MONDAY
N.B. This week’s theme, questions and hints come to us from Gregg Gaylord of Chicago.
Q. Who won 12 consecutive gold glove awards his final 12 seasons?
Hint: His first five years in the major leagues, he batted over .300 only once and averaged .282.
Hint: The next 13 years, he averaged .329, batting under .300 only once.
SABR Hint: He batted .310 and .414 in the World Series in the only two World Series he played in.
Twint: In 14 World Series Games, he walked only twice, in 60 plate appearances.
First Correct Respondent - Christopher Bell, New York
TUESDAY
Q. Who was the first Cubs player to have his uniform number retired?
Hint: One season, he led the National League in errors at shortstop.
Hint: The next year, he set a new league record for fewest errors at shortstop.
SABR Hint: Leo Durocher tried to replace him several times, but failed.
Twint: How many shall we play?
A. Ernie Banks (#14 retired 22-Aug-1982; Most SS errors: 32 in 1958; Fewest: 12 in 1959; Let’s play two.)
FCR - David Krassin, New York
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who was considered by many to be the most graceful center fielder ever to play the game?
Hint: Even so, he called his brother, who toiled for his team’s biggest rival, “…the best defensive outfielder I’ve ever seen.”
SABR Hint: They both played for their respective same teams their entire careers.
Twint: His brother led the league once in stolen bases, a feat he never achieved.
A. Joe DiMaggio (Brother Dom)
FCR - Ron Kaufman, Pickering, ON
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Who once missed over a month of the season when broke his hand after throwing a punch at a future Hall of Famer?
Hint: Whether he hit the wall or the other player’s jaw is a matter of some dispute.
Hint: At 35 years old he won the batting title by one point over another Hall of Famer to be.
Hint: He accomplished it in a season-ending doubleheader, racking up eight hits, six of which were bunts.
SABR Hint: He played at least 20 each at five different positions (and over 2,000 at one of them).
Twint: He was one of the few active players to have a current team named after him.
Twint: His top ten Similarity Score players are all Hall of Famers.
A. Napoleon Lajoie (Batting title 1910; 09-Oct-1910; 21G 3b, 26G OF, 73G SS, 286G 1b & 2,035G @ 2b; Cleveland Naps 1903-14; Similarity Scores)
FCR - John Rickert, Terre Haute
THURSDAY
Q. Who, in first four career at-bats, struck out looking, grounded out, flied out and lined out and ended the inning with each one?
Hint: His fifth at bat resulted in his first career “on base” as a result of an error.
Hint: If not for the error, it would have been an inning-ending out.
SABR Hint: Despite this debut, he won the Rookie of the Year Award.
Twint: The next year he only played in 34 games.
Twint: In his next full season, he won the batting title and Most Valuable Award.
Twint: His year after THAT one was even better.
A. Willie Mays (25-May-1951; 1951 ROY; 1954 MVP; 1955 led in HR and others.)
FCR - John Rickert, Terre Haute
FRIDAY
Q. Who played in six All-Star games, had a cumulative batting average of .500 and played every inning?
Hint: At a banquet in his honor he said he had a reputation of being a man of few words, and wasn’t going to spoil that reputation.
Hint: … then he sat down.
SABR Hint: He once tersely told an opposing catcher who talked to him in the batter’s box, “I’m working.”
Twint: He missed his own Hall of Fame induction although he was still alive and well.
A. Charlie Gehringer
FCR - Phil Oppenheim, Sacramento
END-OF-THE-WEEK BONUS
Q. Who was the first MVP to emerge from a team's own farm system?
Hint: He once placed third in a major league batting title race to a teammate, but was less than 1/3 of a basis point behind him.
SABR Hint: He was injured much of that season.
Twint: He once drove in twelve (12!) runs in a game.
A. Jim Bottomley (St. Louis Cardinal’s farm system; 1931 batting race Chick Hafey hit .34889, Bill Terry hit .34861 to Bottomley’s .34817; 12 RBI 16-Sep-1924)
FCR - Al Blumkin, Brooklyn
SATURDAY
Q. Who was his team’s leadoff hitter for the final eleven seasons of his career?
Hint: His career only last twelve seasons.
Hint: His team won the World Series in three of those years and the pennant in another.
SABR Hint: He was once traded for Elmer Smith.
Twint: He had 43 put-outs and never made an error in 16 World Series games.
Twint: After suffering a near fatal collision in center field, he returned to play the next year.
Twint: That year, he had another serious collision and he ended his career saying “I’m getting out of this game before it kills me.”
A. Earle Combs (Smith trade 07-Jan-1924 by Louisville [American Association] to the Yankees with additional considerations)
FCR - Phil Oppenheim, Sacramento
SATURDAY BONUS
Q. Who won a batting title and a slugging title in a year in which he only hit four home runs?
Hint: He also led in Games, Plate Appearances, At Bats, Runs, Triples and Stolen Bases, yet still didn’t win the MVP.
SABR Hint: One of his Mud Hen teammates also became a Hall of Famer.
Twint: He was the object of Lajoie’s affection, mentioned in the Midweek Bonus.
A. Elmer Flick (4HR 1905; The Most Valuable Player Award didn’t yet exist; Joe McCarthy)
FCR - Leonard Skonecki, Fostoria, OH
WEEKEND BONUS
Q. Who was the first person honored with a plaque in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium?
Hint: He decided on baseball over the practice of law because he could make more money.
Hint: It was one of his law professors (who later became chief justice of the Supreme Court) who counseled him in this decision.
SABR Hint: He led the National League in bases-on-balls four times.
Twint: He died so suddenly from an infection that he had been in uniform less than a week before.
Twint: The league canceled all games for his services and scheduled double-headers for the following day.
Twint: He had managed his team to six pennants in the prior eight seasons.
A. Miller Huggins (William Howard Taft; died 25-Sep-1929; No game 27-Sep-1929)
FCR - David Letizia, Washington, DC
SUNDAY
Q. Which Hall of Famer died at the youngest age?
Hint: He played his entire career for one manager.
Hint: A Hall of Fame manager.
SABR Hint: He hit a base- loaded single in the 12th inning to beat Walter Johnson who was pitching his first World Series game.
SABR Hint: The Senators ultimately won the series, but Johnson intentionally walked this player twice in the final game.
Twint: His family name seems oddly appropriate.
A. Ross Youngs (Died 22-Oct-1927 at age 30; Mgr. John McGraw; 04-Oct-1924)
FCR - John Rickert, Terre Haute
WEEKLY THEME – Hall of Famers who hit three triples in one game.
First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Bill Deane, Cooperstown (after the Lajoie question)
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