Sunday, March 13, 2016

March 7-13, 2016 Batters who hit a walk-off home run off legendary closer Trevor Hoffman

MONDAY
Q. What former batting champion had attended the same university as his Hall of Fame cousin?
Hint: His teammate Joe Carter convinced him of the superiority of maple bats.
Hint: He hit the first ever home run into McCovey Cove.
- He and Reggie Jackson attended Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona
- Was a teammate of Carter on the 1998 Giants
FCR - Joe Matocha, Meriden, CT
Incorrect answers:  Tony Gwynn, Sandy Alomar, Jr., Roberto Alomar, Todd Hundley, Gary Sheffield,

TUESDAY
Q. Who was the first major leaguer to hit 20 home runs in a calendar month?
Hint: He once sat next to Hillary Clinton for the State of the Union Address.
Hint: Before this batter did it, Ted Williams was the last player to collect a combined 300 runs plus RBI in a season.
Hint: If someone asks you if he died, make sure you have the spelling right before you answer.
- 20 HR in July 1998
- Sat next to Mrs. Clinton when she was First Lady for the State of the Union speech 20-Jan-1999.
- Sosa had 149 R + 160 RBI in 2001;  Williams had 150 R + 159 RBI in 1949.
- Sosa did dye, (has not died) to turn his skin a lighter shade.
FCR - Adrian Fung, Toronto, ON
Incorrect answers:  Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez

WEDNESDAY
Q. What Hall of Famer is the only Los Angeles Dodger to hit .350 or better for a season? (500 AB min.)
Hint: He was the first regular-season DH in Dodgers history.
hint: He was the first post-expansion NL rookie to have a 100-RBI season.
Hint: One year he hit three (3!) grand-slam home runs before the calendar turned over to May.
- Hit .362 in 1997
- DH’ed 15-Jun-1997 vs. SEA, going 1-for-4 then switched to catcher for the 9th inning
- Had 112 RBI in 1993, his rookie season.  Was voted NL Rookie of the Year.
FCR - Jeff Fink, Howell, NJ
Incorrect answers:  Tommy Davis, Willie Davis, Steve Garvey, Adrian Gonzalez

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Who tied Gene Tenace to co-hold a very special World Series record—one that you only get one chance at?
Hint: Very few people argue that he didn’t deserve his 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards.
Hint: He bears some physical evidence of the times he spent hunting with his father.
Hint: His walk-up song was not exactly family-friendly.
- Hit home runs in his first two World Series at-bats, game 1, 1996; Tenace did in in game 1, 1972.
- GG’s 1998-2007
- Iguana bites on his chest
FCR - Bruce Didriksen, Park Ridge, NJ
Incorrect answers:  Jason Kendall, Mike Schmidt, Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez, Johnny Bench, Brooks Robinson

THURSDAY
Q. Who was the first Rockies player to lead the majors in runs batted in?
Hint: That same season he was also the first from the team to lead his league in homers.
Hint: If not for two future Hall of Famers, he would have won the triple crown.
Hint: Oh yes.  He also led the league that season in hits, slugging percent, and total bases.
- 1995 128 RBI
- 1995   40 HR
- Gwynn took the BA title with .368, Piazza NL 2nd at .346, while Dante hit .340
- 197 H led the majors.  .620 SLG and 359 TB led the NL.
FCR - Mike Caragliano, Flushing, NY
Incorrect answers:  Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Todd Helton, Matt Holliday, Vinnie Castillo, Luis Gonzalez

FRIDAY
Q. Who is the most recent Yankee to hit a pinch-hit grand slam?
Hint: He was the last Red Sox player to homer in a World Series.
Hint: It was the only World Series homer of his career.
Hint: He only once hit for the cycle, but that same day another player hit for the first of three in his career.
Hint: It was the first time in 88 years that two players hit for the cycle the same day.
- t7 against Tommy Hunter in 6-5 win over BAL 13-Apr-2015
- 2013 WS Game 6, b4, solo shot, BOS take Series 4-2 over STL
- He and Adrian Beltre hit for the cycle 01-Sep-2008.  Beltre went on to hit two more.
- Last two players to do so were George Burns and Bobby Veach 17-Sep-1920
FCR - Mike McCroskey, Sugar Land, TX
Incorrect answers:  Jacoby Ellsbury, Johnny Damon, Aaron Boone

SATURDAY
Q. Who was the clear front-runner to be the Rookie of the Year before he fell down the stairs?
Hint: He began his rookie season with a walkoff home run - the first Rockies rookie to do so.
Hint: He managed to stick around long enough to win Rookie of the Month.
Hint: He was only the third player in MLB history to hit over .400 for March/April.
- He fell and broke his collarbone while carrying deer meat up a flight of stairs.  The venison was a gift from his All-Star teammate, Todd Helton.  Barmes lied about it at first, thinking he was protecting Helton.
- He went 4 for 6 including the game ender 04-Apr-2005.
- Willie Randolph (1980) and Andres Galarraga (1986) were the other two.
FCR - Timothy Kearns, Washington, DC
Incorrect answers:  Mike Lansing, Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Troy Tulowitzki

SUNDAY
Q. Whose biggest career accomplishment is the reason he’s on this week’s list?
Hint: He wasn’t signed by the Rockies in their original expansion draft, but played 107 games for them over the course of their first two seasons.
Hint: He played in the Mexican League for two season.
Hint: He played for and succeeded Bill Madlock.
Hint: He grew up in Syracuse (not Greece) and went to Liverpool (not England).
Hint: They let him go in Kannapolis, possibly because he wasn’t intimidating enough.
- To fit in this week’s theme, one must have hit a walk-off home run against venerable closer Trevor Hoffman.
- Played for COL 1993 & 1994
- Played for the Yucatan Lions in 2002 and the Cordoba Coffee Lovers in 2003.
-  Jones’s stint was with the Bears of the independent Atlantic League where he played for, then succeeded Bill Madlock as manager.
- Attended Liverpool High School in Syracuse, New York.
- Managed the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators in for the 2007 season and began as their manager in 2008, but was replaced by Nick Capra 27-July that year.
FCR - Bob Fknn, Chandler, AZ
Incorrect answers:  Vinny Castilla, Troy Tulowitzki, Todd Helton, Charlie Hayes


THEME FOR THE WEEK - Batters who hit walk-off home runs off closer Trevor Hoffman

Batter Walk-off

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one

Incorrect theme guesses:
Monday   - Players who hit at least .300 in a full season after their 40th birthday

Tuesday - 500 plus homers but not in the hof
- Players with 60 HR in a season

Sunday - Rockies All-Stars

 





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