Thanks to reader John Michael Pierobon for this week's theme.
MONDAY
Q. Whose
well-deserved nickname was “The Iron Horse”?
Hint: He
was also called “Biscuit Pants”.
Hint: No
American League player ever had more RBI’s in a single season.
Hint: He
had only one RBI in his final season after having 100 such each of the previous
thirteen years.
Twint: He
would be most people’s choice for the first baseman on the all-time line-up.
A. LOU
GEHRIG
- The nickname was told to us all in Ken Burns's "Baseball" in 1994.
Little explanation was given. The documentary surmised it
had something to do with the musculature of his glutes. Why not?
- 185
RBI in 1931 (in 155 games)
FCR - Doug
Greenwald, San Francisco, CA
Incorrect answers: Billy Ripken
TUESDAY
Q. Whose
double-talk made him seem professorial to his players, the media, the fans and
even the U.S. Congress?
Hint: He
managed four major league teams for a total of 25 years.
Hint: Only
one of the four had an overall winning record, a spectacular .623 winning
percentage.
Hint: The
other three came in at .453, .432 and .302 respectively.
Twint: He
was a successful banker during and after his baseball career.
-
-
-
FCR - Tal
Smith, Sugar Land, TX
Incorrect answers: Sparky
Anderson, Bucky Harris, Joe Torre, Bobby Valentine
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who
was the first player to get two hits in one inning in the World Series?
Hint: He
received 10 Hall of Fame votes in the very first election, but didn’t make it
until 1972.
Hint: He
is the only career Giant ever to lead the National League in doubles.
Twint: Ironically,
he lasted only 10 years in the majors, although one might say his future was Bright.
A. ROSS
YOUNGS
- 07-Oct-1921,
WS
Game 3, b7 a double and a triple.
- 31
2b in 1919; Sam Mertes,
Larry
Doyle & Orlando
Cepeda also led NL in 2B as Giants but all played for multiple teams.
- He
passed away after contracting “Bright’s Disease” – now an outdated term
that was once used to describe any form of kidney failure.
FCR - Jim
Turner, Tallahassee, FL
Incorrect answers: Dave Bancroft, Orlando Cepeda, Alvin Dark,
Frankie Frisch, Monte
Irvin, High Pockets Kelly, Freddie Lindstrom, Rabbit Maranville, Willie
McCovey, Mel Ott, Dusty Rhodes, Wilbert Robinson, Bill Terry
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Who
is the only player in Major League Baseball history to acquire three World
Series rings with the Red Sox, and one with the Indians?
Hint: He
once handed Christy Mathewson a World Series ending walk-off loss – the only
walk-off postseason loss of Mathewson’s career.
Hint: It
was the first walk-off Series-ending RBI in the modern era.
Twint: He
was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame with, among others, the
announcer for Teddy Ballgame’s home run in his final at bat.
- Game 8,
1912 WS, 10 inn. SF scored Steve Yerkes to end
the series.
- Gardner led
the Sox with 5 RBI that series.
- Inducted BOS HOF 2000 with Curt Gowdy, who announced
Williams’
8th inning HR in his last game 28-Sep-1960.
FCR - Dave
Serota, Kalamazoo, MI
Incorrect answers: Lefty Grove, Harry Hooper, Johnny Pesky, Tris
Speaker, Smoky Joe Wood, Cy Young
THURSDAY
Q. Who was the first American Leaguer to hit
to two triples in a World Series?
Hint: For good measure, he did it in the same
game.
Hint: For even better measure, three teammates
also hit triples in that same game.
Twint: Earlier that season, he’d hit three
triples in a game.
- 3bX3 05-Sep-1903
FCR - Dave
Serota, Kalamazoo, MI
Incorrect answers: Bobby Brown, Home Run Baker, Tommy Leach,
George Rohe, Enos Slaughter, Tris Speaker, Bill Wambsganss
FRIDAY
Q. Who
is the only Dodger to lead the league in triples in consecutive seasons?
Hint: They
were usually called Robins at the time.
Hint: His
peculiar arms-down gait endeared him to fans.
Hint: He
is the only player after 1882 to lead his league in RBI with fewer than 75.
Hint: His
neighbors lent him livestock to bluff Charles Ebbets into thinking he would
give up baseball for farming.
Hint: The
bluff worked, earning him a substantial raise.
Twint: He
is the only player to have hit a postseason home run off of Babe Ruth.
A. HI
MYERS
- NL
3b leader 1919-20
- 73
RBI in 1919
- 1917
contract holdout with the Robins
- 1916
WS HR vs. Ruth
FCR - Kevin
Cook, Grapevine, TX (via Facebook)
Incorrect answers: Max Carey, Jake Daubert, Babe Herman, Joe
Medwick, Zack Wheat
WORK WEEK WRAP-UP
Q. Who
is the only player to lead the American League in sacrifice hits in consecutive
years with different teams?
Hint: In
fact, he is the only player to lead either league in Sac Hits 5 consecutive
seasons (and yes we know that the statistic has been “variably kept” over the
years).
Hint: He
was the youngest of the starting A’s outfielders that played in the last three
World Series while the club was still based in Philadelphia.
Twint: He
got his start in the outfield when Connie Mack decided to bench Tris Speaker.
Twint: The
move turned out to be highly productive.
A. MULE
HAAS
- 1932 27SH
PHA, 1933 30SH CHW; Omar Vizquel
(2004 CLE & 2005 SFN) and Juan Pierre
(2011 CHA & 2012 PHI) led each league in consecutive seasons.
- Led
AL SH 1930-4
- An
aging Tris Speaker was with the A’s his final season, and after Mack
benched him in 1928 for Mule, the team went on to win three consecutive AL
pennants and two World Series.
FCR - Mark
DeLodovico, Rockville, MD
Incorrect answers: Jay Bell, Max Bishop, Joe Boley, Doc Cramer,
Bing Miller, Al Simmons
SATURDAY
Q. Who
won consecutive batting titles, first as a Hoosier and then as a Tip Top?
Hint: He
was also the league stolen base, on base percentage and OPS leader with the
same teams, same years.
Hint: He
once bragged "I'll make them all forget that a guy named Ty Cobb ever
pulled on a baseball shoe."
Twint: Rather
than relegating Cobb to a distant memory, he soon found himself banned from
baseball.
A. BENNY
KAUFF
- Indianapolis
Hoosiers and then Brooklyn Tip Tops of the Federal
League where he batted .370 in 1914 and .342 in 1915.
- 75SB and
55SB, .447 and .446OBP, and .981 and .955 OPS respectively.
- SABR BIO He was quoted when
he arrived to play with the 1916 Giants.
-
Kauff was banned from baseball by Commissioner Landis prior to the 1921
season even though Kauff was never convicted or several serious charges
including receiving stolen automobiles as well as possibly being involved in
the “Black Sox” bribery scheme.
FCR - Michael
Campos, Redmond, WA
Incorrect answers: Joe Jackson, Mike Simon, Dick Sisler, Jim
Thorpe
SUNDAY
Q. Who
hit the first ever World Series home run?
Hint: It
was the only home run his team produced despite, being an 8-game series.
Hint: It
was the only World Series homer ever yielded by that pitcher.
Hint: He
also led all position players with the highest batting average for either team
in that series.
Twint: He,
like Christy Mathewson, was a Bison.
- Game 1,
1903 WS, t7 solo homer.
-1903 WS
Boston Americans topped the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3.
- Hit
off Cy
Young who went 2-1 for the series – the only World Series of his career.
- .333
BA, the closest being Chick Stahl .303 for BOS
- Both players attended Bucknell
University.
FCR - Bob
Flynn, Chandler, AZ (via Facebook)
Incorrect answers: Ginger Beaumont, Patsy Donovan, Patsy
Dougherty Shoeless Joe Jackson, Honus Wagner
SUNDAY SECONDS
Q. Who
held the record for the highest batting average by a Cardinal in the World
Series until it was smashed by Tim McCarver? (minimum 20AB)
Hint: He
continues to hold the dubious record of most consecutive at bats without a home
run.
Hint: If
not for 2 home runs hit 5 days apart, he would have gone over 4000 consecutive
regular season at bats without a home run.
Twint: He
and Chuck Klein were the first modern era Phillies to play 156 games in a
single season.
- 3347AB from
end of 1926 season until the end of his career in 1938
- Career
AB 4164, his two
homers were hit September 17th and 22nd, 1926.
-
1930
He and Klein played 156G.
FCR - Alan
Blumkin, Brooklyn, NY (via Facebook)
Incorrect answers: David Eckstein, Frankie Frisch, Joe
Garagiola, Pete Gray, Rabbit Maranville, Marty Marion, Pepper Martin, Dal
Maxvill, Red Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter, Ozzie Smith
GRAND FINALE
Q. Who
replaced “Home Run” Baker at third when he retired from playing in the majors?
Hint: In
his early career, he left the A’s and went back to his home state of
Connecticut so many times they called him “Jumping”.
Hint: During
his 7 seasons with the Yankees, he appeared in 5 World Series and earned three
rings.
Twint: After
losing the 1923 World Series, McGraw was asked by a reporter about Frisch, Ruth
and others, but saved his strongest praise for him by saying “Now young man,
you have named a great ball player.”
A. JOE
DUGAN
- Dugan
became the starting 3B for the 1923 NYY after Baker’s
final 1922 season.
- He
was “despised” by Philadelphia fans for his poor play during his rookie year,
so much so that several times he “jumped” the club to return to Connecticut,
but Connie Mack always welcomed him back.
Hence his nickname, “Jumping Joe”.
- Played for
the NYY 1922-8, WS 1922-3, 1926-28 with victories 1923, 1927-8
- SABR BIO Quote from John
McGraw after the Yankees halted the NYG two consecutive World Series titles
(1921-2) in 1923.
FCR - Tim
Doherty, Los Angeles, CA (via Facebook)
Incorrect answers: Joe Gordon, Mark
Koenig, Red Rolfe
WEEKLY THEME – Inside-the-park home runs In the World
Series
Player Date G For Vs,
First Correct Respondent to
Identify Theme – Douglas
Scher (after the Ross Youngs question)
Incorrect theme guesses:
Monday - Members of the 1937
Yankees
- Guys Wally
Pipp hates
Tuesday - Yankee
icons
Players on the rosters of the Giants and Yankees
during the 1923 World Series
Sunday - Players
who led the Federal League in a statistical category
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