Q. Who was the
first pitcher to accumulate 3,000 career strikeouts?
Hint: The first
time an American League batter homered in his first career at bat, it was this
guy who surrendered it.
Hint: Legendary
ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian graduated from the high school named for
this pitcher.
A. WALTER JOHNSON [SABR
Bio]
- Johnson’s 3,000th
K was future fellow Hall-of-Fame-pitcher-to-be Stan Coveleski of the Cleveland
Indians on 22-Jul-1923. Closest career K total at the time was the
2,803 owned by Cy Young. Johnson
finished w/3,509 in an era when strikeouts were rarer and disdained. His total is now 9th on the
all-time list, just behind that of Gaylord Perry.
- 21-year-old St.
Louis Brown second baseman Tom Stuart hit an inside-the-park
homer off Johnson 08-Aug-1921. It was Stuart’s only HR in the majors, in
fact it was his only hit in the
majors.
- Kurkjian graduated from Walter
Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland in 1974.
FCR - Charlie
Riordan, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Cy
Young, Christy Mathewson
MONDAY BONUS
Q. Whose record
for highest percentage Hall of Fame votes did Ken Griffey, Jr. break?
Hint: His record of
striking out 200 or more batters in each of nine consecutive seasons remains
unmatched.
Hint: His record
of striking out ten consecutive batters in a game is equally uniquely his.
A. TOM SEAVER [SABR
Bio]
- Seaver garnered
98.84% of the vote in 1992. Griffey came
in hot with 99.32% in 2016. The current
record won’t be broken.
- 200+ K 1968-1975. In 5 of those seasons he led the league.
- On 22-Apr-1970, he threw a two-hitter
against SDP for a 2-1 win. He fanned 19 of the 31 batters he faced, including
the last 10 in a row. Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez and reliever Heath
Hembree combined to strike out 11 straight 25-Sep-2016.
FCR - Victor
Piacentile, Yorktown Heights, New York
Incorrect guesses: Nolan
Ryan, Steve Carlton, Greg Maddux
TUESDAY
Q. Before Alex
Rodriguez did it in 2007, who had been the last New York Yankee to drive in 150
runs in a season?
Hint: His uniform
was the first of that number to be retired.
Hint: The
Sporting News wrote, “… fans regard him as the Moses who is to lead their
club out of the second-place wilderness.”
A. JOE DiMAGGIO [SABR
Bio]
- 155 RBI in 1948 to lead the majors by almost
20. It was his 2nd-best RBI
year.
- His #5 was retired on 18-Apr-1952, the Yankee home opener that year
- Quote is by Dan Daniel in the March 26 edition
of TSN, during DiMaggio’s rookie
spring training camp. The prior season,
1935, he had hit .398 w/34 HR & 154 RBI in San Francisco in the PCL.
FCR - Barry Lipinski, Somerset, New Jersey
Incorrect guesses: Lou Gehrig, Don Mattingly, Babe Ruth, Bill
Dickey, Thurman Munson
TUESDAY BONUS
Q. Whose record for most home runs in the
month of April did Albert Pujols break?
Hint: He was the last player to collect eight RBI
in a game in the 20th century.
Hint: He admitted to a failed suicide attempt
shortly after his professional career began.
A. KEN GRIFFEY,
Jr. [SABR Bio]
- Griffey hit 13 in April 1997; Pujols had 14 in
2006 and was tied in 2007 by A‑Rod.
- 8 RBI = 08-Jul-2000
- Ingested 277 aspirin (by his own count) in 1988.
FCR - Stephen Klatsky, Washington DC
Incorrect
guesses: David Ortiz, Jimmy Piersall,
Juan Gonzalez, Rudy York, Pedro Guerrero
WEDNESDAY
Q. For whom was the arcane “HERE” ensign
hoisted?
Hint: The Texas native was the youngest of 10
children.
Hint: He was arrested during the same season he
led his team to their first pennant in over two decades.
A. FRANK
ROBINSON [SABR Bio]
- An orange flag with simply the word HERE in black, block letters, was planted at the exact
location where Robinson’s towing home run landed beyond the confines of
Baltimore’s old Veterans Memorial Stadium.
It was the only documented home run to leave the stadium in its
- He was born in Beaumont, Texas but the family
moved to Oakland, California when he was very young.
- In 1961, he was arrested for carrying a
firearm without a permit. The matter was
settled when he apologized and paid a $250.00 fine.
FCR - David Umansky, Washington, DC
Incorrect guesses: Adam Dunn, Ferguson Jenkins, Clay Bucholtz
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Which slugger amassed an unprecedented
1,296 MVP votes over 9 major league seasons without ever winning the award?
Hint: Five consecutive seasons he finished in the
top five, including second place twice.
Hint: He is the only player to get his 3,000th
career hit the same season he played in the World Series.
Hint: He holds another unusual record: He had the longest stretch between the first
and last times he hit home runs from each side of the plate in the same game.
A. EDDIE MURRAY
- Received MVP votes 1978-85, 1990.
- From 1981 through 1985, he finished 5th,
2nd, 2nd, 4th & 5th
respectively then 5th again in 1990.
- 3,000th H 30-Jun-1995 for CLE; 1995 WS CLE vs. ATL
- A span of 16 years, 8 months & 18 days,
from 03-Aug-1977 to 21-Apr-1994.
FCR - Charlie Fouche, Dalton, Georgia
Incorrect
guesses: Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor
THURSDAY
Q. What Hall of Famer was forced into an
early retirement because of arthritis?
Hint: Only three other right-handed batters have
a higher career batting average.
Hint: The year Babe Ruth had an otherworldly 230
OPS+, over 450 total bases and a slugging percentage of almost .850, he still would have needed 34 more hits just
to beat this guy in that category.
Hint: He grew up less than 4 blocks from what is
now Oracle Park (formerly AT&T Park; previously SBC Park; nee Pacific Bell
Park).
A. HARRY
HEILMANN [SABR Bio]
- Retired in 1930 at age 35 because of the pain
in his wrists, but did come back two years later for 15 G w/CIN
- Heilmann hit .342 (.3416 rounded up) over his
17-year career. Righties above him are
Hornsby [.356], Delahanty [.349] and Dave Orr [.3420]
- In 1921 Ruth had 204 H, but Heilmann led the
AL and M:B
- Heilmann lived with his family at 708A Brannan
Street in what is now the South of
Market district
of San Francisco.
FCR - Michael McCroskey, Sugar Land, Texas
Incorrect
guesses: Jeff Bagwell, Rogers Hornsby,
Joe DiMaggio, Sandy Koufax, Al Simmons, George Sisler
THURSDAY BONUS
Q. In the modern era, what fleet first
baseman led the majors in stolen bases twice before Ty Cobb did even once?
Hint: He was the best player on the best team of
the first decade of the last century and accomplished most of it while also
managing the team.
Hint: Those familiar with his even temperament
might be surprised to know that he was an accomplished boxer during the
off-season.
A. FRANK CHANCE [SABR Bio]
- 67 SB in 1903 & 57
SB in 1906.. No first baseman has ever stolen more in a single year. [Cobb’s 1st was 1909.]
- He was 1st or 2nd in WAR
on the Cubs every year 1903-1906
- James J. Corbett and John L. Sullivan, among the best fighters of the era,
both considered Chance “the greatest amateur brawler of all time.”
FCR - Creg Stephenson, Theodore, Alabama
Incorrect guesses: Cap Anson, Fred Clarke, Bob Bescher, Hal
Chase, John McGraw
FRIDAY
Q. What Hall of Famer wore uniform #21 for
the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Hint: He was the first player to hit two home
runs in one All-Star game.
Hint: He was a high school classmate of Richard
Nixon.
Hint: His nephew Sparky played briefly in the
majors.
A. ARKY VAUGHN [SABR Bio]
- Wore #2 1932-39
- 2 AS HR 08-Jul-1941, 7th & 8th innings
off Sid Hudson & Eddie Smith. Vaughn
has since been joined by Ted Williams (1946), Al Rosen (1954), Willie McCovey (1969), Gary Carter (1981).
- Fullerton Union High School, class of 1930
- Glenn “Sparky” Vaughn played with HOU in 1963.
FCR - James Higgins, Bethesda, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Roberto Clemente, Ralph Kiner, Paul Waner,
Lloyd Waner, Max Carey
FRIDAY BONUS
Q. Who was the first teenager to play for
the Pirates in the 20th century? (25 G min)
Hint: Between his first and second cycles, 3,987
days elapsed. The entire 1930s came and went before he achieved his second
cycle.
Hint: He set an American League record by hitting
five pinch-hit home runs in one season.
Hint: He was the first man to play, manage and
coach in an All-Star game.
A. JOE CRONIN [SABR Bio]
- Debuted in the majors for PIT on 29-Apr-1926 at age 19 yr 199 days. Played 38 G.
- First cycle 02-Sep-1929; next cycle 02-Aug-1940.
- AS player 1933-35, 37-39, 41; AS manager 1934,
40, 47; AS coach 1936.
FCR - Dave Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect
guesses: Pie Traynor
SATURDAY
Q. Who is the career leader in assists by a
shortstop?
Hint: He is not likely to be caught soon. The leading current shortstop needs over 3,500
more to catch up.
Hint: He was the first National League player to
receive the Branch Rickey award.
Hint: The year he led his team a pennant, he
finished 2nd in MVP voting to player on a last-place team!
A. OZZIE SMITH [SABR Bio]
- 8,375 A as SS
- Elvis Andrus has 4,052 going into today’s
game.
- In 1987 STL won the NL pennant w/Smith’s 6.4 WAR leading
the team. The NL MVP, however, went to Andre Dawson of the Cubs, 11 to 9.
Dawson’s 4.0 WAR didn’t even lead his last-place team.
FCR - Lincoln Mitchell, New York City
Incorrect
guesses: Omar Vizquel, Rabbit Maranville,
Honus Wagner, Pee Wee Reese
SATURDAY BONUS
Q. Which former MVP hit his first career grand
slam in the 1,823rd game of his career, in his 7,897th
career plate appearance?
Hint: He hit it just after The Naked Cowboy
streaked across Cinergy Field.
Hint: He was SS and nine times SS.
Hint: His brother got his first hit in the majors
off the Pirates Jose Silva.
A. BARRY LARKIN
- Streak/slam day = 20-Apr-2001. Naked Cowboy = Robert
John Burck. HR surrendered by Al Leiter. NL MVP in 1995.
- Played shortstop and won the Silver Slugger
award 9 times.
- Brother Stephen got his only MLB hit 27-Sep-1998
FCR - Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses: Aaron Boone, Roberto Alomar, Brett Boone
SUNDAY
Q. Who was the first player in organized
baseball to hit sixty home runs in a season?
Hint: He is the only player to hit a natural
cycle, culminating with a grand slam.
Hint: He was the first player to appear with
teams in different leagues in consecutive World Series.
A. TONY LAZZERI [SABR Bio]
- 60 HR for the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League in 1925 in 197
games.
- Cycle = 03-Jun-1932
FCR - Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses: Josh Gibson, Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, Harry
Davis, Lou Gehrig
SUNDAY
BONUS
Q. What catcher caught both of Johnny
Vander Meer’s no-hitters?
Hint: He set the record for most time grounded
into a double play, both for one season and for a career.
Hint: He’s the last qualifier in this week’s
theme.
A. ERNIE
LOMBARDI [SABR Bio]
- Vandy’s no-no’s: 11-Jun-
& 15-Jun-1938
- 30 GDP in 1938
- (See below)
FCR - J.P. Wanamaker, Binghamton, New York
Incorrect
guesses: Joe Garagiola, Johnny Riddle,
Dick Stuart
WEEKLY THEME – Hall of
Fame players who went to a high school that another Hall of Famer also attended.
Seaver - Fresno
High School (Fresno, California)
Chance - "
Johnson - Fullerton
Union High School (Fullerton, California)
Vaughn - "
Murray - Locke
High School (Los Angeles)
Smith - "
Lombardi - McClymonds
High School (Oakland)
Robinson - "
Heilmann - Sacred
Heart Cathedral Preparatory
(San Francisco)
Cronin - "
DiMaggio - Galileo High
School (San Francisco)
Lazzeri - "
Griffey - Archbishop
Moeller HS (Cincinnati)
Larkin - "
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Steve
Berman, Bergenfield, New Jersey (after Cronin)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Righty’s with 3k k’s
- Hall of Famers who attended high school in
California
Tuesday - First
ballot HOF who got over 90% of the vote
- Hall
of Famers born in November
Wed - Hall
of Famers with siblings who played pro ball
Thurs - Hall
of Famers who went to school in California
- Triple-A
Baseball Alumni in the Hall of Fame
Sat - Hall
of Famers who went to school in California
- Hall
of Famers who made MLB debuts as teen-agers
Sunday - HOF
players who played for Reds but set various individual
records for
other teams.
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