MONDAY —18-Oct
Q. Which position
player played the most seasons in the major leagues?
Hint: #1 He
led the National League in runs batted in for eight seasons, five times leading
the majors.
Hint: #2 Although
he had more career hits than Honus Wagner of Carl Yastrzemski, he never hit in
as many as twenty consecutive games.
- #1 Anson
led the Senior Circuit in RBI 1880 (74), 1881 (82), 1882 (83), 1884 (102), 1885 (108), 1886 (147), 1888 (84) & 1891 (120).
- #2 Amassed
3,435 H, just ahead of the totals of either Wagner (3,420) or Yaz (3,419).
FCR - Tom Galligan, Baton
Rouge
*Many respected baseball historians continue to contend
that the NA should not be considered a major league, citing lack of funding,
uncertain schedule and other issues.
Horsehide Trivia follows the approach taken by Baseball-Reference.com
but remains open-minded. Here are some well-researched
thoughts on the subject:
- https://sabr.org/latest/ryczek-why-the-national-association-was-a-major-league/
- https://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/why-national-association-was-major-league/
Incorrect guesses: Hank
Aaron, Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Eddie Collins, Mike Schmidt, Johnny Mize
TUESDAY —19-Oct
Q. Who was the only National League pitcher to
win the League MVP award before the BBWAA took the process over in 1931?
Hint: #1 He finished ahead of Rogers Hornsby in the
MVP voting in spite of Hornsby’s jaw-dropping .424 batting average.
Hint: #2 That same season he had what is now called
an Immaculate Inning.
A. DAZZY VANCE [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Vance’s 1924 season was one for the ages. In addition to the pitching Triple Crown, he
led the league 6 additional categories and finished ahead of
- #1 1924 NL MVP finish.
- #2 I.I. = 14-Sep-1924, 3rd inning
FCR - Lee Dembart, Hollywood, California
Incorrect guesses: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Walter Johnson,
Dizzy Dean
TUESDAY TWICE —19-Oct
Q. Whose batting average in his sixth major
league campaign, but his first with his new team, is the highest ever recorded
in the twentieth century before the Negro League statistics were certified?
Hint: #1 The next-highest batting average in the
league that year was 86 points lower.
Hint: #2 He once had a season with more than 200 hits
yet not one of them was a home run.
A. NAP LAJOIE [SABR Bio]
- Ans. After
playing with the Phillies for 5 years, he jumped to the new AL in 1901, going
right across town. He found the
situation there very much to his liking as he hit .426.
- #1 Baltimore’s Mike Donlin hit a very respectable .340 that year, ahead
of all but one.
- #2 Among
this 214 H in 1906, he had 48 doubles and 9 triples. He scored on 88 times and did not hit a home
run until July of 1907.
FCR - Willis Kern, Bloomington, Illinois
Incorrect guesses: Rod Carew, Ty Cobb, Rabbit Maranville, Hugh
Duffy, Rogers Hornsby, Dick Burrus, Kiki Cuyler, Willie Keeler, Pete Runnels
WEDNESDAY —20-Oct
Q. Which Hall of Famer was a member of the 24th
infantry in the Philippines during WWI?
Hint: #1 He led the league in home runs five times
yet never hit more than twenty in any one season.
Hint: #2 It was said of him, “He’s so fast that he
makes Ty Cobb look like Ham Hyatt”.
A. OSCAR CHARLESTON [SABR Bio]
- Ans. The
24th Infantry Regiment was a unit of the U.S. Army, active 1869-1951,
& 1995-2006. Before 1951, it was
primarily made up of black American soldiers.
- #1 He
led the Negro National League in HR in 1921 (15) & 1922 (19). He led the Eastern Colored League in 1924
(15), 1925 (20) & 1927 (13).
- #2 Although
Ham Hyatt managed 11 SB & 23 triples during his
7-year MLB career, his name alone makes him sound like a plodder. In any case,
Charleston was FAST !
FCR - Randall Reilly, Madison, Wisconsin
Incorrect
guesses: Sam Crawford, Wildfire Schulte,
Frank Baker, Bullet Rogan, Gavvy Cravath, Frank Baker, Home Run Baker, Tris
Speaker
MIDWEEK BONUS —20-Oct
Q. Which catcher once allowed thirteen stolen
bases in one game?
Hint: #1 He hit two thirds of his career home runs in
one game.
Hint: #2 He fared only slightly better as a manager,
leading two team based in the same city to sub-.500 record.
Hint: #3 He once opined, “Man may penetrate the outer
reaches of the universe; he may solve the very secret of eternity itself; but
for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of a
hit-&-run.”
A. BRANCH RICKEY [SABR Bio]
- Ans. On
28-Jun-1907, Rickey with a sore arm threw out no one as 7
Senators stole a base on him a total of 13 times.
- #1 Rickey
had 3 HR as a player, 2 coming on 06-Aug-1906.
- #2 Rickey
managed the St. Louis Brown 1913-15 to a record of 139-179-12. He took over the Cardinals 1919-1925 leading
them to a record of 458-485-4. The Cards won the NL pennant and WS the year after he left.
- #3 His
quotes are one of his greatest legacies.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses:
THURSDAY —21-Oct
Q. Which
Hall of Famer had more hits than any other major leaguer in the decade
1950-59?
Hint: #1 He was a starter on the All-Star team in his
rookie season.
Hint: #2 He chose to retire after the year when
Rogers Hornsby was his team’s hitting coach.
Hint: #3 He is the only Hall of Famer known to have a
twin.
A. RICHIE ASHBURN [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Ashburn
had 1,875 H that decade.
- #1 Voted
to the 1948 NL AS team, he started in CF, had 2 H, stole a base an
scored a run. However, his squad lost to
the AL All-Stars headlined by DiMaggio, Williams, Newhouser, Raschi, et al.
- #2 After
being left unprotected by the Cubs for the NL’s expansion draft, Ashburn spent a
miserable year playing for the execrable 1962 NYM. It was
Hornsby’s final year in a major league uniform.
- #3 They
were born Don and Donna Ashburn, but the family used the boy’s middle name,
Richie, to help further distinguish him from his sister.
FCR - Mark Kanter, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Incorrect
guesses: Stan Musial, Nellie Fox, Duke
Snider
FRIDAY —22-Oct
Q. Who holds the record for the most total bases
in a single season for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ franchise?
Hint: #1 He led the majors in runs and triples in his
second full season.
Hint: #2 His career batting average among Pirates
batters (Minimum 2,000
AB.) tops
those of Hall of Famers Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, Pie Traynor, Arky
Vaughan, Lloyd Waner and even Matty Alou.
A. KIKI CUYLER [SABR Bio]
- Ans. His
369 TB for PIT in 1925 is still the team standard, but didn’t even lead the
league that year. Hornsby had 381 for STL
and edged Cuyler out for the MVP.
- #1 In
1925, he scored 144 times and hit 26 triples.
- #2 Cuyler’s
AVG w/PIT is .336
FCR - Steven Wright, Naperville, Illinois
Incorrect
guesses: Omar Moreno, Al Oliver, Dave
Parker, Paul Waner, Bill Madlock, Max Carey, Barry Bonds, Ginger Beaumont,
Ralph Kiner, Jake Beckley
T.G.I.F. BONUS —23-Oct
Q. Who is the all-time leader for the Dodgers
franchise in singles, doubles and triples?
Hint: #1 He was once part of an American League all-Hall
of Fame outfield.
Hint: #2 He led a National League team to its first
modern day pennant.
A. ZACK WHEAT [SABR Bio]
- Ans. With
2,038 singles, 464 doubles and 171 triples, Wheat is also their career leader
in G (2,322), H (2,804), AB (8,859), PA (9,731) & times on base
(3,509). He also appears in the Dodgers’
(Superbas’, Robins’, etc.) Top Ten offense categories in RBI, BB, XBH & HBP
not to mention an additional dozen lesser-known career stats.
- #1 In
his final season in the majors, 1927, Wheat played for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s.
Fellow outfielders on that team included Ty Cobb & Al Simmons.
- #2 He
was the main offensive force on the 1916 Brooklyn Robins.
The lost to BOS in the WS and had to wait ‘til next year.
FCR - Jason Winston, Riverside, California
Incorrect
guesses: Dusty Baker
SATURDAY —23-Oct
Q. Who is the only nineteenth century catcher in
the Hall of Fame?
Hint: #1 His brother, a pitcher, was his teammate on two
different major league teams in New York City.
Hint: #2 He had an amazing season in the height of
his career. After switching leagues, he played
in fewer than 85 games and banged out more than 115 hits.
A. BUCK
EWING [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Played
1880-1897
- #1 Brother
John Ewing played with Buck on the Players League‘s NYI team in 1890 and the NL’s NYG in 1891 where he led the league in W-L% and
ERA.
- #2 In
1890 in the New York Giants of the Players League, Ewing (Buck) played in 83 G and had 119 H.
FCR - Chris Betsch, New Albany, Indiana
Incorrect
guesses: Deacon White, Roger Bresnahan,
King Kelly, Connie Mack, Roger Connor, Rick Ferrell, Wilbert Robinson
WEEKEND BONUS —24-Oct
Q. Who was the first player to hit two home runs in
an All-Star game?
Hint: #1 His “Wally Pipp” was named Thevenow.
Hint: #2 He finished exactly 23rd in
league MVP voting for three years straight.
A. ARKY
VAUGHAN [SABR Bio]
- Ans. 2
ASG HR = 08-Jul-1941 (Neither hit the transformer tower.)
- #1 In
Vaughan’s rookie season, PIY’s starting SS Tommy Thevenow, suffered an ankle
injury. Vaughan took his place and
averaged 142 G per season for PIT for the next 9 years
- #2 In 1932, 1933 & 1934, he came up 23rd in the NL MVP
voting. He later twice finished as high
as 3rd, (1935 & 1938), but never took home the top prize, his
team’s lack of high finishes possibly a contributing factor.
FCR - Barry Nelson Guilderland, New York
Incorrect
guesses: Fred Lindstrom, Johnny Mize,
Joe Adcock
SUNDAY
—24-Oct
Q. Who is the only BBTR MVP to thrice lead his
league in stolen bases?
Hint: #1 No one has ever hit more doubles in World
Series play than he has.
Hint: #2 No one has more postseason multiple-hit
games.
A. FRANKIE
FRISCH [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Switch-hitter
Frisch led the NL in SB in 1921 (49), 1927 (28)
& 1931 (28). Was NL MVP in 1931.
- #1 10
WS 2B is tied w/Yogi Berra.
- #2 15 multi-hit
postseason games, tie with Pablo Sandoval
FCR - Warren Kent, Whitehall Michigan
Incorrect
guesses: Barry Bonds
WEEKLY THEME – Select Hall
of Fame players ousted from Double-Unique Status. Click for the complete Double-Unique list and pay particular
attention to the second tab. (Edits
always welcome.)
HOFer D-U from Until Due to D-U
Tenure
Cap Anson................ 6-May-1871........ 23-Jun-1915........ Cap Crowell.............. 44 yrs 47 days
Richie Ashburn......... 20-Apr-1948....... 21-Apr-1956........ Richie Myers............ 8 yrs 1 day
Oscar Charleston...... 05-May-1920*..... 05-May-1924*....... Red Charleston......... 4 yrs 0 days
Kiki Cuyler............... 29-Sep-1921....... 06-Sep-1990........ Milt Cuyler............... 68 yrs 342 days
Buck Ewing.............. 09-Sep-1880....... 18-Jun-1883........ John Ewing............... 2 yrs 282 days
Frankie Frisch........... 17-Jun-1919....... 12-Apr-1932........ Frankie Crosetti........ 12 yrs 300 days
Nap Lajoie................ 12-Aug-1896....... 11-Sep-1902........ Nap Shea.................. 11
yr 263 days
Branch Rickey.......... 16-Jun-1905....... 01-Jun-1922........ Branch Russell.......... 16 yrs 350 days
Dazzy Vance............. 16-Apr-1915....... 18-Apr-1935........ Joe Vance................. 20
yrs 2 days
Arky Vaughan........... 17-Apr-1932....... 16-Jun-1940........ Porter Vaughan......... 8 yrs 60 days
Zack Wheat.............. 11-Sep-1909...... 14-May-1915........ Mack Wheat............. 5 yrs 245 days
*Exact day is estimated.
Additional
Hall of Famers who also were double-unique.
Yogi Berra
Hank O’Day
Clark
Griffith
Waite Hoyt
Christy
Mathewson
Honus
Wagner
Mickey
Welch
Early Wynn
These are
Hall of Famers whose Double-Unique status remains intact:
Goose
Goslin*
Rogers Hornsby
Miller
Huggins
Addie Joss
Harmon
Killebrew
Biz Mackey
Bid McPhee
Eppa Rixey
Edd Roush
Tris
Speaker
Pie Traynor
*Made it
back onto the list when Rich Gossage began insisting that moniker no longer be
used for him.
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme –
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Most
errors in a career
- Oldest
player to hit a home run
- Hall
of Famers from Iowa, in the year of the Field of Dreams game
- Won
a WS as a player/manager
- Scored
six runs in one game
Tuesday - HOFers
not known by their real names
- Hall
of Famers who are known by nicknames and played multiple seasons in multiple
major leagues
- Hall
of Fame Players from states that have never had a president native to that
state
- Players
in the top 3 of the oldest to hit a HR at their position
- Oldest
player to hit a HR by position
Wed - Initial
HOF class
- One
person from each area of the HoF (pitcher, catcher, etc. plus manager and
executive)
Sat - Catchers
who led the league in hits
Sunday - Players
who were involved in a triple play offensively
- MLB
HOF players with a brother who played in MLB
- Something
to do with exhibition games
- Hall
of Famers who played on a team that no longer exists
- Players
who have played at the Polo Grounds
- Hall
of Famers mentioned in poems or fiction books who died from complications and
also were memorialized either with a monument, statue or highway named in
their memory
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