Sunday, October 27, 2013

October 21-27, 2013 First pitchers to win twenty games for 20th-century expansion teams

MONDAY
Q.         Which player received the highest percentage of ballots for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame?
Hint:     He also notched the victory for the first ever National League Championship Series game in large part based on his team scoring 5 unearned runs in a 9-5 victory.
Twint:    He was Terrific.
A.         Tom Seaver (98.84% 1992; NLCS G1 4-Oct-1969)
FCR -    Dave Paulson, Columbia, MD

MONDAY DUO
Q.         Who is the only Hall of Fame pitcher with over 3,000 career strikeouts with fewer than 1,000 bases-on-balls?
Hint:     During his 19-year career he would lead the majors four times in complete games.
Hint:     In his first All-Star Game appearance, he struck out Mickey Mantle, Jim Fregosi, Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Conigliaro and Rod Carew in three innings of work.
Twint:    He also gave up the only run to the losing American League team when Brooks Robinson sent an 0-1 pitch over the wall.
Twint:    He was Fly.
A.         Fergie Jenkins (3,192 K, 997 BB, Maddux, Schilling and Pedro Martinez have also achieved this but are not (yet) in the HOF; CG led 1967, 70, 71,74; 1967 ASG NL wins 2‑1)
FCR -    Fred Worth, Arkadelphia, AR

TUESDAY
Q.         Who tied Greg Maddux’s record for consecutive Cy Young awards?
Hint:     Yovanni Gallardo is the only pitcher to hit a home run off him in his 22-year career.
Hint:     When he made his debut, he was the tallest player in major league history.
Twint:    His nickname was coined his rookie year after a collision with teammate Tim Raines.
A.         Randy Johnson (Both have 4 consecutive; 08-Apr-2009, 5th inning 3R shot; 6’10” 1988, since surpassed by 6’11” Jon Rauch 2002; MVP 2001 WS with Curt Schilling; Raines said “You’re a big unit!” and it stuck.)
FCR -    Jay Berman, Manhattan Beach, CA

Q.         Who was the second person to earn a total of four World Series victories pitching for three different teams?
Hint:     He was the first native of Alaska to be named to an All-Star team.
Twint:    He took the name Red Sox a tad too literally.
A.         Curt Schilling (WS Ws: G 5 for the 1993 Phillies 21‑Oct‑1993, G 1 for the 2001 D’Dbacks 27‑Oct‑2001, G 2 for the 2004 Red Sox 24‑Oct‑2004 & G 2 for the 2007 Red Sox 25‑Oct‑2007Jack Morris [84, 91, 92] was the first with this accomplishment; 1997 ASG; Red sock from injured ankle pitching in G 6 of the 2004 ALCS)
FCR -    Len Gucwa, Atlanta, GA

WEDNESDAY
Q.         Who is the only pitcher to win World Series rings with the Tigers, Twins and Blue Jays?
Hint:     He went 2-0 with both the Tigers and Twins in those two series.
Hint:     In Game 7 of the 1991 series, he threw a complete game 1-0 shutout that garnered his second ring.
Twint:    Next year is his last year of eligibility for the writers to vote him into the Hall.
Twint:    If elected, his career ERA of 3.90 would be the highest of any pitcher previously inducted.
A.         Jack Morris (’84 Tigers, ’91 Twins, ’92 Jays; Highest current ERA among HOF starting pitchers Red Ruffing @ 3.80)
FCR -    Frank Workman, Lake Forest Park, WA

WEDNESDAY WILD CARD
Q.         Whose 25 complete games in 1976 has not been eclipsed since in the National League?
Hint:     His major league leading 22 victories that year was achieved despite leading the majors with 22 losses in 1974.
Hint:     That same year (1976) he also led in games started, innings pitched, batters faced, hits and walks + hits per inning pitched (WHIP).
Twint:    He gave up the first inside-the-park home run of Mike Schmidt’s career.
Twint:    He tied Christy Mathewson’s 63 year old record of 68 innings without issuing a base on balls.
A.         Randy Jones (Career Stats; career 100-123; IPHR first of three for Schmidt; BB record eclipsed by Greg Maddux 2001)
FCR -    Andy Milner, Bryn Mawr, PA

THURSDAY
Q.         Who was the first Los Angeles Angel to win the Cy Young Award?
Hint:     The year prior to his award and the two years after it was won by another Los Angeles player.
Hint:     It was also the only year he received even a single Cy Young vote.
Twint:    His four saves that same year were the highest number of saves for a Cy Young winner until reliever Mike Marshall in 1974.
Twint:    Mickey Mantle said of him “Every time I see his name on a lineup card, I feel like throwing up”.
A.         Dean Chance (CYA 1964, Sandy Koufax of the L.A. Dodgers 1963, 65, 66; Marshall w/21 saves in 1974; Mantle’s comment due to Chance’s mastery of the 1964 Yankees giving up only one run—ironically a HR to Mantle—over 50 innings, winning 4 out of 5)
FCR -    Mel Williams, Elkhart, IN

THURSDAY AGAIN
Q.         Who had back-to-back wins for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 World Series?
Hint:     Both victories came in relief, but he lost the one game he started.
Hint:     In Game 7 of the same series with his team trailing 3-2 and with Catfish Hunter on 2nd, he came in to issue an intentional walk to Joe Rudi, and then struck out Mike Hegan to end the inning.
Twint:    In his one All-Star Game selection, he with rotation mate Steve Rogers represented the first time the Montreal Expos had two all-star selections.
Twint:    Rogers threw two scoreless innings
A.         Ross Grimsley (1972 WS won games 5 and 6; 1978 ASG reps; 11-Jul-1978 ASG box)
FCR -    Dave Williams, Glastonbury, CT

FRIDAY
Q.         Who was the first Florida Marlin to win the Rookie of the Year Award?
Hint:     In 2005 he was put 7th in the lineup, the first player at his position to do so in over 22 years.
Hint:     He responded with a single, and he was also awarded the victory after pitching eight innings of one-run ball.
Twint:    He attended the same high school as Jimmy Rollins & Chris Speier.
Twint:    Though he announced his retirement in 2011, in 2013 he signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs and appeared in the minors with two different teams.
A.         Dontrelle Willis (ROY 2003; 22-Sep-2005 2-1 victory over the NYM; Encinal High Alameda, CA; 2013 Long Island Ducks & Salt Lake Bees)
FCR -    Bob Chan, Oakland, CA

FRIDAY FREEBIE
Q.         Which manager missed 27 games in the middle of a regular season when he suffered a grand mal seizure during a game?
Hint:     He was voted Manager of the Year for the previous season.
Hint:     Prior to and after managing the team for five years, he was the team’s broadcaster.
Hint:     Despite four playoff appearances in five years, and a winning record over those years, he was fired for failing to progress in the playoffs.
Twint:    As a player in “The Year of the Pitcher”, he led the majors in wild pitches.
Twint:    He attended the same high school as the Yount brothers.
A.         Larry Dierker (Seizure 13‑Jun‑1999; MOY 1998; 20 WP; Larry Yount, Robin Yount, William Howard Taft High School, Woodland Hills, CA
FCR -    Derek Norin, Arlington, VA

SATURDAY
Q.         Who, in his major league debut, gave up his first hit to Derek Jeter – a solo shot HR that was #206 for “The Captain”?
Hint:     He earned the ALCS 7th game save that sent his team to their only World Series.
Hint:     He also got the win for Game 2 of that series facing three batters in the top of the 11th with his team getting a walk-off victory in the bottom half of the inning.
Twint:    Other than the win in relief, he has no other post-season wins, but he has 4 post-season losses as a starter.
Twint:    He was the only other pitcher to get a fist place vote the year King Felix won the Cy Young.
A.         David Price (Debut 14-Sep-2008; ALCS G 7 TBR vs BOS 19‑Oct‑2008; ALCS G2 11‑Oct‑2008; career post-season stats 3 losses to TEX and one to BOS; 2010 CY voting)
FCR -    Dave Serota, Kalamazoo, MI

SATURDAY SPECIAL
Q.         Who is the career franchise leader in pitching victories wins for the Kansas City Royals?
Hint:     In Game 5 of the 1976 American League Championship Series (that ended with Chris Chambliss’ walk-off homer), he took over in the first inning when Dennis Leonard—who was charged with two runs—failed to register an out.
Hint:     Ironically, he gave up a sacrifice fly and a groundout to Chambliss that gave Chambliss his other two RBIs for the game.
Twint:    The next year, again in the ALCS Game 5, he pitched eight innings of two-run ball only to see the relievers give up the lead with three runs in the ninth and, once again, lose the series to the Yankees.
Twint:    And as if that weren’t enough, in the 1978 ALCS he held a one-run lead through 7, only to see his bullpen yield the lead and take the loss in Game 3.
A.         Paul Splittorff (166W; ALCS G5 1976; ALCS G5 1977; ALCS G3 1978)
FCR -    Larry Farin, Plano, TX

SUNDAY
Q.         Who was the first Kansas City Royals pitcher to pitch a home field no-hitter?
Hint:     He beat the Texas Rangers yielding one walk and one hit-by-pitch.
Hint:     He led the majors that year in hit-by-pitch, plunking thirteen batters.
Hint:     After receiving a Bachelor’s degree from the same institution that graduated Richard Nixon and Ila Borders, he was named All-Scotland in basketball.
Twint:    He is currently the Rangers Pacific Rims Operation Senior Advisor.
Twint:    His first impression of Yu Darvish was that he was “overrated”.
A.         Jim Colborn (KCR no hitters - Steve Busby pitched 2 no-no away games; 14-May-1977 box; HBP 1977; Whittier College, University of Edinburgh; Scouting comments)
FCR -    Ty Eckert, Loris, SC


WEEKLY THEME – First pitchers to win twenty games for 20th-century expansion teams.


Pitcher         Team       Record       20th win
Chance         LAA         20-9         25-Sep-1964
Colborn        MIL          20-12       26-Sep-1973
Dierker         HOU        20-13       17-Sep-1969
Grimsley       MON        20-11       01-Oct-1978
Jenkins        TEX         25-12       31-Aug-1974
Johnson       SEA        20-4         27-Sep-1997
Jones           SDP        20-12       23-Sep-1975
Morris          TOR         21-6         27-Sep-1992
Price            TBR         20-5         30-Sep-2012
Schilling       ARI          22-6         05-Sep-2001
Seaver         NYM        25-7         05-Sep-1969 (G1)
Splittorff      KCR        20-11       26-Sep-1973
Willis            FLA         22-10       07-Sep-2005

COL has not yet had a 20-game winner.

Schilling earned his 20th with ARI in 2001 before Johnson earned his 20th three weeks later 27‑Sep‑2001 the same year.


First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Stanley Cohen, Washington, DC (following the Jones question)


Horsehide Trivia blog has the questions and answers from this week as well as from previous weeks:  http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/




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