MONDAY
Q. Which Hall of Fame
Giants first baseman joined Cap Anson as the only players to collect 1,300 RBI
in the 19th century?
Hint: He led the 1890
Players League in home runs during the only season of the league’s existence.
Hint: He had the most
career hits, doubles, triples, home runs and RBI for the Troy Trojans.
Hint: He is the only player
to have led the National League in triples while playing for the Trojans.
Hint: He also led the NL in
triples with the Giants four seasons later.
Hint: He
owned, managed and played for the Waterbury team in the Connecticut State
League.
- 1,322 19th century RBI (Anson had 2,076)
- 14 HR in 1890 PL
- Led NL w/ 18 3B for 1882 TRO, 20 3B for 1886 NYG
FCR - Andrew Distler, New
York, NY
Incorrect answers: Dan Brouthers, George Davis, Buck Ewing,
George Kelly, King Kelly, John J. McGraw, Sam Thompson, John Montgomery Ward
TUESDAY
Q. Which 19th century
Hall of Famer briefly joined the 1906 Tigers, playing outfield alongside fellow
Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford?
Hint: Prior to his major
league debut, his team couldn’t find a uniform large enough for him.
Hint: As a result, he split
his pants legging out a double.
Hint: He holds the record
for driving in the most teammates in a season (RBI minus HR), with 156 in 1887.
Hint: He also holds second
place on that list, with 147 teammates driven in during the 1895 season.
- 166 RBI, 10 HR in 1887
- 165 RBI, 18 HR in 1895
FCR - Paul Goodson,
Cheyenne, WY
Incorrect answers: Bob Fothergill, Hughie Jennings, Matty
McIntyre
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who is the only
player to lead the Players League in stolen bases?
Hint: He is the only player
in the top-5 for career 2B, 3B and HR in the major league American Association.
Hint: His career 144 OPS+
is tied with Hall of Famers Sam Crawford and Hack Wilson, among others.
Hint: According to
historian John Shiffert, he is the best player not yet enshrined in
Cooperstown.
Hint: He was recognized as
the 2011 SABR Overlooked 19th Century Legend.
- 97 SB in 1890 PL
- 202 2B (4th), 94 3B (4th), 76 HR (1st)
FCR - Bill Deane,
Cooperstown, NY
Incorrect answers: Buck Ewing, Billy Hamilton, Benny Kauff,
Connie Mack
IN MEMORIAM
Q. Who was the first
pitcher to reach 200 career wins without winning 20 games in a season?
Hint: Larry Stahl’s
9th-inning, 2-out, full-count walk kept him from pitching a perfect game.
Hint: He then retired Garry
Jestadt to secure the win and no-hitter.
Hint: He was part of the
package that brought Frank Robinson to Baltimore.
Hint: He was the starting
pitcher for the American League in the 1965 All-Star Game.
- 209 W, max 17 W in a season
FCR - David Girdany,
Somerset, PA
Incorrect answers: Bert Blyleven
THURSDAY
Q. Which Chicago Colts
player suffered the worst injuries when the team’s train derailed in 1893?
Hint: It was feared that he
would not be able to recover from his injuries, leading to his receipt of a
large settlement from the railroad.
Hint: The next year, he and
teammate Walt Wilmot helped fans escape when a fire broke out in the Chicago
West Side Park stands.
Hint: Among pre-expansion
players, he has the most career runs scored without being elected to the Hall
of Fame.
Hint: He ended his career
with three more runs scored than former teammate (and fellow Hall outsider)
George Van Haltren.
Hint: Non-enshrinees Pete
Rose, Rafael Palmeiro, Johnny Damon, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez have passed
him after expansion.
- Aug-1893 train derailment
- 05-Aug-1894 grandstand fire
- 1,642 R, 36th place all-time
FCR - Mike Emeigh (via
Facebook)
Incorrect answers: Bill Dahlen
THURSDAY THUNDER
Q. Who played for the
inaugural 1879 Troy Trojans team and for the New York Giants--in 1904?
Hint: Among 19th century
players, he has the highest career OPS+ (170).
Hint: He led the American
Association in batting average one year, and the National League the next.
Hint: He led the National
League, Players League and American Association in OBP.
Hint: In one of the most
lopsided trades in history, he and Willie Keeler were once traded for Billy
Shindle and George Treadway.
- 1891 AA AVG ldr, 1892 NL AVG ldr
- OBP leader 1882-83, 87 NL; 1890 PL; 1891 AA
- Brouthers/Keeler for Shindle/Treadway 01-Jan-1894
FCR - Daniel Wilson, St.
Paul, MN
Incorrect answers: Cap Anson, Joe Kelley, Jim H. O’Rourke,
Sam Thompson
FRIDAY
Q. Who is the only
player to retire with a .300+ career batting average in each of four different
major leagues?
Hint: He managed one of the
inaugural American League teams.
Hint: He holds the Players
League record for career hits and runs scored.
Hint: He coached a young
Ted Williams.
- .302 AL, .320 PL, .326 NL, .336 AA
- managed 1901 Milwaukee Brewers
- 191 H, 161 R in 1890 PL
- Red Sox coach in 1939, Williams’ debut year
FCR - Joe Haardt, McLean, VA
Incorrect answers: Willie Keeler, Duffy Lewis, Tris Speaker
SATURDAY
Q. Which Giants star
stayed with the team in 1890, rather than jump to the Players League, when
owner John Day promised to double his proposed PL salary?
Hint: He earned $4,000,
$1,500 more than his 1889 contract paid.
Hint: He was the only
pitcher to earn a (retroactively-awarded) save for the 1887 Giants.
Hint: It was his rookie
season and was the only save of his career.
Hint: Known as a quiet
gentleman on and off the field, his nickname was “Silent Mike.”
FCR - Anthony Pischke (via
Facebook)
SATURDAY SURPRISE
Q. Who is the only
player to win* both the American League and National League batting average
titles?
Hint: He was in the top-5
in doubles, triples, home runs and RBI in the National League in 1901 and in
the American League the following year.
Hint: He batted .404 for
two consecutive seasons but did not win the batting title either time.
Hint: Some sources credit
him as the only player to hit four inside-the-park home runs in one game.
- 1899 NL bat title, disputed 1902 AL bat title (some sources
credit Nap Lajoie with the title)
- 2B (1st), 3B (3rd), HR (4th), RBI (2nd) 1901 NL; 2B (1st), 3B
(3rd), HR (5th), RBI (5th) 1902 AL
- .404 for 1894-95 Phillies, finished 4th and 2nd respectively in
batting title races
- 4 IPHR 13-Jul-1896 (other sources list 2 IPHR and 2
over-the-wall HR)
FCR - Adrian Fung, Toronto,
ON
Incorrect answers: Jesse Burkett, Sam Crawford, Nap Lajoie,
Bobby Lowe, Honus Wagner
SUNDAY
Q. Who spent 19 seasons
managing Chicago major league teams, sandwiched between part-seasons as an A’s
and Giants manager?
Hint: He was the career
doubles leader for 31 years.
Hint: Only Tris Speaker has
held the title longer (91 years).
Hint: He led the league in
doubles during the National Association’s inaugural season and the National
League’s second.
- Philadelphia Athletics 2nd manager in 1879, New York Giants 2nd
manager in 1898
- Career 2B leader 1882-1912, Speaker led from 1925-
- 11 2B to lead 1871 NA & 19 2B to lead 1877 NL
FCR - Bill Deane,
Cooperstown, NY
Incorrect answers: Charlie Grimm, Rogers Hornsby
SUNDAY STUMPER
Q. Who committed the
most career errors as a second baseman?
Hint: He tied his teammate
for the league lead in saves one year after both had eclipsed the then-standing
season home run record.
Hint: He was among the first
trio of players to collect three hits in an inning.
- 857 E @ 2B
- Tied Ned Williamson for 1885 NL SV title;
in 1884 Pfeffer & Williamson both beat Harry Stovey’s single-season HR
record of 14
FCR - Dave Serota,
Kalamazoo, MI
Incorrect answers: Herman Long
THEME FOR THE WEEK - Top 10 career home run
leaders from 1902-1914, the only time in history the top 10 was unchanged for
such a stretch.
Player HRs
Connor 138
Thompson 127
Stovey 122
Ryan 118
Brouthers 106
Duffy 106
Tiernan 106
Delahanty 101
Anson 97
Pfeffer 94
Not only were the leaders unchanged but the
entire top-10 was intact in this order and at these totals from Jimmy Ryan’s
last career home run on 31-Aug-1903, until Honus Wagner tied Pfeffer for 10th
place on 26-Sep-1914.
First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme –
Nary a soul!
Incorrect theme guesses:
Tuesday - 19th
century players with over 100 career home runs
Players
who hit the most home runs in the 19th century
Wednesday - 19th
century players with multiple 20-triple seasons
First
seven players to hit 100 career home runs
Thursday - Players
with 100 home runs in the 1800s
Friday -
Saturday - Players
who hit 100 HR before 1900
Sunday - 19th
century home run leaders
19th
century category leaders
Players
who once held the record for home runs in a season
