Sunday, August 7, 2016

August 2-7, 2016 Pitchers who wore single-digit uniforms

02-Aug-2016


TUESDAY
Q. Who is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day?
Hint: He was so good so early that he actually had to interrupt his major league career to finish high school.
Hint: That graduation  ceremony was broadcast live nation-wide.
Hint: He never changed franchises, sometimes suffering through dismal seasons, sometimes playing on the best squad in the league.
- No-hitter 16-Apr-1940, a 1-0 W over CHW; Walked 5, struck out 8
- After 2 appearances in his sophomore season, 1937, returned to Van Meter High School in May for the graduation ceremony.
- Graduation proceedings were carried live by CBS Radio.
- Played for CLE 1936-41, 1945-56.  They won AL pennants in ‘48 & ‘54, winning it all in 1948
FCR - Michael Green, Las Vegas, NV
Incorrect answers:  Nolan Ryan, Jack Morris, Johnny Vander Meer, Sandy Koufax, Mel Parnell


WEDNESDAY
Q. Who was the first pitcher to throw a perfect game for the Yankees in the regular season?
Hint: His 100th career victory was also his 2nd career shutout and the same game where he notched his 1,000th career strikeout.
Hint: He was the winning pitcher in Joe Torre’s 1,000th career managerial victory.
Hint: He also played for managers who hold positions 6, 16, 30, 32, 58, 70, 71 & 91 on the all-time managerial wins list.
Hint: His 1994 Stadium Club baseball card showcased an upper-arm tattoo.
- Perfecto 17-May-1998, 4-0 over MIN; Struck out 11
- Round numbers game 19-Jul-1997.  Australian David Nilsson was the 1,000th K.
- Torre won 2,326 in all, good forth 5th all-time.
- Appears to be a generic, old-fashioned child, circa 3 years old
FCR - Fernando Pineres, Washington, DC
Incorrect answers:  Dave Righetti, David Cone, A.J. Burnett, Allie Reynolds, Kenny Rogers, Dizzy Dean, Lefty Gomez


MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Which Hall of Famer fired the first no-hitter under the lights in American League history?
Hint: He trails only Wes Ferrell for career home runs by a pitcher with 37.
Hint: He surrendered one of history’s more famous pinch-home runs.
Hint: His Hollywood movie career included a spot in a Ronald Reagan film.
- No-hitter 30-Jun-1948; 1 BB, 1 K; in Detroit’s Briggs Stadium.  Lights had been installed only 2 weeks earlier.
- Doesn’t trail Ferrell by much--one homer.
- Gave up HR to Dusty Rhodes in G 1 of the 1954 WS.  It was of the ‘walk-off’ variety, the first game of a 4-game sweep.  (Willie Mays’s catch didn’t hurt.)
- That Winning Team, 1952; Reagan played the lead:  Grover Cleveland Alexander.  Lemon played Hall of Famer Jesse Haines.
FCR - Tom Missett, Southington, CT
Incorrect answers:  Johnny Vander Meer, Red Ruffing, Jim Bunning, Earl Wilson


THURSDAY
Q. Who quit his major league team after two games to return to Norway?
Hint: The team that owned his rights continued to send him contracts to sign for nearly a decade.  They were all returned unsigned.
Hint: His father, a native of Norway, was the first rookie to have 140+ RBI in a season in  the major leagues.
Hint: Under his father’s guidance he rose through the  minors as a first baseman until sidelined two different times in collisions at first base.
Hint: He pitched a no-hitter in the second game of a double-header and was promoted from A ball to AAA Indianapolis.
A. HAL TROSKY (Jr.)
- Family lived in Norway, Iowa.
- Father was Hal Trosky, same name, and had 142 RBI as a rookie in 1934 w/CLE.
- No-hitter was on Fathers’ Day 1958, June 15 pitching for Colorado Springs, shutting down Des Moines.
- His only pitching decision in the majors was a victory:  28-Sep-1958
FCR - Dave Serota, Kalamazoo, MI
Incorrect answers:  Curt Flood, Jimmy Wiggs, Moe Drabowsky, Mike Boddicker


FRIDAY
Q. Who is the only qualifying pitcher with a season sub-2.00 ERA in the 1950’s?
Hint: "That little so-and-so is a marvel," Joe DiMaggio once said after facing him. "So little — and all that speed!”
Hint: His World Series victory one year made possible one of the most dramatic finishes in postseason history.
Hint: Inexplicably, light-hitting pitcher Ellis Kinder hit his sole career home run off him.
Hint: It was a grand slam that came in a lop-sided 9-2 loss with Kinder, the winning pitcher, going all the way.
- 1955 ERA = 1.97
- Won game 6 of the 1962 World Series for the Giants 15-Oct-1962.
- Kinder’s HR = 06-Aug-1950 (Anniversary tomorrow!)
FCR - Jim Lovelace, Kent, OH
Incorrect answers:  Bobby Shantz, Herb Score, Whitey Ford, Elroy Face, Don Drysdale


RIO GAMES SPECIAL
Q. Who surrendered the first grand slam in All-Star history?
Hint: His mother is Japanese; his father German.
Hint: His son-in-law is an active major leaguer.
Hint: He is a double-unique.
- In the 1983 AS G, had a terrible showing.  Gave up 7 earned runs in ⅔ of an inning, including the grand slam to Fred Lynn in the 3rd.
- His father had many different military postings when Atlee was growing up.
- Yan Gomes the Brazilian-born, Silver Slugger-winning catcher for the Indians, married his daughter Jenna.
- Click here for the current Double-Unique => list:   [Still a work in progress.]
FCR - Paul Vastola, Fanwood, NJ
Incorrect answers:  Fred Lynn, Floyd Bannister


SATURDAY
Q. What All-Star pitcher did Hall of Fame owner Clark Griffith sign 5 separate times, in part because he was Griffith's favorite pinochle partner?
Hint: He owns the highest-ever season ERA for a pitcher who won 20 games that year.
Hint: In all, pitched 20 years in the majors, making 17 stops in the big leagues with 9 different clubs.
Hint: He was on a Hall of Fame ballot 13 different times, but never did he receive so much as a double-figure percentage of the vote.
- 1938 he had 20 W and an ERA of 5.08
- Newsom’s major league career, by franchise:
WSH (8 yrs)
PHA (5 yrs)
SLB (5 yrs)
BRO (4 yrs)
DET (3 yrs)
NYG (1 yr)
BOS (1 yr)
CHC (1 yr)
NYY (1 yr)
AL (16 yrs)
NL (6 yrs)
- Newsom’s vote received for Hall of Fame candidacy:
1960 BBWAA ( 2.2%)
1962 BBWAA ( 1.9%)
1964 BBWAA ( 8.5%)
1964 Run Off ( 0.5%)
1966 BBWAA ( 8.3%)
1967 BBWAA ( 6.5%)
1967 Run Off ( 2.0%)
1968 BBWAA ( 7.8%)
1969 BBWAA ( 9.4%)
1970 BBWAA ( 4.0%)
1971 BBWAA ( 4.7%)
1972 BBWAA ( 7.8%)
1973 BBWAA ( 8.7%)
FCR - Kevin Warren, Briarcliff Manor, NY
Incorrect answers:  Jim Kaat, Chuck Stobbs, Dutch Leonard , Firpo Marbury, Joe Pepitone


SUNDAY
Q. Who was the only non-Hall of Famer involved in turning the New York Yankees’ final triple  play of the 20th century?
Hint: Much of how he is now remembered came from his mention in one of the 20th century’s most widely-read baseball books.
Hint: His opportunity to don the prestigious title of double-unique was prevented by a 29-year-old rookie catcher whose single game in the bigs was for the Red Sox.
Hint: His brothers Alfred and Larry were minor league pitchers.
- A 1-5-3 TP turned by Womack with Mickey Mantle and Bobby Cox 03-Jun-1968.
-  Was traded by HOU with Roric Harrison to SEP for Jim Bouton.  Bouton mocked the value of the players he was being traded for, with comments two years later in the pages of his seminal  baseball manifesto, “Ball Four”.  Jim Bouton lampooned the trade with, “Dooley Womack?  THE Dooley Womack?!””
- The majors’ first Womack was Sid, whose one game saw him go 0 for 3.
- His brothers Alfred and Larry were minor league pitchers.
FCR - Rich Klein, Plano, TX
Incorrect answers:  Bobby Richardson, Jorge Posada


THEME FOR THE WEEK - Select pitchers who, in the majors, wore a uniform with a single digit.  There were many others.  We hand-picked these few for your delectation.


PITCHER
No.
TEAM
YEARS
G
9
1936
14
7
1985
29
6
1946
36
8
1942-43
28
5
1945
5
3
1958
2
3
2005
38
3
1970
2


First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Carl Morton, Vernal, UT (After Lemon)


Incorrect theme guesses:
Friday   - Theme is pitchers who gave up grand slams
 


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