Q. Who
got on base in regular season games more often than any other qualifying
batter in major league history?
Hint: Interestingly,
John McGraw (as a player) ranks third on that list.
Hint: He (not McGraw) leads his franchise in at least
18 different offensive categories.
Hint: He only played for that team in the majors.
- His .482 career OBP
is not in any danger of being equaled any time soon. Joey Votto is the current active leader
at .422.
- McGraw racked up a
healthy .466 OBP, behind only Babe Ruth’s .474 and Williams’.
- Williams in the Red
Sox leader in so MANY areas. Go here for
the full list: https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/leaders_bat.shtml.
FCR - S.
R. Wright, Naperville, Illinois
Incorrect guesses: Edgar Martinez
TUESDAY
Q. Whose .358 lifetime average is the
highest ever by a right-handed hitter?
Hint: He is the only right-handed batter in National
League history to record 250 hits in a season.
(“Record”? Yeah.
Why not?)
Hint: He the first player in major league history
to record 2,000 hits in a decade.
Hint: The guy could RAKE!
- Only Ty Cobb’s career batting average is
higher [.366].
- Got 250 H in 1922
- He averaged 200 H/yr, a goal players feel
proud to get even once. He actually did
it twice. 1919-28 = 202 H/yr then
1920-29 = 209 H/yr.
FCR - Art Loomstein, St. Louis
Incorrect guesses: Joe Jackson, Hank Aaron, Chuck Klein
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who is the first player in history to have
four straight 200-hit seasons in which he also got walked 100 times in each of
those years?
Hint: Only he and Ty Cobb have pitched in a major
league game before getting 3,000 hits and then also pitched after hitting that
milestone.
Hint: Though he never played for them, he had a
tangential relationship with the San Diego Padres.
Hint: He once said of his teammates, “I didn't
know if the guys on the team wanted to hug me or slug me.”
- First pitched 3,000th
H Pitched again
- The occasion of his
remark was the longest documented professional baseball game ever between the Rochester Red Wings and Boggs’s Pawtucket Red Sox played over 18/19-Apr-1981. It lasted 33 innings, 8 hours and 25 minutes. His sentiment about his teammates came about
when Boggs drove in the tying run in the bottom of the 21st inning
to prolong the proceedings.
- Because of Boggs’s
highly-disciplined, insanely regimented pre-game chicken meal, he was
eventually nicknamed “Chicken Man”.
During that time, SDP had a guy, Ted Giannoulas, as their semi-official mascot. He was their chicken
man as he dressed in an
elaborate chicken costume for games and even community activities.
FCR - Nels Johnston, St. Thomas, Ontario
Incorrect
guesses: Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, Pete
Rose, Johnny Pesky, Ichiro Suzuki, Babe Ruth
THURSDAY
Q. Who is the only player to win league
MVPs in consecutive years for different teams?
Hint: He was born in the same California city as were
his father, Dusty Baker, Ken Hubbs, Alvin Davis, Adam Kennedy, Bobby
Kielty, Chief Meyers, Troy Percival, Eric Show and Kawhi Leonard.
Hint: His father was the first major leaguer to
have more than two 30/30 seasons.
Hint: He attended and played for, the same
university as did his Hall of Fame cousin.
- Born in the city where my mother was born,
Riverside, California.
- Bobby Bonds had 30/30 seasons in 1969, 73, 75,
77 & 78. He had an amazing 11
seasons of 20/20.
- Attended Arizona State University as did
Reggie Jackson
FCR - Alan Miller, Berkeley Hills, California
Incorrect
guesses: Frank Robinson, Steve Garvey,
Prince Fielder, Mickey Cochrane, Ken Griffey, Jr., Frank Robinson
FRIDAY
Q. What player once explained his defensive
training thus: “In the beginning I used
to make one terrible play a game. Then I
got so I'd make one a week and finally I'd pull a bad one once a month. Now I'm trying to keep it down to one a
season.”?
Hint: He never did win a Gold Glove Award.
Hint: He had to settle for only one RBI in his
final season after having 100 RBI each of his previous 13 seasons.
Hint: His 220 hits were the most ever by an American
League player during a 40 home run season.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Not Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken,
Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, Jim Thome, TroyTulowitzky, Robinson Cano,
Freddie Freeman
SATURDAY
Q. What active position player leads all
other current National Leaguers in career WAR?
Hint: He is the only major leaguer to win the Lou
Marsh Trophy twice.
Hint: In the end, he turned Mel Ott around.
- WAR of 59.5
(Next closest in Ryan Braun at 47.2.)
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- “tto” is the reverse of “ott”. (You know… in the end.)
FCR - Adrian Fung, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Mike Trout, Walter Pujols, Clayton
Kershaw, Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper
SUNDAY
Q. Who is the youngest player to win the J.G.
Taylor Spink Award?
Hint: He
was the 25th player picked in the amateur draft and was not
his team’s first pick.
Hint: He could easily win the Tim Duncan-John
Olerud Bland Interview Award.
Hint: His father holds the 4th highest
NCAA batting average for a season (min. 150 AB).
- Won the Spink Award at 19 years 2 months in
2010. [Topps presents the J.G.
Taylor Spink Award to the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year. This award should not be confused with the
identically named J. G. Taylor Spink Award that is the
highest award given by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).]
- He seems like he’d rather be doing anything
else when he’s being interviewed.
FCR - John Romps, Dover New Hampshire
Incorrect
guesses: Damon Berryhill,
WEEKLY THEME – Players
who led the league in on-base-percentage four consecutive seasons in the modern
era.
Player Year to Year
Boggs.......... 1985......... 1989 5X
Bonds.......... 2001......... 2004 4X
Gehrig......... 1934......... 1937 4X
Hornsby....... 1920......... 1925 6X
Trout............ 2016......... 2019* 4X
Votto............ 2010......... 2013 4X
Williams...... 1946......... 1949 4X
or 7X**
*Assuming
he finishes this season as AL leader.
**Had
also led the AL in OBP 1940-1942 before spending 1943-45 in the service.
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Patrick Ray, Paradise Valley, Arizona
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tuesday - League
leaders with losing managerial records
- Most hits by decade
Wed - Something to do with consecutive batting titles
Friday - 3
or more consecutive OBP titles
- Consecutive seasons with over .450 OBP
- .450+ OBP in 3 consecutive years
Sunday - 5+ times OBP league leader in a career
- 3+ consecutive years leading league in OBP
- 4+ consecutive years over .400 OBP
- 1+ year over .450 OBP
- Career over .415 OBP
