2023-01-23 Hitters with 3+ career home runs in a single Month of March

MONDAY  —23-Jan

Q.  Who has been selected an All-Star more than any other player born in the state of Delaware?

Hint: #1  A Dodgers draftee, he instead enrolled in college in Texas and then was drafted forty-one rounds higher.

Hint: #2  He has four Gold Gloves five Silver Sluggers and, finally, a Most Valuable Player Award.

A.  PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Born in Wilmington DE; On NL AS teams in 2013-18, 2022, 7 in total, the same number of times that all other Delaware natives combined have been MLB All-stars.

-  #1 Originally drafted by LAD in 2006 in the 49^th round (#1,453).  After attending Texas State University in San Marcos, he was taken in the 8^th round by ARI three year later.

-  #2  GG in 2013, 2015, 2017 & 2022.  SS 2013, 2015. 2017, 2018 & 2022.  Had MVP votes in 2013, 2015-2022 & was NL MVP in 2022.

FCR -  Tim Swindle, Tucson

Incorrect guesses:  Delino DeShields Trea Turner

 

 

TUESDAY  —24-Jan

Q.  Who toiled for a sub-.500 team for his first five seasons in the majors, (contributing a respectable 3.5 WAR on average) only to be traded to a top-tier team in another division, to see his WAR output nearly double and to win a near-unanimous Most Valuable Player?

Hint: #1  His output remained high for just one season subsequent to his MVP (narrowly missing winning the award a second consecutive season) only to see his contribution plummet to a very average average of 1.5 in the years following that peak?

Hint: #2  His mother was often mistaken for one of the player’s wives.

Hint: #3  His great-grandfather played in the NFL for eight seasons, twice leading the league in rushing yards per attempt and is in the Football Hall of Fame.

A.  CHRISTIAN YELICH  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Yelich played for MIA 2013-2017, was traded to MIL for Lewis Brinson, Isan Díaz, Monte Harrison & Jordan Yamamoto & was NL MVP for MIL in 2018.

-  #1  His seasons since his 2018-2019 peak measure a WAR of 1.5.

-  #2  Yelich’s mother, Alecia Yelich is often seen with him and the Brewers.

-  #3  Yelich’s great-grandfather, Fred Gehrke, played mostly for the L.A. Rams and was (probably) the first to design their now-famous helmet logo.  The helmet design is how he merits inclusion in Canton.

FCR -  Andrew Lipsett, Woburn, Massachusetts

Incorrect guesses:  Frank Robinson, Scott Rolen, Darryl Motley, Jeff Kent, Jake Arrieta, Willie Hernandez 

 

 

WEDNESDAY  —25-Jan

Q.  Who was the last player to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award unanimously?

Hint: #1  In his first six years in the majors, he played in sixty-nine postseason games.

Hint: #2  He set the rookie home run record for the Senior Circuit.

A.  CODY BELLINGER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  ROY in 2017 with every 1^st-place vote

-  #1  Was in the playoffs with LAD every year 2017-2022.

-  #2  His 39 HR in 2017, breaking the record of 38 tied by CIN’s Frank Robinson in 1956.  Wally Berger had hit 38 HR for BSN in 1930.  Bellinger’s record would fall only 2 years late when NYM’s Peter Alonso set a new MLB rookie record, going deep 53 times.

FCR -  Doug Christy, Sarasota

Incorrect guesses:  Pete Alonso, Albert Pujols, Chipper Jones, Kris Bryant, Johnny Bench

 

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  —25-Jan

Q.  Which former Mountain Lion brags that he has the biggest beard in baseball?

Hint: #1  The year he led the majors in hits, runs, triples and total bases and led the league in batting average, the voters only saw him as the fifth most valuable player in the league.

Hint: #2  He twice won a Silver Slugger, and although his teammates though him worthy, he never won a Gold Glove.

A.  CHARLIE BLACKMON  [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  Attended Young Harris College.  Hirsute?  Yessir!  Click here.

-  #1  In 2017, Blackmon ha 213 H, 137 R, 14 3B & 387 Total Bases. He also won the NL batting title when he hit .331 for the year.  Finished 5^th in NL MVP voting, but the competition was very strong that season.

-  #2  Career

FCR -  Doug Christy, Sarasota

Incorrect guesses:  Justin Turner

 

 

THURSDAY  —26-Jan

Q.  Which Dodger All-Star once led the Giants in home runs?

Hint: #1  His cumulative All-Star record show 0-for-four, all swinging strikeouts.

Hint: #2  His father had a sip of joe in the majors.

Hint: #3  His brother is a batting coach at the AA level.

A.  JOC PEDERSON  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Played for LAD 2014-2020, was AS in 2015.  Played for SFG 2022 & hit 23 HR.

-  #1  AS in 2015 & 2022, 2 K each.

-  #2  Father Stu Pederson was briefly on the LAD roster in 1985.

-  #3  Brother Tyger Pederson coaches with the Springfield Cardinals in the STL farm system. 

FCR -  David Krassin, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Jeff Kent

 

 

FRIDAY  —27-Jan

Q.  Who played for a powerful college baseball team whose home field was only a few minutes minutes from where he was born?

Hint: #1  In the majors, he hit twenty or more home runs each of six straight years, leading MLB in that category in the fifth season of that string.

Hint: #2  He once had a home run restored thanks to video review.

Hint: #3  In high school he led his team to the California 5 A-II state title, hitting .592 & slugging 1.173.

A.  KHRIS DAVIS  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Was born in Lakewood, California & was on the Cal State Fullerton baseball teams, appearing in the NCAA playoffs every year under coaches George Horton (2007) & Dave Serrano (2008 & 2009).

-  #1  From 2014 to 2019 Davis hit 22, 27, 42, 43, 48 & 23 respectively, finishing also in MLB’s top 5 in 2016 & 2017.

-  #2  On 25-May-2015, Davis hit 1^st-inning homer off SFG‘s Tim Lincecum, only to have it taken back when C Andrew Susac appealed to umpire Will Little that Davis had failed to touch home plate.  MIL immediately asked for a video review.  The tape showed that half of Davis's foot had grazed the plate and his HR was restored.  When he took Lincecum deep again in the 3^rd, he stepped firmly in the middle of home plate for all to see.

-  #3  Helped the Deer Valley Skyhawks to a State 5 A-II Championship with a monstrous season, hitting .592 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 2006. 

FCR -  Jim Goggin, Williamsburg, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  George Brett, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Aaron Judge, Prince Fielder, Bryce Harper

 

 

T.G.I.F. SPECIAL  —28-Jan

Q.  Who, in 2017, hit the longest home run in the history of Nationals Park?

Hint: #1  He was often referred to as “Salomon”.

Hint: #2  He played in the Japan Central League in 2022, but had played for four major league teams before going overseas.

A.  DOMINGO SANTANA  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Santana’s 476' bomb on 26-Jul-2017 in the 1^st inning off Gio Garcia has since been surpassed in 2020 by Giancarlo Stanton by a mere 7'.

-  #1  “Showmingo”, a fusion of Show + Domingo, was the other sobriquet he was known by.

-  #2  In 2021 & 2022, Santana played with Tokyo Yakult Swallows in JCPL of NPB.

FCR -  Joe Cohen, Holden, Massachusetts

Incorrect guesses:  Mark Trumbo, Gerardo Parra

 

 

SATURDAY  —28-Jan

Q.  Who is the only Number One overall draft pick selected by the Tampa Bay Rays?

Hint: #1  In his first fifty games with the Baltimore Orioles, he posted an OPS+ of 132.

Hint: #2  He one of only a handful of players to homer twice in one game off Chris Sale.

A.  TIM BECKHAM  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Beckham was drafted #1 in 2008 by the Tampa Bay Rays (TBR).  #1 picks Josh Hamilton (1999), Delmon Young (2003) & David Price (2007) were drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (TBD).

-  #1  He had other OPS+ ratings of 100 or more, but that time in BAL in 2017 was his best.

-  #2  In addition to Beckham, these other batters took Sale deep in a single G:  Miguel Cabrera, Josh Donaldson, Eric Hosmer, DJ LeMahieu & Ryan Raburn.

FCR -  Elliott Frankfother, Rock Falls, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Delmon Young, Josh Hamilton, B.J. Upton, Rocco Baldelli

 

SUNDAY  —29-Jan

Q.  Who is the only player to hit three home runs in one game in the month of March?

Hint: #1  He committed to play baseball for USC but changed his mind when the D-backs selected him in the first round of the draft.

Hint: #2  He played for four MLB franchises during a total of six seasons, including playing for one of them on two separate occasions.

A.  MATT DAVIDSON  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Playing for CHW, he hit 3 HR 29-Mar-2018, off KCR’s Danny Duffy, Blaine Boyer & Brian Flynn.

-  #1  ARI took him 35^th overall in 2009.

-  #2  Played for ARI (2X), CHW, CIN, OAK

FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota

Incorrect guesses:  George Bell, Paul Goldschmidt, Carlos Delgado, Josh Hamilton

 

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – Hitters with 3+ career home runs in a single Month of March

https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/most-hr-in-the-month-of-march-in-a-single-season

 

Player                   Team              #          Year    March Days          WAR*

Beckham................. SEA........ 3...... 2019........... 20, 28 X2.................... 3.2

Bellinger................. LAD........ 4...... 2019........... 28, 30 X2, 31............ 17.8

Blackmon............... COL........ 3...... 2018........... 30, 31 X2 ................. 19.3

Davidson................. CWH....... 3...... 2018........... 29 X3........................ -0.7

Davis...................... OAK........ 4...... 2019;.......... 20, 28, 29, 31............ 10.8

Goldschmidt........... STL......... 4...... 2019........... 29 X3, 31.................. 58.5

Pederson................. LAD........ 3...... 2019........... 28 X2, 30.................. 11.5

Santana................... SEA........ 3...... 2019........... 20, 28, 29................... 3.5

Yelich..................... MIL......... 4...... 2019........... 28, 29, 30, 31............ 36.1

*Career WAR at the end of 2022

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan (after Bellinger)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  Most HR with 10 or more SB and no CS

            -  Active players with a season with 110 or more base on balls

 

Tues    -  Attended college in Texas

 

Wed     -  NL MVP's who are still active in the NL

-   Most career home runs in the month of March

-   Active players who have been All-Stars and have won: MVP, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards.

 

Thurs   -  Active NLers with a season of 30+ HR and less than 100 RBI

 

Sun      -  Players who have hit three home runs (or more) in the month of March

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2023-01-16 Alumni of colleges with reptile mascots

MONDAY  —16-Jan

Q.  Who is the only third baseman to win the American League Most Valuable Player award unanimously?

Hint: #1  He is the last American League player to homer twice in an All-Star game.

Hint: #2  He once stole home with Yogi Berra behind the plate.

A.  AL ROSEN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  AL MVP 1953

-  #1  ASG HR X 2 = 1954

-  #2  SB was part of a triple steal on 15-Jul-1952 when pitcher Bob Kuzava was caught off guard.

FCR -  Howie Burgess, Wallington, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Brooks Robinson, George Brett, Mike Trout, Eddie Matthews, Nolan Arenado, Zoilo Versalles

 

IN MEMORIAM —17-Jan

Q.  Whose franchise single-season home run record stood for more than a decade?

Hint: #1  He once hit a pair of home runs in each of three consecutive regular-season games.

Hint: #2  He made it to Cooperstown nearly half a century after his final day in the majors.

Hint: #3  His was the final element of a record-setting quartet.

Hint: #4  He was the second major leaguer to get hit by pitches twice in the same inning.

Hint: #5  His home run total one season, came within six of matching the team’s win total that same year.

A.  FRANK THOMAS   [SABR Bio]  [NYT Obit]

-  Ans.  Thomas hit 34 HRs in 1962, NYM’s inaugural season.  The record lasted until Dave Kingman hit 36 in 1975.

-  #1  Thomas homered 2X on 01-Aug-, 2X on 02-Aug- & 2X again on 03-Aug-1962 at the Polo Grounds, where the LF foul line was just 279' from home plate.  A 15' upper-deck overhang shortened the actual distance even more.  Right-handed pull hitters were known to take aim at this inviting target & all 6 of his that week were hit to left field.

-  #2  He, the ‘first’ Frank Thomas (played 1952-66), was invited to the HOF to be present when the second Frank Thomas, (2X AL MVP, “The Big Hurt”), was enshrined in July 2014.

-  #3  In the 7^th inning 08-Jun-1961, playing for MLN, Thomas followed teammates Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock by launching the 4^th HR in a row against CIN pitching.  HOF Joe Torre then grounded out.  [CIN won the G & that year’s NL pennant.]

-  #4  On 29-Apr-1962(1), in the 4^th inning, Thomas took 2 for the team.  CIN’s P Willard Schmidt suffered the same fate 3 year & 3 days earlier.

-  #5  The 1962 expansion NYM had the worst MLB record of the 20^th century at 40-120.  Their starting LF, Thomas, led the team with 34 HR.

FCR -  Steven Wright, Naperville, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Nate Colbert, Minnie Minoso

 

 

TUESDAY  —17-Jan

Q.  Which Yankee rookie set a record with three home runs in a World Series?

Hint: #1  He twice had the anomalous stat of hitting at least ten home runs in a season where his hit total for that year was fewer than fifty.

Hint: #2  His nickname, meant as a compliment, was not his favorite.

A.   CHARLIE KELLER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Had 3 WS HR in NYY’s sweep of CIN in 1939.  Went deep twice in G 3 and 1 X in G 4.  This WS rookie record has now been tied by STL’s Allen Craig in 2011 and Randy Arozarena of the 2020 TBR.

-  #1  In 1945,10 of Keller’s 49 H were HR.  In 1947, he reached based by a hit 36 times, but 13 of those times he didn’t stop at 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd!  Oscar Gamble and Andruw Jones are the only other NYY to have two such seasons.

-  #2  “King Kong” was given to Keller when he was a batting star at the University of Maryland.  3 “King Kong” movies had already come out, the title character being a force to be feared.  Writer Milton Gross reminded readers why Keller had received the sobriquet, writing, “… (Keller) looked massive.  His black, beetle-browed eyes, his muscled blacksmith arms, his thick neck and hogshead of a chest were of wrestler’s proportions.”  Still…

FCR -  Bob Trostler, Norwich, Connecticut

Incorrect guesses:  Johnny Blanchard, Tom Tresh, Steve Balboni, Shane Spencer

 

TUESDAY TWICE — 17-Jan

Q.  Who is the most recent contestant to repeat as the Home Run Derby champion?

Hint: #1  As a rookie, he broke a record that most fans thought was safe for some time to come.

Hint: #2  His most recent statistical highlight was leading the majors in runs batted in for a season.

A.  PETE ALONSO   [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  HRD winner in 2019 & 2021 (Contest not held in 2020.)

-  #1  In 2017, Aaron Judge broke Mark McGwire’s 30-year old record for HR by a rookie when he hit 52.  2 years later, NYM Alonso became the new rookie to beat when he banged out 53.

-  #2  Alonso led his NYM to the postseason with 131 RBI in 2022.

FCR -  David Krassin, L.A.

Incorrect guesses:  Yoenis Cespedes

 

WEDNESDAY  — 18-Jan

Q.  Who is the most recent National League hurler to throw no-hitters in successive seasons?

Hint: #1  Once a pre-hirsute Coyote, he came up with the Birds.

Hint: #2  Winning his Cy Young Award was a natural result of leading the majors in wins, complete games and shutout that season.

A.  JAKE ARRIETA   [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Pitching for CHC, threw no-no’s on 30-Aug-2015 vs. LAD & on 21-Apr-2016 vs. CIN.

-  #1  Pitched for the Coyotes of Weatherford College (TX) and was a serviceable starter for BAL, 2010-2013.  As a starter w/CHC, PHI & SDP, we picture him fully bearded.

-  #2  In addition to his no-hitter in 2015, he had 22 W, 4 CG & 3 SHOs.

FCR -  Elliott Frankfother, Rock Falls, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Tim Lincecum, Homer Bailey, Max Scherzer

 

WEDNESDAY AGAINSDAY  — 18-Jan

Q.  Who is the only reliever to strike out more than one hundred batters for four straight seasons appearing in fewer than one hundred innings each year?

Hint: #1  He is the proud owner of an Immaculate Inning.

Hint: #2  He was, most agree, the baddest of Boys.

A.  ROB DIBBLE   [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  Seasons 1989-1992 saw Dibble throw 99, 98, 82⅓ & 70⅓ innings resulting in K totals of 141, 136, 124 & 110.

-  #1  Dibble threw 9 straight strikes in the 8^th inning of 04-Jun-1989, retiring Carmelo Martinez, Mark Parent & Garry Templeton of SDP.

-  #2  The 1990 CIN bullpen had 3 relievers so effective at halting the progress of opposing teams with fastballs & a menacing demeanor, that their collective nickname was “The Nasty Boys”.    They were Norm Charlton, Randy Myers & Dibble.  Myers racked up 347 saves & 44 win over his 14-year MLB career.  Charlton has 97 saves & 51 W on his 13-year resume.  Dibble had 27 W, 89 SV but was only in The Bigs for 7 years.  He has had issues holding down a variety of broadcasting jobs in his post-pitching career.

FCR -  Max Weder, Vancouver

Incorrect guesses:  Randy Myers

 

 

MIDWEEK BONUS — 18-Jan

Q.  Which one-time Detroit Tiger considered himself the greatest stolen base artist of all time?

Hint: #1  He was the first player since 1906 to strike out ninety-eight times in a season with no home runs.

Hint: #2  He once caused a Cy Young Award-winning teammate to miss a start by accidentally hitting him with a golf club in the in the team’s clubhouse.

A.  VINCE COLEMAN   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In his 1^st 3 years in MLB, Coleman led the majors in SB w/more than 100 each year:  For STL in 1985. 1986 & 1987 he swiped 110, 107 & 109 bags.  No one ever thought he’d slow down, least of all him.  He led the NL for the next 3 years, but never again produced black ink in that column.  He finished his career in 1997 w/DET, playing 6 G, 3 X on base and 0 SB.

-  #1  1986, his sophomore campaign, was the only season where he didn’t hit a HR (min 10 G played), but he did manage 98 K in his 600 AB.

-  #2  On 26-Apr-1993, Coleman accidentally struck Doc Gooden’s right shoulder blade with a golf club practicing his swing in the Mets’ Shea Stadium clubhouse.  Doc was not seriously hurt, but had his scheduled start that evening pushed back one day.

FCR -  Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Ron Leflore, Jake Wood, Ty Cobb, Omar Moreno

THURSDAY — 19-Jan

Q.  Which catcher hit baserunner Bobby Bonds on the head with his throw when Bonds stole third base, knocking Bonds out of the game and entitling pinch-runner Gary Nolan to walk home since the ball had ricocheted into the dugout?

Hint: #1  He was the two thousand two hundred and ninety-seventh run batted in… the record.

Hint: #2  He and two Hall of Famers are the only players of the Wall of Honor in Miller Park and of the All-Time Alabama Baseball Team.

A.  CHARLIE MOORE   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Moore’s missile was in the 6^th inning on 07-Sep-1977 in Anaheim.  Bonds was back on the field on 09-Sep.

-  #1  On 03-Oct-1976, Hank Aaron singled in the last RBI of his career.  The runner who score that run was Charlie Moore and it was Aaron’s 2,297^th–the most in MLB history.  [Aaron’s 1^st MLB RBI was Danny O’Connell on 23-Apr-1954.]

-  #2  Moore joins Don Sutton & Hank Aaron as the only 3 members of both organizations.  Where MIL plays is now called American Family Field.  The all-time team from the state of AL was selected in 2014 by readers of AL.com.

FCR -  Tom Veal, Spanaway, Washington

Incorrect guesses:  Earl Williams, Bob Uecker, Biff Pocoroba, Pat Corrales, Ted Simmons, Darrell Porter

FRIDAY — 20-Jan

Q.  Who was the first National League shortstop to win the World Series Most Valuable Player Award?

Hint: #1  He briefly replaced Dennis Eckersley as Tony La Russa’s favorite Eck.

Hint: #2  He once played on a team where his teammates included future Hall of Famers Frank Thomas and Roy Halladay as well as Marco Scutaro, Matt Stairs, Scott Rolen, A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan.

A.  DAVID ECKSTEIN   [YouTube Bio]

-  Ans.  Eckstein was at the top of his game when he won the 2006 WS MVP and…

-  #1  … was extolled regularly during that Fall Classic by his Hall of Fame manager. 

-  #2  Eckstein played 98 G for TOR in 2008 after de facto GM La Russa and the Cards cut him loose.  (St. Louis general manager Walt Jocketty had been fired 3 weeks earlier.)

FCR -  Jason Winston, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Jimmy Rollins, Ozzie Smith, Edgar Renteria

 

SATURDAY — 21-Jan

Q.  Who was the first player to amass four thousand major league at bats as a designated hitter?

Hint: #1  In two of the six seasons where he led his team in doubles he also led the majors in the same category.

Hint: #2  He once achieved a rare statistical combination, previously achieved by only Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein and Joe Medwick.

A.  HAL McRAE   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  His 4,000^th DH AB came in 1983.

-  #1  In 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982 & 1983, McRae was the Royals top doubles man.  With 54 in ’77 & 46 in ’82, he also paced MLB, leading the field by 10 in the former and tied w/Robin Yount in the latter.

-  #2  Putting together a season w/10+ 3b, 20+ HR & 50+ 2B in 1977, McRae hit 11 3B, 21 HR & 56 2B.  Grady Sizemore joined this small group in 2006.

FCR -  Glenn Guzzo, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Incorrect guesses:  Edgar Martinez, Don Baylor, Harold Baines, David Ortiz, Tino Martinez

 

SATURDAY SPECIAL — 21-Jan

Q.  Who was once traded for three future Hall of Famer players back to a team he had previously played for?

Hint: #1  The record for his two-and-a half-year stint as a player/manager showed that it was probably not the career he was cut out for.

Hint: #2  His hit total in his second World Series stood as the record for half a century.

A.  BUCK HERZOG   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 20-Jul-1916, Herzog was traded by CIN w/Red Killefer to NYG for Christy Mathewson, Bill McKechnie & Edd Roush.  Mgr McGraw of NYG traded the feisty Herzog away 3 X & brought him back twice, both times experiencing immediate success.  “I hate his guts, but I want him on my club,” McGraw once said about him.

-  #1  From 1914 to Aug 1916, SS/Mgr Herzog turned in a tepid record of 165-226 for CIN & never finished above 7^th place in the 8-team NL.

-  #2  In the 1912 WS, Herzog had 12 H, a mark finally bested by Bobby Richardson in 1964.  Ironically both records were set in losing efforts.  Richardson’s record 13 H were equaled by Lou Brock/1968 and Marty Barrett/1986.  Their 2 teams also failed to win a WS despite these stellar performances.

FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota

Incorrect guesses:  Maury Wills, Pete Rose, Phil Cavarretta, Rogers Hornsby

 

 

IN MEMORIAM II  — 22-Jan

Q.  Who was the second American League third baseman with two hundred career home runs?

Hint: #1  In four separate seasons he had a higher WAR than his league’s Most Valuable Player.

Hint: #2  He has been the only captain of the team he debuted with.

Hint: #3  He would have won the league’s MVP one year were it not for a talented younger teammate.

Hint: #4  Over one five-year span, his cumulative WAR was the highest in the majors.

Hint: #5  He once earned some bonus cash from his team’s owner just by letting nature take its course.

A.  SAL BANDO   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Among AL 3B, Bando’s lifetime total of 242 HRs trails only Brooks Robinson’s 268.

-  #1  Bando’s WAR exceeded the AL MVP’s WAR in:

1969 – His 8.3 topped Harmon Killebrew’s 6.1;

1970 – His 6.2 topped Boog Powell’s 5.1;

1974 – His 4.9 topped Jeff Burroughs’ 3.6; &

1976 – His 5.8 topped Thurman Munson’s 5.3.

-  #2  In 1969, manager Hank Bauer named the 25-year old Bando OAK’s only official captain, although he debuted with the A’s franchise when they were in Kansas City.

-  #3  Bando trailed only teammate Vida Blue in the 1971 AL MVP Voting.

-  #4  From 1969 through 1973, Bando’s 33.6 WAR was better than even those Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Reggie Jackson & Pete Rose, among others, many others.

-  #5  Lured by normally tight-fisted OAK owner Charles O. Finley’s promise to pay $300 to any of his players who grew a mustache, Bando and all 24 of his teammates took advantage of the offer and grew one in celebration of “Mustache Day”, 18-June-1972. 

FCR -  Philip Guiliano, Chester New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Brooks Robinson

 

WEEKEND BONUS  — 22-Jan

Q.  Which former Bobcat, in the twelfth game of his major league career, was robbed of a grand slam when the ball he’d hit bounced back onto the field?

Hint: #1  His Hall of Fame manager’s early summation was this, "He will be great, super, even wonderful.  Now if he can only learn to catch a fly ball."

Hint: #2  He wore uniform #4 for a New York City major league franchise.

A.  RON SWOBODA   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Attended NYU, whose mascot is a Bobcat.  Near-GS was on 30-Apr-1965 in Crosley Field, Cincinnati, hit off of a plywood extension put in place to protect a road crew working outside.

-  #1  That was NYM mgr. Casey Stengel’s scouting report on Swoboda.

-  #2  Uni #4 retired for New York City teams include Lou Gehrig for NYY, Duke Snider for BRO and Mel Ott for NYG.  The number 4 has not been retired for the Mets, with Swoboda being one of 27 players to wear it with NYM, including Duke Snider, who wore it with the 1963 Mets in his penultimate MLB season. 

FCR -  Joseph Cohen, Holden Massachusetts

Incorrect guesses:  Rusty Staub, Mel Ott, Babe Herman

 

SUNDAY  — 22-Jan

Q.  Which new San Diego Padre’s doubles totals for his first four full consecutive seasons in the majors were neatly divisible by eleven, with no two seasons alike?

Hint: #1  He led the National League in bases on balls one year, but it was in neither of the years his walks were in triple digits.

Hint: #2  Played as a bird yet his nickname is a fish.

A.  MATT CARPENTER   [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Carpenter’s 2B totals w/STL were     2012: 22;

2013: 55;

2014: 33;  &

2015: 44.

In 2021, his 11^th and final season with STL, he hit exactly 11 doubles.  On December 20‑Dec‑2022, he signed as a Free Agent with SDP.

-  #1  Paced the NL in BB w/95 in 2014, but led only STL in 2017 & 2018 with totals of 109 & 102.

-  #2  Played for STL.  Nickname is “Carp”.

FCR -  Sean McCormick, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Mike Schmidt 

 

WEEK’S FINALE  — 23-Jan

Q.  Who was the first player to end a league championship series game by stealing home?

Hint: #1  He hit the first home run in Petco Park.

Hint: #2  He is the only player to compile a consecutive game hitting streak of at least fifteen games in the World Series while appearing for two teams.

A.  MARQUIS GRISSOM   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Grissom’s SB = Bottom of the 12^th, G 3, 1997 ALCS on 11-Oct-1997.  This was properly scored a steal, but may have actually been either a botched suicide squeeze bunt by Omar Vizquel, a passed ball by BAL catcher Lenny Webster, or as contested by irate Oriole manager Davey Johnson, merely a foul tip.  Watch this clip and try to make the call.

-  #1  Petco HR in the 10^th inning 08-Apr-2004.

-  #2  WS H streak = 1995-97, ATL, CLE

FCR -  Matt Van Hoose

Incorrect guesses:  Mark Loretta 

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – Alumni* of colleges with reptile mascots

 

Player                         University                       Mascot                      WAR

Keller......................... Maryland....................... Terrapins.................... 43.8

Carpenter................... TCU............................... Horned Frogs............. 39.2

Rosen.......................... Florida........................... Gators......................... 32.4

Grissom...................... Florida A&M.................. Rattlers....................... 29.6

McRae........................ Florida A&M.................. Rattlers....................... 27.9

Herzog........................ Maryland....................... Terrapins.................... 27.4

Arrieta........................ TCU............................... Horned Frogs............. 22.8

Eckstein...................... Florida........................... Gators......................... 20.9

Alonso........................ Florida........................... Gators......................... 14.2

Coleman .................... Florida A&M.................. Rattlers....................... 12.5

Moore......................... UA Birmingham............. Dragons...................... 10.3

Dibble......................... Florida Southern........... Moccasins.................... 9.3

Swoboda .................... Maryland....................... Terrapins...................... 8.0

 

*A person need not graduate to earn the title alumna or alumnus, but merely to have attended the institution of learning in question.

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Sean McCormick, New York City (After Coleman)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  AL hitters that led the league in OPS at least once

 

Wed    -  Rookies who received MVP votes

 

Sun      -  Players whose nicknames are in movie titles

 

 

 

 

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