2008, Johan Santana; Hero was Freddie Garcia; Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Seattle King County Humane Society)
FCR - Mark Lewers, Blacksburg, VA
WEEKLY THEME – Starting pitchers who won a Cy Young Award with Fewer than 18 Victories
Pitcher Record Year Team League
Cone 16-5 1994 Royals American
Greinke 16-8 2009 Royals American
Hernandez 13-12 2010 Mariners American
Johnson 17-9 1999 D’Backs National
Lincecum 15-7 2009 Giants National
Maddux 16-6 1994 Braves National
Martinez 17-8 1997 Expos National
Sutcliffe 16-1 1984 Cubs National
First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Gregg Gaylord, Chicago
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