December 22-28, 2014 Baseball people whose names connote a Christmas holiday theme

MONDAY

Q.         Who was the first player to retire with twenty years of service with the White Sox?

Hint:     He played for no other major league team.

Hint:     He missed the opprobrium of the “Black Sox” by being bedridden with the Spanish flu during the 1919 World Series.

Hint:     He once stole second, third and home (with the winning run) after being intentionally hit by a pitch.

Twint:    He once stole third base in a World Series game with his teammate already on third.

A.         RED FABER (CHW 1914-1933; 3 SB: 14-Jul-1915; Base-running blunder G 2 1917 WS team on base was Buck Weaver)

FCR -    Howard Johnson, Norman, OK

Incorrect answers:  Eddie Collins, Ted Lyons, Buck Weaver, Luke Appling

TUESDAY

Q.         Who was the first Jewish player to join the exclusive 30/30 club?

Hint:     He was the first Toronto Blue Jay to lead the American League in doubles and extra bases in the same season.

Hint:     He holds the National League record for the most home runs in a week.

Twint:    He still owns the longest hitting streak for the Blue Jays.

Twint:    Although his face doesn’t appear in baseball-reference’s Top 20 for Dodger franchise WAR, no Dodger has ever hit more home runs in a season.

A.         SHAWN GREEN (35 HR/35 SB 1999; Same year 45 2b & 87 EBH; Hitting streak 28 G 1999; 49 HR for LAD 2001)

FCR -    Tommy Garber, Austin, TX

Incorrect answers:  Hank Greenberg, Howard Johnson, Ryan Braun

WEDNESDAY

Q.         Who was the first to pitch a no-hitter in a Mets uniform?

Hint:     His storied career came to an end eleven weeks later.

Hint:     He won two unanimous Cy Young Awards pitching for his previous team.

Hint:     In those two years he powered his team to division titles with a team that finished 23^rd and 19^th in MLB attendance.

Twint:    He missed the New York Mets' first regular season game at Citi Field due to the birth of his son.

Twint:    Baseball-Reference shows him with a big smile, proudly wearing his Baltimore Orioles uniform.

A.         JOHAN SANTANA (No-no 01-Jun-2012; Last G 17-Aug-2012; CYA 2004, 2006; Citi Field opener 13-Apr-2009; O’s pix)

FCR -    Scott Schleifer, Suffern, NY

Incorrect answers:  Tom Glavine, Frank Viola, Brett Saberhagen, Nolan Ryan, David Cone, Dwight Gooden

THURSDAY

Q.         Who debuted with the Reds in 1983 but was out of the majors less than three years later, having played for two other teams.

Hint:     He shares an alma mater with two famous football coaching brothers.

Twint:    You should answer right now!

A.         STEVE CHRISTMAS (CIN ’83, CHW ’84, CHC ’86; Rex Ryan and Rob Ryan also attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University)

FCR -    Steve Schwartz, Chico, CA

Incorrect answers:  Wayne Krenchicki, Chris Sabo, Deion Sanders

THOR’S DAY

Q.         Who was the first player to hit ten home runs in a calendar week (Sunday-Saturday)?

Hint:     He did it in the span of twenty at-bats.

Hint:     He did it in the “Year of the Pitcher”.

Hint:     He once said, "The distance of every tape-measure home run depends upon your press agent."

Twint:    He outdistanced an eventual Hall of Famer for the Rookie of the Year Award.

A.         FRANK HOWARD (10 HRs 12-18—May—1968; ROY 1960, Ron Santo finished 4^th in the voting.)

FCR -    Richard Tharp, Gaithersburg, MD

Incorrect answers:  Ken Harrelson, Harmon Killebrew, Dale Long

THOR’S DAY 2

Q.         Who holds the record for most home runs in his sophomore season?

Hint:     His fourth home run that year traveled 496 feet in the air.

Hint:     He homered in his first two plate appearances facing Mike Mussina, later that same season.

Twint:    Last month he settled a law suit against his brother Corey, who had been his business manager.

A.         RYAN HOWARD (52 HR in 2006; Long HR 23-Apr-2006, 2^nd inning; Mussina blasts 20‑Jun‑2006; Lawsuit[s]            )

FCR -    Geehoon Hong, Bayside, NY

Incorrect answers:  Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Troy Glaus, Frank Thomas, Ralph Kiner

THOR’S DAY 3

Q.         Who was the first New York Yankee to win a Gold Glove at a position other than outfielder?  [ERROR alert:  Bobby Shantz won the GG @ P in 1957 & Bobby Richardson won the GG @ 2b in 1961]

Hint:     He had played mostly in the outfield before reaching the majors.

Hint:     He hit a home run in his first World Series ab-bat.

Hint:     His team won that game, but not the Series.

Twint:    The Yankees retired his uniform #32 in 1980.

A.         ELSTON HOWARD (GG 1963, 64 [Maris had won in 1960, Mantle in ‘62]; WS HR G 1 1955)

FCR -    Doug Greenwald, San Francisco, CA

Incorrect answers:  Tom Tresh, Yogi Berra, Snuffy Stirnweiss, Tony Kubek, Graig Nettles, Clete Boyer, Bill Skowron, Gil MacDougald

FRIDAY

Q.         Who was the first player to retire with fewer than 1,000 career hits yet more than 1,000 career strikeouts?

Hint:     He was the first player to hit twenty home runs while batting under .220 for three consecutive seasons.

Hint:     His power number kept him in the game.

Twint:    In the minors he beat out Kent Hrbek for a home run title.

Twint:    In a different season, in the minors he beat out Kevin Mitchell for a home run title.

A.         ROB DEER (Ret. 1996 w/853 H, 1,409 K [Since joined by Russell Branyan ret. 2011 w/682 H, 1,118 K]; 20+ HR <.220 1989-91; 230 HR,, 600 RBI; He broke the 30-home-run barrier three times in the minors - in the California League in 1981 he hit 33 long balls (leading the league, beating out Kent Hrbek); in the Texas League in 1983 he hit 35 (leading the league, beating out Kevin Mitchell) and he popped 31 in the Pacific Coast League in 1984 (also leading that circuit)

FCR -    Jim Lovelace, Kent, OH

Incorrect answers:  Dave Kingman, Gorman Thomas, Adam Dunn, Dick Stuart, Ralph Garr

SATURDAY

Q.         What shortstop anchored the first St. Louis Cardinals team to lose 100 games in the modern era?

Hint:     He was only a rookie, but he led that team in games played with 150.

Hint:     In his fourteen-year career, that was the only season where he had over 100 games in the majors.

Hint:     Being a minor league manager added seven more years to his time in the pros.

Twint:    He is a member of the International League Hall of Fame.

A.         ED HOLLY (STL 1907 52-101; As mgr.)

FCR -    Mike McCroskey, Sugar Land, TX

Incorrect answers: Dick Schofield, Dal Maxvill

WEEKEND BONUS

Q:         Whose 4^th-inning lead-off home run in the 6^th and final game of a World Series helped his franchise secure their first ever championship?

Hint.     He hit a line drive off Denny Neagle's elbow, ending Neagle's ML debut in the 4th inning & sending him to the DL.

Twint:    A veteran Spanish-speaking announcer, he nevertheless recently accepted the post of General Manager of a team in the Dominican League.

Twint:    In 2011, he was enshrined into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame along with Roberto Alomar, Carlos Baerga and Luis DeLeon.

A.         CANDY MALDONADO (G 6 1992 WS; Neagle hit 27-Jun-1991; GM of Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Baseball League.)

FCR -    Andrew Distler, New York, NY

Incorrect answers:  Mike Schmidt, David Justice, Tony Fernandez

WEEKEND BONUS COMPLEMENT

Q.         What former Milwaukee Brewer had a breakout performance in this year’s ALCS?

Hint:     His defense had people asking, “Who IS that guy?!”

Twint:    He has won two Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards for outfielders and one Fielding Bible Award.

A.         LORENZO CAIN

FCR -    Andrew Distler, New York, NY

Incorrect answers:  Joe Panick, Nori Aoki

SUNDAY

Q.         Which MLB commissioner was previously a U.S. senator?

Hint:     His grandson was elected to Congress in 2004.

Hint:     He was the 44^th and 49^th governor of Kentucky.

Hint:     His optimistic outlook while attending Transylvania College earned him his nickname.

Twint:    His father is said to have rescued his mother from an orphanage and married her when she was fifteen.

A.         HAPPY CHANDLER (Commissioner 1945-61; Grandson Ben Chandler)

FCR -    Bradley Curtis, Roseville, CA

Incorrect answers:  Jim Bunning

SUNDAY FINALE

Q.         What switch-hitting Curve middle infielder is the one of the first black South Africans to sign a professional baseball contract?

Hint:     He is a fitting ending for this week’s set of questions.

Twint:    The Pirates insist that his signing was not symbolic or a stunt, but that he is a legitimate prospect.

A.         GIFT NGOEPE (

FCR -    Mark Hayne, Dumfries VA

Incorrect answers: 

WEEKLY THEME – Baseball people whose names connote a Christmas holiday theme

Red

Green

Santa

Christmas

Ho-Ho-Ho

Candy Cane

Happy

Gift

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – David Bender, Washington, DC (After Green)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Tuesday   -  Selected players with colors as names or nicknames

We archive our questions here:  http://horsehidetrivia.blogspot.com/

Horsehide Trivia home page:  https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia

December 15-21, 2014 Pitchers who hit two home runs in a game more than once

MONDAY

Q.         Who was the second Dodger to win a Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year award?

Hint:     He was also the first pitcher to take the Cy Young AND the other two awards – a record that stood for 55 years.

Hint:     In his first All-Star appearance he lost the game, despite the fact he had relieved Warren Spahn.

Hint:     Spahn had given up four unearned runs while nevertheless striking out Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams.

Hint:     Despite all his stellar achievements, he is not in the Hall of Fame.

Twint:    Notwithstanding his reputation as one of the best hitting pitchers of his time, he never reached base in five World Series games, including three strikeouts.

A.         DON NEWCOMBE (ROY 1949/MVP 1956, Jackie Robinson ROY 1947/MVP1949; CY 1956, Justin Verlander ROY 2006/CY and MVP 2011; 2.2 in. 2 R ASG 12-Jul-1949 Spahn 1.1 in. 4 R (none earned); BA.271, Wes Ferrell .280 career but only two season with the Dodgers; WS Career 0-8/8PA in 1949, 1955 and 1956)

FCR -    Samuel Olken, Chicago, IL

Incorrect answers:  Fernando Valenzuela, Roy Campanella, Carl Erskin, Don Drysdale, Joe Black, Johnny Podres

IN MEMORIAM

Q.         In whose memory did Keith Olbermann wear a bright pink sports jacket for his broadcast last evening?

Hint:     It’s unlikely anyone reading this question has never owned (or at least held) a product created by him.

Hint:     My first was of Ernie Banks, which I quickly traded for that of an F-84 Thunderjet.  I had no idea it was from the same source.

Hint:     One of his most famous acts was willfully destroying some of his creations, valued by some estimates today still to be in the millions of dollars.

Hint:     He shares an alma matter with Christy Mathewson.

Twint:    Taffy was not a successful insertion.

Twint:    Once he engineered the buy-out of his principal competition, Bowman, he established a near-monopoly.

Twint:    His industry has been tied to bubbles and bubble gum.

A.         SY BERGER (Olbermann; Berger was the driving force behind baseball collecting cards as they became in 1952 and essentially remain today; I received a pack of Topps 1957 cards and at age 7, the one player I immediately recognized was Banks.  However, because we were on an air force base, my peers and I were more interested in the images of what was flying overhead; Berger and colleagues overestimated the production needs for the 1952 Topps baseball set and so had the unsold boxes of them hauled out to sea by a garbage scow and unceremoniously dumped into wet oblivion.  Story here; Both he and Mathewson attended Bucknell, in fact, a classmate of Berger’s, Bob Keegan, made it to the majors; The taffy included in the 1951 Topps baseball set was a gustatory disaster. [The cards themselves did OK.] ; Topps bought Bowman in the fall of 1955 and produces cards today under that brand; Card values have peaked and dropped, creating making market “bubbles”.)

FCR -    Mark Pattison, Washington, DC

Incorrect answers:  Al Spalding

TUESDAY

Q.         Who was the first Yankee pitcher to lead his league in strike outs?

Hint:     He held the pitching record for most World Series openers until broken by Whitey Ford.

Hint:     He has, by far, the most complete games pitched as a Yankee.

Twint:    His Hall of Fame Manager said of him “If [he] has nothing to say, he doesn’t bother to say it”.

A.         RED RUFFING (190K 1932; 261CG, Lefty Gomez next with 173; Joe McCarthy commenting on Ruffing’s quiet demeanor)

FCR -    Blake Sherry, Dublin, OH

Incorrect answers:  Lefty Gomez, Bob Uecker, Allie Reynolds, Herb Pennock, Jack Chesbro, Waite Hoyt, Russ Ford

WEDNESDAY

Q:         Who is the only Milwaukee Brave pitcher to lead the National League in games started?

Hint:     Other than Warren Spahn, he was the only Milwaukee Brave ever to lead in wins and complete games.

Hint:     He is the only player with three complete game victories, including two shutouts, over the Yankees in World Series play.

Twint:    He and battery mate Sammy White once reputedly attempted to hold down the offensive production of future Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, telling him what each pitch would be.

Twint:    The tall tale says it worked.  History does not.

A.         LEW BURDETTE (39 GS 1959; 21 W 1959, tied Spahn and Sam Jones (SFG); WS W’s over NYY 03-Oct-1957, 07-Oct-1957 [ShO] & 10-Oct-1957 [ShO]; An apocryphal account retold in bb-ref bullpen, the only time Burdette and White both faced Cepeda was 20‑Sep‑1961.  The box score shows Cepeda nearly hit for the cycle, missing out only on a single, and the only out he made was followed by a double in his next at bat.)

FCR -    Chuck Durante, Dover, DE

Incorrect answers:  Warren Spahn, Johnny Sain, Tony Cloninger, Vern Bickford Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine

THURSDAY

Q.         Who had the most wild pitches in a season since Red Ames established the modern major league mark of 30?

Hint:     Perhaps not surprisingly, he also led the league in bases-on-balls that season and in both categories the season before as well.

Hint:     One year he went 24-11, but got no Cy Young votes because a certain Dodger lefty took every vote that year (and the next).

Hint:     Over the next seven seasons, he only twice had double digit wins, with a winning percentage of .451 for the period.

Twint:    Well after his playing days were over, he helped coach the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera during their streak of 4 WS in 5 years.

A.         TONY CLONINGER (27WP/116BB 1966 and 22WP/119BB 1965; 1965, 24-11 with MLN, Sandy Koufax CY 1965 and 1966; 1966-1972 46-56, 14-11 1966, 11-17 1969; NYY bullpen/pitching coach 1992-2001)

FCR -    Dave Washburn, Marietta, GA

Incorrect answers:  Nolan Ryan, Larry Jackson, Earl Wilson, Phil Niekro, Claude Osteen, Joe Niekro, Don Drysdale

FRIDAY

Q.         Who was the last St. Louis Cardinals pitcher to win an All-Star Game?

Hint:     Of all the STL ASG-winning pitchers, he is the only one not in the Hall of Fame.

Twint:    He yielded the most earned runs in the majors during the 20^th century’s “Year of the Pitcher”.

Twint:    He will forever be known as the man Carlton Fisk made the winner of, according to some, the greatest World Series game ever played.

A.         RICK WISE (1973 ASG NL won7-1; Steve Carlton (1969) and Dizzy Dean (1936, 37) were the others; 92 ER 1968; Game 6 1975 WS when Fisk “waved fair” the 12^th-inning-walk-off homer that kept the Red Sox WS hopes alive if only for that game.)

FCR -    Gary Sarnoff, Arlington, VA

Incorrect answers:  Ed Roebuck, Joe Magrane. Larry Jackson, Harry Brecheen

SATURDAY

Q.         Who received the one Cy Young vote that prevented Warren Spahn from winning the award unanimously?

Hint:     They likely both would have won the award under the current system.

Hint:     He was the losing pitcher when Don Drysdale gained his first World Series win.

Hint:     He did, however, get the save in Game 5 of that Series – a 1-0 win that handed Sandy Koufax his first postseason loss.

Twint:    He was once traded for a man who said "Probably the best thing that ever happened to me was going nuts."

A.         DICK DONOVAN (1957 CYA voting Spahn 15 of 16 votes; Game 3 1959 WS LAD 3-1 over CHW; Game 5 1959 WS won by CHW 1-0; 1961 Traded for Jimmy Piersall whose entire quote is: "Probably the best thing that ever happened to me was going nuts. Whoever heard of Jimmy Piersall, until that happened?”)

FCR -    Mike McCroskey, Sugar Land, TX

Incorrect answers:  Billy Pierce, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, Whitey Ford, Bob Shaw, Jim Kaat, Cal McLish, Larry Sherry

WEEKEND BONUS

Q.         Who was the first pitcher to lead his league in losses in four consecutive years?

Hint:     He pitched the very last Senators (WSH) and very first Twins games, losing the former, winning the latter.

Hint:     Only Early Wynn gave up more homers to Mickey Mantle.

Twint:    One of those homers, however, nearly left Yankee stadium.

A.         PEDRO RAMOS (Losses AL1958-1961, Lost to Milt Pappas 02-Oct-1960, beat Whitey Ford 11-Apr-1961; Ramos 12 HR to Wynn 13 HR to Mantle; 30-May-1956 blast that missed exiting Yankee stadium by 18 inches)

FCR -    Jim Casey, Savannah, GA

Incorrect answers:  Camilo Pasqual, Jim Kaat, Roger Craig, Chuck Stobbs, Ned Garver

SUNDAY

Q.         Who was the first native of North Carolina to receive a Hall of Fame vote?

Hint:     He went to Hollywood during his career for screen tests, but returned to baseball because he did not like the people he met there.

Twint:    He was the first pitcher to accumulate thirty major league home runs.

Twint:    He got his 29^th the same day.

A.         WES FERRELL (HOF vote in 1948; 29^th & 30^th HRs 31-Jul-1935, both off Bob Newsom)

FCR -    Douglas Sher, Charleston, SC

Incorrect answers:  Enos Slaughter, Noodles Hahn, Catfish Hunter, Rick Ferrell

AND FINALLY…

Q.         Who holds the White Sox record for throwing the most strikeouts in a game?

Hint:     Nine days later, he pitched a complete game 16-inning shut out – also a White Sox record.

Hint:     Ted Williams had his lowest batting average against him for any pitcher he faced 25 times.

Twint:    He and Ted attended the same high school.

A.         JACK HARSHMAN (16 Ks 25-Jul-1954 vs. BOS; ShO 13-Aug-1954 est. 245 pitches v DET winning despite Al Aber‘s 15.1 scoreless innings; Williams .156 BA, 35 PA, 32 AB, 5H, 7 K; Herbert Hoover High)

FCR -    Dave Serota, Kalamazoo, MI

Incorrect answers:  Billy Pierce, Wilbur Wood, Ted Lyons, Hal Newhouser, Hoyt Wilhelm

WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers who hit two home runs in a game more than once.

Pitcher         Dates                  Off                  Inning

Burdette       13-Aug-1957        Nuxhall               3^rd

                                             Nuxhall               6^th

                    10-Jul-1958         Podres                 4^th

                                             Roebuck             8^th

Cloniger       16-Jun-1966        Eilers                  3^rd

                                             Bearnarth            6^th

                    03-Jul-1966         Priddy                 1^st

                                             Sadecki               4th

Donovan      18-May-1962       Foytack              3^rd

                                             Foytack              5^th

                    21-Aug-1962        Roberts               2^nd

                                             Roberts               5^th

Ferrell           31-Aug-1931        Garland*             ~

                                             Bowler*               ~

                    13-Jul-1934         Coffman*            ~

                                             Newsom*             ~

                    22-Aug-1934        Tietje                  ~

                                             Tietje                  ~

                    31-Jul-1935         Newsom              ~

                                             Newsom*             ~

                    12-Aug-1936        Lisenbee*            ~

                                             Flythe*                ~

Harshman     16-Jul-1958         Shaw                  3^rd

                                             Keegan               5^th

                    23-Sep-1958        Ramos                3^rd

                                             Ramos                5^th

Newcombe   14-Apr-1955        Maglie                4^th

                                             Wilhelm              7^th

                    30-May-1955       Kline                   4^th

                                             Kline                   6^th

                    19-Jun-1956        Poholsky             2^nd

                                             Poholsky             3^rd

Ramos         30-May-1962       Estrada               3^rd

                                             Estrada               6^th

                    31-Jul-1963         Grba                   3^rd

                                             Foytack              5^th

Ruffing         18-Sep-1930        Stiely                  ~

                                             Coffman*            ~

                    17-Jun-1936        Brown*               ~

                                             Hudlin*               ~

Wise            23-Jun-1971        Cumberland         5^th

                    28-Aug-1971        McMahon           7^th

*Probably

           

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Douglas Sher, Charleston, SC

Incorrect theme guesses:

Monday   -  Players who went to Japan at the end of their career

Tuesday   -  - Pitchers who hit five or more home runs and won 20 games in the same season

Friday      -  pitchers hitting grand slams

               -  Some sort of situational hitting

               -  pitchers with multiple grand slams

Saturday  -  Pitchers with no-hitters who also hit grand slams

Sunday    -  Pitchers who threw no-hitters and also hit a lot of home runs, or grand slams, or were used as pinch hitters

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

Horsehide Trivia home page:  https://sites.google.com/site/tnfotobbpics/home/horsehide-trivia