Q. Who tied Joe
DiMaggio’s record for winning American League Most Valuable Player Awards with
the most years intervening between awards?
Hint: Some say he
saved baseball.
Hint: He was the
last player to bat in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.
- AL MVP 1983…1991 = 7 seasons between;
Joe D. 1939…1947 = 7 yrs. Between. Joe also won an additional MVP in 1941. [Note:
Walter Johnson won the Chalmers in 1913 and the AL MVP in 1924, an 11 year hiatus
even though only 3 MVPs were given in the AL in those years.
- His breaking of Lou Gehrig’s consecutive
games-played streak garnered huge public attention right after the contentious
1994-95 work stoppage.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas,
Toronto
Incorrect guesses: Carl
Yastrzemski, Robin Yount, Frank Robinson
TUESDAY
Q. Who was the
first Blue Jay to hit home runs from each side of the plate in the same game?
Hint: He is one of
only 5 players to win an LCS MVP and an All-Star Game MVP.
Hint: He and
another player are the only duo of All-Stars to be teammates on three separate
teams. (Although he was an All-Star on
every one of the three, his partner was only an All-Star on one.)
- 1992 ALCS MVP & 1998 ASG MVP.
Others to collect both awards are Mariano Rivera, Kirby Puckett, Fred
Lynn, Steve Garvey
FCR - John Martick, Knoxville
Incorrect guesses: Tony Fernandez, George Bell, Carlos Delgado
WEDNESDAY
Q. Of whom did Bill James say, “If you
split him in two, you’d have two Hall of Famers.”? [Statistically or metaphorically, we assume.]
Hint: He said he learned the foundation of his
record-setting skills in Ogden.
Hint: He got his 3,000th hit in his
Hall of Fame Teammate’s last career game.
Hint: He played for more different major league
teams that any other member of the 3,000-hit club.
- James’s quote has yet to be disproven.
- Under former Giants/Pirates standout shortstop
as his manager, Henderson stole 44 bases for the Ogden A’s of the PCL and became a game-ready major leaguer.
- With the SDP on 07-Oct-2001, Henderson collected his 3,000th
hit. It was Tony Gwynn’s 2,440th …and
last major league game.
- He played for OAK (4X), NYY, TOR, SDP (2X),
ANA, NYM, SEA, BOS & LAD
FCR - Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia
Incorrect
guesses: Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield,
Paul Molitor, Babe Ruth
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. What Hall of Fame batter recorded 19
consecutive seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, all with the same
major league team?
Hint: His career batting average against pitching
legend Greg Maddux is an impressive .415.
Hint: His career batting average ranks him among
the greats, just behind Lou Gehrig, but he did it in a time when offense
dominated the game.
Hint: He got his 2,000th and his 3,000th
hits on his mother's birthday, 6 years apart.
- Hit .300+ 1983-2001
- Career avg is .338, tied for 18th
all-time.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Eddie Murray
THURSDAY
Q. What feisty hurler was the last pitcher
to win a sub-2.00 ERA title in each league?
Hint: “Feisty” is surely an understatement. He once said, “Wake up the damn Bambino and
have me face him. Maybe I’ll drill him
in the ass!”
Hint: About his fellow moundsmen, he surmised, “I
think there are people who don’t do so well at basketball and they think, ‘Let
me try pitching.’ There are a lot of
them.”
Hint: Then there’s this priceless gem: “Georgie Porgie, he might have enough money
to buy the whole damn league, but he doesn’t have enough money to buy fear to
put in my heart.”
Hint: An opponent, a slugger who had won an MVP, quipped,
“If you lean over the plate, he’ll stick one up your nose!”
FCR - Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland
Incorrect
guesses: Roger Clemens, Rich Gossage,
Randy Johnson, Don Sutton
FRIDAY
Q. Who is the only player to record over
500 putouts as a pitcher in the majors.
Hint: He’s also the only one to record over 400.
Hint: No pitcher ever recorded more games started
in National League history than he.
Hint: For 17 straight seasons, he won at least 15
games in each. (He won 14 in the 18th
year.)
Hint: Midway through his career, he summed up his
pitching philosophy thus: “The best
pitch in baseball is a located fastball. That will always be the best pitch. You can
set up everything you want off that.”
- 546 Career PO.
The next 3, clamoring for the silver, are Kevin Brown w/388, Jack Morris
w/387 & Phil Niekro w/386.
- Started 740 G in the NL.
- Won 15+ G 1988-2006
FCR - Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect
guesses: Christy Mathewson, Warren Spahn,
Jim Kaat, Pete Alexander, Nolan Ryan, Cy Young
SATURDAY
Q. Who is the only pitcher to strike out
300 batters while playing for two teams in the same season?
Hint: Only he was able to lead the American
League in strikeouts four consecutive seasons, then do the same thing in the
National League.
Hint: To provide further symmetry, he, as a
batter, hit the same number of home runs as were hit off him by pitchers.
Hint: Synching yet with destiny, his 300th
strikeout of the season one year was the 3rd strikeout of an
Immaculate Inning.
Hint: Some viewers thought his fastball was
lethal. At least one observer was able to
validate that hypothesis.
- 1998:
213 K w/SEA + 116 K w/HOU = 329 [Most in the majors, but he led neither league.]
- Led the AL in Ks 1992-95 w/SEA; Led the NL 1999-2002
w/ARI
- Hit his only home run off 19-Sep-2003 off Doug
Davis of MIL. He surrendered only one
home run to a pitcher, Yovani
Gallardo on 08-Apr-2009
in San Francisco.
- An Immaculate Inning is 9 consecutive strikes thrown by
a pitcher to complete a half inning. Johnson got Ks #298, 299 & 300 on 23-Aug-2001
in the 6th inning striking out Tony McKnight, Gary Matthews &
Jack Wilson.
- It was a dove, not a seagull. View here. For Seagull, see Winfield, Dave.
FCR - Naftali Greenwood, Kiryat, Arba, ISRAEL
Incorrect
guesses: Carl Mays, Nolan Ryan, Vida
Blue
SUNDAY
Q. What pitcher’s first season with his new
team was sweetened when his teammate/brother got a hit?
Hint: SABR gathered to celebrate his uniform
number being retired.
Hint: Only Mike Hampton won more Silver Slugger
Awards than he did.
- Brother Mike
played with the Mets for 6 games in 2003 and got his only hit on 28-Sep
in his final at-bat in the majors.
- Number 47 retired by ATL on a rainy night 06-Aug-2010. Unintentionally coincided with SABR’s 40th
convention, held that year in Atlanta.
- SS won in 91, 95, 96 & 98. Hampton had 5.
FCR - David Ramsden, Barcelona
Incorrect
guesses: Don Drysdale, Ken Brett, Wes
Ferrell
WEEKLY THEME – Hall of
Famers who received 500 or more votes for their election.
H of F’er......... Votes...... Year........... Percent
Maddux.......... 555.......... 2014.......... 97.20%
Ripken............ 537.......... 2007.......... 98.50%
Johnson......... 534.......... 2015.......... 97.30%
Gwynn............ 532.......... 2007.......... 97.60%
Glavine........... 525.......... 2014.......... 91.90%
Alomar............ 523.......... 2011.......... 90.00%
Henderson..... 511.......... 2009.......... 94.80%
Martinez......... 500.......... 2015.......... 91.10%
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – No one.
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Shortstops who hit 400+ career home runs
-
Wed - Hall
of Famers who played in the 1990 All Star Game.
- Or
1991.
- Or
both.
Thurs. - All-Stars
who at one point in their careers were on the same team as their brother(s)
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