Sunday, November 12, 2017

2017-11-06 Players who hit 5 Grand Slams in one season

MONDAY/TUESDAY
Q.        Who is the only major league All-Star ever to attend the University of Chicago?
Hint:     When he was young, his father, and 8-year professional ball player himself, had to pay his son just to play catch.
Hint:     As an adult, he reflected on his teenage years, saying, “I thought talking to human beings was just something that could make things complicated and unpleasant.  So I didn’t talk much.  I just watched people.”
A.         ERNIE BANKS
-  AS 11 times between 1955 & 1969; University of Chicago alum
FCR -  Daniel Wilson, St. Paul
Incorrect guesses:  Roy Henshaw, Charlie Gehringer, Curtis Granderson

IN MEMORIAM
Q.        Who was the first LDS pitcher to win an LDS game in the National League?
Hint:     He joined a very elite “club” by winning a Cy Young Award in each league.
Hint:     One of his former teams, the Philadelphia Phillies called him, “…one of the most respected human beings ever to play the game.”
Hint:     He was elected to his third All-Star team (of 8 overall) but did not play because a line drive which broke his leg four days earlier.
Hint:     Ten times in his 16-year MOB career his win total was in double figures.  Only thrice did that happen in the loss column.
Hint:     Twenty-three times have perfect games been pitched.  His was the 20th, making him the only pitcher in history with a no-hitter in the regular season and the playoffs.
A.         ROY HALLADAY Obit
-  He was a member of the Mormon Church, full name:  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or “LDS”.  Not only won the first League Division Series game he ever pitched, but he threw baseball postseason’s second ever no-hit game on 06-Oct-2010.  [Note:  Jaret Wright was the first Mormon pitcher to win an LDS game 02-Oct-1997 and did it in the AL.]
-  Winners of a CYA in each league are:
Pitcher                    American League    National League
Gaylord Perry         1972 w/CLE            1978 w/SDP
Pedro Martinez       1999 w/BOS           1997 w/MTL
Randy Johnson      1995 w/SEA           1999 w/ARI
Roger Clemens      1986 w/BOS           2004 w/HOU
Halladay                 2003 w/TOR           2010 w/PHI
Max Scherzer         2013 w/DET           2016 w/WSN
[Martinez, Johnson & Clemens won the award additional times.]

-  Line drive by Texas’ Kevin Mench on 08-Jul-2005 broke Halladay’s tibia in the 3rd inning.
-  Perfect game 29-May-2010
FCR -  Frank Stephenson, Rome, Georgia
Incorrect guesses:  Dennis Martinez, Jim Bunning

WEDNESDAY
Q.        In a poll of New York Yankee fans in the 1990s, who was chosen and the greatest Yankee first baseman of all time?
Hint:     No one has ever had more at-bats in a season without stealing a base.
Hint:     Nor did he even attempt one.
Hint:     He owned one of baseball’s better mullets.
A.         DON MATTINGLY
-  Apparently those taking the poll had forgotten about Nick Etten.
-  1986:  677 AB, 0 SB, 0 CS (2 Orioles tie for 2nd place on that list.  Cal Ripken in 1983 and J.J. Hardy in 2012 each had 663 AB w/0 SB.)
Mullet worn in 1991 season.
FCR -  Tom Brodkin, Lake of the Woods, Virginia
Incorrect guesses:  Jason Giambi, Joe Pepitone, Lou Gehrig, Norm Siebern, Hal Chase, Tino Martinez, Chris Chambliss

THURSDAY
Q.        Whose 46 home runs one season went practically unnoticed even though it was not only his career high, but the most anyone had ever hit in the history of his franchise?
Hint:     It was 7 more than the next highest season total by a batter in the 60+ years the team had been in existence a d that total had been decades earlier.
Hint:     He had gone on a winter tour to Japan with the Dodgers in 1956 and later returned in 1969 to play for the Buffaloes.
Hint:     He was not recognized as having led the American League in RBI in his best season until almost 60 years after the fact.
A.         JIM GENTILE
-  He hit his 46 HRs in 1961 when everyone was focused on Mantle and Maris making a run at Babe Ruth’s previously impregnable 60.  Harmon Killebrew also hit 46 that year in the AL with perhaps even LESS public acclaim.
-  Scrawny Ken Williams hit 39 HR in 1922 for SLB.
-  In 2010, researchers from SABR found an error in the game records from the 1961 season; an extra RBI had been credited to Roger Maris, on a run which had in fact scored on an error, reducing Maris' total 141, dropping him into a tie with Gentile for the lead.
FCR -  Rich Klein, Plano, Texas
Incorrect guesses:  Frank Howard, Norm Cash, Nelson Cruz

FRIDAY
Q.        Among active players, who has hit into the most career double plays?
Hint:     From the start of his career in the majors, he didn’t fail to hit 30 home runs a season until his 14th year.
Hint:     He has averaged 28 homers per season since the streak ended.
Hint:     He hit a grand slam and turned an unassisted triple play in his first college game.
A.         ALBERT PUJOLS
-  362 GIPD.  His 26 led the majors in 2017 and catapulted him past Cal Ripken’s career 350 into first place all-time.
-  30 HR average 2001-2012 with a total of 475 during that period.
-  Attended and played for Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City.  This feat was in his FIRST game!
FCR -  Mark Lewers, Blacksburg, Virginia
Incorrect guesses:  Miguel Cabrera, Willie McCovey, Jim Thome

SATURDAY
Q.        What former Tiger had a candy bar named for him the season he led his league in slugging for the Indians?
Hint:     He had been voted MVP of the Junior College NCAA D-1 World Series.
Hint:     Around his major league teammates, he was known to wear a T-shirt announcing, “I’m not very smart, but I can lift heavy things.”
Hint:     When he hit for the cycle, he was the first Indian to do it in 25 years.
A.         TRAVIS HAFNER
-  Considered a project my management when he first came to the majors and sometimes called a donkey by teammates, those morphed into “Pronk”, a nickname Hafner never found offensive.  Pronk Bar; SLG .659 in 2006.
-  Led the Tigers of Cowley Community College  of Arkansas City, Kansas to the NJCAA WS title in 1997.  They won again in 1998, even though Hafner had turned pro.
-  Self-deprecating T-shirt was only half true.
-Cycle 14-Aug-2003; Andre Thornton’s cycle was 22-Apr-1978
FCR -  Larry Hayes, San Francisco
Incorrect guesses:  Rocky Colavito, Asdrubal Cabrera, Albert Belle, Odell Hale, Earl Averill, Jim Thome

SUNDAY
Q.        Who was the first Milwaukee Brewer to appear in the All-Star Home Run Derby twice?
Hint:     Only Randy Johnson made the pin stripes appear longer.
Hint:     He twice tied the Brewers’ franchise record for home runs in a season.
Hint:     He now coaches high school baseball in his native state.
A.         RICHIE SEXSON
-  HRD 2002 & 2003.  Totaled 10 HRs in ’02 w/rounds of 6 & 4, but was out quickly in ’03 w/a solitary shot in the first round.
-  Played for NYY 2008, his last MLB season.  He was 6’7” compared to Johnson’s 6’10”, who pitched for NYY 2005 & 2006       .
-  45 HR in 2001 & 2003, tying Gorman Thomas’ 45 in 1979.  Price Fielder is the current record holder.
Coaches now at Summit High School in Bend, Oregon.
FCR -  Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia
Incorrect guesses:  Prince Fielder, Greg Vaughn, Corey Hart, Gorman Thomas, Rob Deer


WEEKLY THEME – Players with 5 grand slams in a season

Slammer       Year       For           Date            Off                         WL
Banks......... 1955...... CHC...... 11-May........ Russ Meyer............. W
                                                    17-Jul          Ron Negray              L
                                                   02-Aug         Dick Littlefield           W
                                                   19-Sep         Lindy McDaniel        L

Gentile........ 1961...... BAL....... 09-May........ Pedro Ramos.......... W
                                                        "              Paul Giel                  "
                                                    02-Jul          Phil Regan               W
                                                    07-Jul          Ed Rakow                W
                                                   22-Sep         Don Larsen              W

Hafner......... 2006...... CLE....... 01-May........ Brandon McCarthy.. L
                                                    03-Jun         Brendon Donnelly    W
                                                    01-Jul          Joe Mays                 W
                                                    07-Jul          Kris Benson             W
                                                    08-13          Luke Hudson            W

Pujols......... 2009...... STL........ 11-Apr......... Roy Oswalt............. W
                                                    25-Apr          David Patton            W
                                                    21-Jun         Gil Meche                 W
                                                    03-Jul          David Weathers       W
                                                   04-Aug         Sean Green             W

Mattingly...... 1987...... NYY...... 14-May........ Mike Mason............ W
                                                    29-Jun         John Cerutti             W
                                                    10-Jul          Joel McKeon            W
                                                    16-Jul          Charlie Hough          W
                                                   25-Sep         Jose Mesa               W
                                                   29-Sep         Bruce Hurst              W

Sexson........ 2006...... SEA....... 12-Apr......... Danny Graves......... W
                                                   22-May         Eric Bedard              W
                                                    10-Jun         John Lackey             W
                                                   08-Aug         Seth McClung          W
                                                   08-Sep         Rick Bauer               W


First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemeMike Caragliano, Flushing, NY (after Gentile)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Thurs      -  Hitters who led in RBIs only one time but with 140 or more RBIs

Fri           -  All Stars who never made a fall Classic









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