MONDAY
Q. Who is the only catcher to hit .300 or better with 30 home runs in a season five times in his career?
Hint: He was runner-up in the MVP balloting in consecutive seasons.
SABR: He was the first catcher to have 200 hits in a season.
Twint: He was the Dodgers’ first regular-season designated hitter.
A. Mike Piazza (1993, 95-99; 1996-97; 201 H in 1997, but only 187 came while he was playing C; DH 12-Jun-1997)
First Correct Respondent - J.J. McCoy, Washington, DC
MONDAY A SECOND TIME
Q. Who, in his first major league at-bat, hit a home run off Nolan Ryan?
Hint: His 1.335 OPS in three National League Championship Series is the highest on record.
SABR: His answering machine at home says, “The Thrill is gone. Leave a message.”
Twint: No, he’s not THAT guy; not the movie star!
A. Will Clark (HR 08-Apr-1986; NLCS 1987, 89, 2000; Other famous Will Clark)
First Correct Respondent - Alan Miller, Oakland
TUESDAY
Q. Which player's sixth career leadoff home run was the one that put him in the 300/300 club?
Hint: He was the first Arizona Diamondback to win a Gold Glove.
SABR: He won the major league Player of the Week Award with three different teams a total of five times.
Twint: He is a member of the Saluki Baseball Hall of Fame and the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame.
Twint: He once hit two home runs in a game when he was suffering from a bugling vertebral disk.
A. Steve Finley (300th HR 14-Jun-2006; GG 1999, 2000; 2 HR 28-Sep-1999)
FCR - Michael Bender, Derwood, MD
TUESDAY DOUBLE
Q. Who had the quietest fifty-home run season ever?
Hint: He was the first player to hit forty home runs in a season while playing for two teams.
Hint: They were also in different leagues.
SABR: His cousin won an American League Most Valuable Player Award.
SABR: Another cousin of his played sixteen years in the majors.
Twint: He was the last player in the 20th century to hit two home runs in a World Series game.
A. Greg Vaughn (50 HR in 1998; 41 HR in 1996 playing for San Diego and Milwaukee; Mo Vaughn AL MVP, cousin Jerry Royster; 2 WS HRs G1 17-Oct-1998)
FCR - Bill Garrod, Edgewood, WA
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who hit grand slams off Hall of Famers in the same season while playing for different teams?
Hint: He hit four additional home runs that year off Hall of Fame pitchers.
SABR: He was the first Yankee infielder to win a Gold Glove.
Twint: Six years before his regular season slams, he’d hit one in the World Series.
A. Joe Pepitone (GS HRs off Nolan Ryan on 10-Jun-1970 & Don Sutton 14-Aug-1970; 2 HR each off Phil Niekro and Gaylord Perry; GG 1965, 66, 69; WS GS 14-Oct-1964)
FCR - No one (partially, it would appear, because he was the SECOND Yankee IF GG, after Bobby Richardson in 1961)
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Who earned his major league debut as a replacement for his injured Hall of Fame player manager?
Hint: Even though his debut was in September, he played well enough to earn a World Series share with the team.
Hint: He watched his grandsons face each other in the 2003 All-Star game.
SABR: As a scout, he signed Curt Schilling.
SABR: He tied for the RBI lead in the American League one season.
Twint: Like his son, he started his professional career as a catcher.
Twint: He was the leader of the San Diego chapter of the National Lumber Jacks Association.
FCR - Frank DiPrima, Morristown, NJ
THURSDAY
Q. Who was the Browns’ batting leader their last year in St. Louis?
Hint: He was a Red Sox scout for forty years, interrupted by a four-year stint as first base couch for them.
SABR: He was the only first base coach that manager Eddie Kasko ever had.
Twint: He got his nickname because it was difficult for him to find shoes narrow enough.
Twint: His playing career was ended in 1954 by a broken leg.
A. Don Lenhardt (.317 in 1953; 1957-91 as a scout, first base coach 1970-73
FCR - Peter Beagle, Oakland
FRIDAY
Q. Who was announced as the successor to Mike Schmidt when Schmidt retired in 1989?
Hint: He was traded in early June that same season.
SABR: He had nine runs batted in a single game two years later.
Twint: His brother is well-known football player and broadcaster.
A. Chris James (Traded for John Kruk and Randy Ready 02-Jun-1898; Brother Craig James)
FCR - Matt Gibson, Barboursville , WV
SATURDAY
Q. Who is the first post-expansion player to play 40 games at each of the three outfield positions in the same season?
Hint: That year, he led his team in batting, hits, doubles and at-bats.
Hint: A certain value-savvy general manager probably knew he was going to do that.
SABR: At Zanesville High School, graduated 4th in his class while starring in baseball, soccer and basketball.
Twint: He had two “Tommy John” surgeries while still a minor leaguer.
A. Jay Payton (Oakland A’s 2006 LF 51, 44, CF, 41 RF)
FCR - Joe Ullian, Santa Barbara
WEEKEND BONUS
Q. Who was the penultimate player to reach the 600 level at Veterans Stadium with a home run?
Hint: He made his major league debut on the losing end of a no-hitter.
Hint: He won the 1995 International League MVP award.
SABR: He won the Doubleday Award in his first season as a professional.
SABR: He won the award three more times.
Twint: He was one of the few players allowed to continue wearing #42 after 1997.
A. Butch Huskey (HR 15-Sep-1997; Debut 08-Sep-1993 [Tanana]; Doubleday Award 1989, 91, 93 & 95)
FCR - Prisco Panza, Milford, CT
SUNDAY
Q. Which All-Star second baseman is the third baseman and captain of his Dominican Winter League team?
Hint: He was the first Washington National to hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning or later.
SABR: After Jim Northrup in 1973, he was the next leadoff batter to have eight RBIs in a game.)
Twint: In 2005, he started in every spot in the batting order except clean-up.
Twint: He was the first non-roster invitee to start for the Rockies on Opening Day of 2003.
A. Ronnie Belliard (Northrup’s 8-RBI game 11-Jul-1973, Belliard’s 23-Sep-2003)
FCR - J.R. Richardson, Clarksville, MD
WEEKLY THEME – Batters with grand slams for different teams in the same season. Thanks to David Vincent for this theme and the data to back it up.
First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one