MONDAY —20-Dec
Q. Who was the last right-handed pitcher to win
the Cy Young Award in the twentieth century?
Hint:
#1 He was the first Dodgers pitcher to
appear in sixty games in his rookie season.
Hint:
#2 He surrendered Denny Neagle’s first major
league hit.
A. PEDRO MARTINEZ [SABR Bio]
-
#1 1993 for LAD = 65 G w/2 starts
-
#2 Neagle’s 1st H = 22-May-1994
*
Unanimous
FCR
- Jeff Kabacinski, Wilmington, Delaware
Incorrect
guesses: Mike Marshall, Don Drysdale,
Orel Hershiser, Eric Gagne
TUESDAY —21-Dec
Q. Which imposing
hurler holds the record for most balks in a National League season?
Hint: #1 He also
holds the records for most balks in a National League career and most balks in
a major league career.
Hint: #2 No other
pitcher amassed more career strikeouts in the 145-year history of the National
League.
Hint: #3 The only
grand slam he hit in the majors was off Fernando Valenzuela.
A. STEVE CARLTON [SABR Bio]
- Ans. 11 Balks in 1979.
- #1 Has 82 NL balks & 90 MLB balks.
- #2 Had exactly 4,000 NL Ks. He added 136 more AL Ks.
- #3 GS = 16-May-1984
in L.A.
FCR - David Ramsden,
Barcelona, Spain
Incorrect guesses: Nolan
Ryan, Jim Bibby, Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling
WEDNESDAY —22-Dec
Q. Of the nineteen pitchers with 3,000 career
strikeouts, who has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio?
Hint:
#1 He received votes for the Cy Young
Awards only four times, thrice finishing runner-up.
Hint: #2
He famously dyed part of his uniform during a game.
A. CURT SCHILLING [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Has
3,116 Ks to 711 BB for a 4.38 avg .in 569 career Gs. The correct answer is now Max Scherzer
with his 4.46. It turns out when this
question was entered into our database, it was Schilling and Scherzer
didn't have the 3,000 K yet. Thanks
everyone, for the heads-up.
-
#1 In 2001 & 2002, he finished just
behind Randy Johnson; in 2004 behind Johann
Santana. In 1997, while leading the majors
in GS & Ks, he finished 4th.
- #2 Perhaps
not deliberately, part of his white hosiery was tinted
bright red during a playoff game
= 19-Oct-2004.
FCR
- Lincoln Mitchell, New York City
Incorrect guesses: Bert
Blyleven, Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton, Mike Mussina, Dazzy Vance, Chris Sale,
CC Sabathia, Fergie Jenkins
THURSDAY —23-Dec
Q. Which former Monarchs pitcher got fifteen
wins in his team's first 125 games?
Hint:
#1 Pitching in college for three years,
he averaged with11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Hint:
#2 His height at 6’5” no doubt help him
regularly hit triple digits on the radar gun.
A. JUSTIN VERLANDER [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. Verlander won his 15th
G on 21-Aug-2006,
ET’s 125th G that season. He
won 2 more and the AL ROY as his team won the AL
pennant. He played for Old Dominion University
Monarchs.
- #1 Had with 427 K in 335⅔ innings
while pitching for ODU.
-
#2 Earlier in his career, a
Verlander fastball at 100+ mph was not unusual.
FCR
- Mark Pattison, Washington, DC
Incorrect
guesses: Satchel Paige, Jim Bibby,
Bullet Rogan
FRIDAY —24-Dec
Q. Which
pitcher led the majors with an otherworldly WAR of 13.7 the year after
the pitching distance was moved back by ten feet?
Hint: #1
He is rightfully called “Baseball’s first icon”.
Hint: #2
Player were routinely known to be sick or “unable to play” on days they
were scheduled to face him.
Hint: #3
He once broke the nose of a future Hall of Famer with such force that the
sound of the facial rupture was heard in the stands.
A. AMOS RUSIE [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. In 1894, Rusie also led the
majors in wins (36), ERA (2.78), G started (50),
strikeouts (195), ERA+ (188), WHIP (1.410)
and several additional stats not known to baseball in his day.
-
#1 Rusie soaked up the adulation
the public and press threw his way when he pitched for NYG. This model of fame via sports was soon
thereafter copied by Delahanty, Wagner, Mathewson, Cobb, Ruth, et al.
-
#2 The list of players thus
intimidated usually did not include the stars of the day, meaning that Rusie
continually faced the best competition available.
-
#3 Hughie Jennings reportedly ran
around the field screaming in agony until calmed by hospitalized by all
available. Jennings had led the majors
in HBP for five consecutive years but gave up trying to dominate in that
category after his face was rearranged by Rusie.
FCR
- Mischa Gelman, Pittsburgh
Incorrect guesses: Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Albert Spalding, Tommy
Bond, Bob Feller, Candy Cummings, Christy Mathewson, Bob Gibson, Theodore
Breitenstein, Bobby Mathews, Randy Johnson, Kid Nichols
SATURDAY —25-Dec
Q. Which
switch-hitting lefty won his league’s MVP in his first full season in the
majors after receiving zero votes for Rookie of the Year?
Hint: #1
A teammate was runner-up in the voting that year.
Hint: #2
A Time magazine cover subject, he was a leading factor in his
team’s winning their team’s winning the division by more than fifteen games.
-
Ans. Was AL MVP in 1971
after playing in only 12 G in 1969 & 1970.
-
#1 Sal Bando was the distant
silver silver-medalist in 1971.
-
#2 OAK won the AL West by
16.0 G in 1971, but were swept by BAL in the ALCS. Blue was on the cover of Time for the July 28 issue.
FCR
- Ed Smith, Gouverneur, New York
Incorrect
guesses: Fred Lynn
SUNDAY —26-Dec
Q. Which highly-touted
Pittsburgh recruit appeared in New York City on the To Tell the Truth
television show before debuting in the majors at age nineteen?
Hint: #1 He pitched
batting practice to the major league team in his hometown while still a junior
in high school.
Hint: #2 He
tabulated that he had thrown forty no-hitters before turning professional.
A. SAM McDOWELL [SABR Bio]
- Ans. He went 6⅓ in his debut 15-Sep-1961, 6 days
before his 20h birthday.
- #1 McDowell grew up just a few blocks from Forbes
Field and was a favorite of the Pirates.
- #2 A four-sport star in high school, he pitched
at every level and was recruited heavily while in high school.
FCR - Mike McCroskey,
Sugar Land, Texas
Incorrect guesses: Johnny
Rizzo, Ron Necciai, Paul Pettit, Jim Barbieri, Dave Sisler, Bo Belinsky, Vernon
Law, Doc Medich, Cholly Naranjo, Don Drysdale
WEEKLY THEME – Pitcher
who struck out 300 batters in a season but did not lead the majors that year
Pitcher Year Ks Leader Ks WAR
Blue............. 1971..... 301*.......... Mickey
Lolich...... 308*............. 44.9
Carlton........ 1972..... 310*.......... Nolan
Ryan........ 329.............. 84.1
Martinez...... 1997..... 305........... Curt Schilling...... 319.............. 86.1
..................... 1999..... 313........... Randy
Johnson.. 364
McDowell.... 1965..... 325........... Sandy Koufax..... 382.............. 43.1
Rusie........... 1892..... 304........... Bill
Hutchinson... 314*............. 65.2
Schilling...... 1998..... 300........... Randy Johnson.. 329.............. 80.5
..................... 2002..... 316........... Randy
Johnson.. 334
Verlander ... 2019..... 300........... Gerrit Cole.......... 326*............. 72.2
*Only
season with 300+K
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – One person came close
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tuesday - Hall of
Fame pitchers with three or more Cy Young Awards
Wed - Pitchers
with multiple 200 or more strikeouts in season
- Pitchers
who rank in the top 30 in career WAR and have never thrown a no-hitter
- Pitchers
with at least 3,000 strikeouts who pitched for the Phillies in the World Series
- Pitchers
with the most career strikeouts without a no-hitter
- Players
on this year’s HOF ballot
-WS winners with 3000 strikeouts
Sat - Pitchers
with at least one non-league-leading 300 strikeout season.
Thursday- The most recent pitchers with 300 strikeouts
in a season.
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