MONDAY — 19-Jun
Q. Who is the only
pitcher active in 2023 with more than two no-hitters on his résumé?
Hint: #1
He was overwhelmingly voted Rookie of the Year.
Hint: #2
He attended Goochland High School in Goochland County.
- Ans. Pitched
3 no-hitters: 12-Jun-2007 DET vs. MIL
07-May-2011 DET at TOR
01-Sep-2019 HOU at TOR
- #1 ROY
in 2006. Received 26 of 28 votes cast.
- #2 Verlander
was born in the twin villages of Manakin & Sabot in Goochland County in greater Richmond, Virginia.
FCR - Ian
Oliver, Houston
Incorrect guesses: Max
Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Mike
Fiers
TUESDAY —20-Jun
Q. Who became the
first player in major league history to win the World Series, Most Valuable
Player, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger along with batting, runs scored and slugging
titles all in the same season?
Hint: #1 He excelled
in another sort of World Series.
Hint: #2 His uncle played
for six teams in the majors over a fourteen-year
career.
A. MOOKIE BETTS [B-R
Bio]
- Ans. He was with BOS in 2018 when they beat LAD
4-1 in the WS. That year, he hit .346, scored 129 runs &
slugged .640.
- #1 He bowled a perfect game (300) in the World Series
of Bowling in 2017.
- #2 Terry
Shumpert played for KCR, COL, TBD, SDP, CHC & BOS 1990-2003.
FCR - Nick Loret de
Mola, Sacramento
Incorrect guesses: Gary
Sheffield, Mike Schmidt, Derek Jeter, Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson
TUESDAY TWICE —20-Jun
Q. Which tall, amiable
citizen of two countries, was almost a Titan?
Hint: #1 At age seven,
he was placed on a team of nine-year-olds. When he turned nine, he was assigned to play
with the twelve-year-olds.
Hint: #2 A future
teammate prevented his MVP vote from being unanimous.
A. FREDDIE FREEMAN [B-R
Bio]
- Ans. He holds both U.S. & Canadian citizenship. Both of the 6’5”
tall Freeman's parents are from Canada, but he was born in Fountain Valley, California. He signed a letter of intent to play
for neighboring college baseball powerhouse, Cal State Fullerton Titans.
- #1 Obviously had baseball talent right from the
start.
- #2 In 2020, Freeman received 28 of the 30 votes
for NL MVP. Soon-to-be LAD teammate Mookie Betts
received the other 2 that year.
FCR - Jonathon
Symons, Winnipeg
Incorrect guesses: Mike
Trout, Randy Johnson, Dave Winfield, Albert Pujols, Bert Blyleven,
Aaron Judge
WEDNESDAY — 21-Jun
Q. Which former
Yankee outfielder led his league in OPS, OPS+ and led the majors in OBP the season
after he won the Most Valuable Player award where he had led in no
offensive categories?
Hint: #1 His long
dreadlocks spawned popularity days at his home ballpark.
Hint: #2 Among other
kudos, he is a Roberto Clemente Award winner and was an All-Star five times.
Hint: #3 He was also
five times National League Player of the Month; National League Player of the
Week seven times and Players Choice Award for National League Outstanding
Player twice.
- Ans. With PIT in 2013 , McCutchen won the NL
MVP (Very nearly unanimously—Yadier Molin had 2 votes.). In 2014, he led the NL in OPS (.952)
& OPS+ (166) while leading the majors in OBP (.410). Played 25 G for NYY in 2018.
- #1 As reigning
MVP, before the 2014 season, he told the Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review: “It's good to have an
image. I have the hair, but eventually
I'm gonna cut it”. On 25-Mar-2015, McCutchen cut his dreadlocks, which were sold through
MLB's website via auction, with all proceeds benefiting Pirates Charities. McCutchen teased his fans on social media
with a big ‘secret’ before unveiling his new haircut.
- #2 Clemente Award = 2015; NL AS in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015.
- #3 - 5X NL POM (Jun-2012, Jul-2012, Jun-2014,
Aug-2015 & Jun-2017);
- 7X NL
POW (08-Jul-2012; 15-Jul-2012; 15-Jun-2014; 13-Jul-2014; 24-May-2015; 09-Aug-2015);
01-Oct-2017.
- 2X Players
Choice Award for NL Outstanding Player (2012, 2013)
FCR - Andrew Lipsett, Woburn, Massachusetts
Incorrect guesses: Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Dave
Winfield
THURSDAY — 22-Jun
Q. Which
former Tiger won an MVP and then changed teams in the majors four times in the next
six seasons?
Hint: #1
His own teammates criticized him publicly for a controversial remark.
Hint: #2
In high school, he led his baseball team to the state title, hitting
.515 and was named the state’s Player of the Year.
-
Ans. Won MVP w/TOR in 2015 then played for CLE,
ATL, MIN & NYY by 2022. Played for
the Auburn Tigers in college.
-
#1 Fellow Yankees agreed with NYY
& MLB management’s 1-game suspension punishment of Donaldson for his kidding
comment to Tim Anderson/CHW
where, during a game, Donaldson stood on second base after hitting a double
& kidded Anderson about his self-proclamation that he (Anderson) was
“today’s Jackie Robinson”.
-
#2 His mother moved him to Faith Academy in Mobile, Alabama to
reunite him with a friend. Not only did he set multiple school records in
baseball but also holds the school record for interceptions in a year, with 11.
FCR - Tom Nealis, Baltimore
Incorrect guesses: Gary Sheffield, Kirk Gibson, Kevin Mitchell, Denny
McLain, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Willie Hernandez
FRIDAY — 23-Jun
Q. Who won the Home Run Derby Championship the first time
any player hit more than sixty home runs in a single derby?
Hint: #1
In his third season in the majors, he hit a grand slam that left his bat
at 122.3 miles per hour.
Hint: #2
His teammates called him “Bigfoot”.
Hint: #3
He played in the postseason in five different seasons, but never
advanced past the League Championship round.
A. GIANCARLO STANTON [B-R
Bio]
-
Ans. In 2016, at Petco Park, Stanton outlasted the previous
year’s champion, Todd Frazier while hitting 61 HRs. Ironically, Stanton was not selected for the
All-Star team that year.
- #1 On
21-May-2012, Stanton obliterated a 72 mph Jamie Moyer pitch sending
it 438' & knocking out several
lights in the scoreboard.
-
#2 “G”, “Cruz” & “Parmagiancarlo”
are among the other sobriquets he has collected.
-
#3 In 5 consecutive trips to the
postseason with NYY (2018-2022), Stanton’s high-water mark was the 2020 ALDS.
FCR - Rick
Fink, Edison, New Jersey
Incorrect guesses: Ken Griffey, Jr., Pete Alonzo, Josh Hamilton,
Jim Thome
SATURDAY — 23-Jun
Q. Who was the first player in MLB history
to homer in the Wild Card, Division Series, League Championship Series and
World Series in the same postseason?
Hint: #1
He and
only one other player have won Most Valuable Awards for different teams before
their thirtieth birthdays.
Hint: #2
His one hundredth career home run was a grand slam.
A. BRYCE HARPER [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. In 2022, Harper went deep in the WC, NLDS, NLCS
& WS—off STL’s Miles Mikolas, ATL’s
Dylan Lee, SDP’s Yu Darvish & HOU’s Lance McCullers Jr. respectively.
-
#1 Harper earned MVPs for WAS/2015 (unanimous at age 22) &
for PHL/2021 (age 28). Barry Bonds was the 1st when he won
the awards in PIT/1990, 1992 (age 25, 27) & SFG/1993 (age 28).
-
#2 GS for #100 on 14-Apr-2016.
FCR - Dan Travers, Wilton,
Connecticut
Incorrect guesses: Freddy Freeman, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Schmidt,
Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Giancarlo Stanton
SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL— 23-Jun
Q. Who was the first American League rookie
to hit a walk-off grand slam home run?
Hint: #1
His mother chose his
trademark uniform number.
Hint: #2
He led the majors in runs batted in and total bases in a shortened
season.
Hint: #3 A Hall of Famer, shortly before his passing,
gave this player some laudatory words.
A. JOSE ABREU [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. Abreu walked off the Rays in grand style on 25-April 2014. The only rookie to
do that before Abreu was PIT’s Danny Kravitz who on 11-May-1956 made his 1st MLB HR a stat to remember—it transmogrified
a 3-run deficit into a 6–5 victory.
Kravitz only had 9 additional HR in his 5-year MLB sojourn.
-
#1 Abreu wears jersey No. 79, a number more common to football than
baseball, because his mother, Daysi, suggested he pick that number when he was
growing up in Cuba because they "were unusual, would stand out &
scouts would remember whoever wore it.”
It is now the only number he’s ever worn. Only 17 other big leaguers have ever worn #79. No White Sox or Astro player did before
Abreu.
-
#2 Led MLB w/60 RBI
& 148 TB in pandemic-shortened 2020.
-
#3 Minnie Minoso, who passed away at age 90, remarked about his
then 28-year old friend & Cuban compatriot: “Jose is a gentleman and a
baseball lover. He doesn't act superior.
Other guys make a lot of noise. He's a regular guy who lets his bat do the
talking.”
FCR - Brett
Moore, Studio City, California
Incorrect guesses: Aaron Judge, Mark McGwire
SUNDAY — 23-Jun
Q. Who
was the first major leaguer to have three home runs and two doubles in the same
game?
Hint:
#1 His father passed on to him batting tips he had received from
Ted Williams.
Hint:
#2 Following his rookie season, he received a prestigious award—the same one
that had been given to Britney Spears the year prior.
A. KRIS BRYANT [B-R Bio]
- Ans. Bryant’s
5 XBH G came on 27-June-2016. Ironically, after a century & a half was
needed to produce the 1st set of these single-game stats, they have
subsequently been posted by Matt Carpenter (2018), Alex
Dickerson (2020) & Adolis
Garcia (2023).
- #1 Bryant’s father, Mike
Bryant, had been a minor league outfielder w/BOS. During training camp with the big club,
Williams imparted some of his considerable hitting knowledge. It didn’t help him enough (career .204 BA in 2 single-A seasons), but Mike taught his kid a bit about rotational mechanics learned from the “Kid”. Generously, Kris later imparted some of those same tips to his wife Jessica & (then unborn) son Kyler from his home batting cage.
- #2 Bryant
& fellow Las Vegan Bryce Harper received the Las Vegas Key to the City from
Mayor Carolyn Goodman in 2016
following Bryant’s unanimous ROY 2015 year. Singer Britney Spears had received the same in 2015.
FCR - Matt
Monitto, Bristol, Connecticut
Incorrect
guesses: Albert Belle, Shawn Green, Josh
Hamilton
WEEK’S
FINALE
— 24-Jun
Q. Who
had the worst batting average in one year of any former Most Valuable Player in
major league history (minimum 250 At Bats)?
Hint:
#1 He played on a team that included three other former MVPs and
four Cy Young Award winners.
Hint:
#2 He was the
first rookie in major league history to record ten home runs in a span of ten games.
A. CODY
BELLINGER
[B-R Bio]
- Ans. Bellinger, winner of the NL MVP in 2019,
hit a paltry .165 in 2021. The record
was previously held by Elston Howard (1963
AL MVP) who managed just a .178 average in 1967.
- #1 The 2021 Dodgers
roster included Bellinger (2019 NL MVP), Mookie Betts (2018 AL MVP), Albert
Pujols (NL MVP 2005, 2008, 2009), Clayton Kershaw (2014 MVP & CYA),
Max Scherzer (2013 AL CYA + 2016 and 2017 NL CYA), David Price (2012 CYA) &
Trevor Bauer (2020 NL CYA). The Dodgers
were the first team to ever have 4 of each award winner on the same team. Alas,
this congregation of greatness finished in second place in the NL West in 2021,
behind the 107-game winning San Francisco Giants.
- #2 Bellinger’s streak ran from 10-Jun
to 20-June-2017,
during which his OPS was an off-the-charts 1.565.
FCR - John Salvino, Denver
Incorrect
guesses: Adam Dunn, Sandy Koufax, Jim Konstanty,
Zoilo Versalles, Mike Schmidt, Mark McGwire
WEEK’S THEME – Players
active in 2023 who won a league MVP then played for another team(s).
MVP Lg/Year Team Current WAR
Abreu................. AL 2020.......... CHW............. HOU.......... 30.8
Bellinger............ NL 2019......... LAD.............. CHC.......... 19.2
Betts.................... AL 2018.......... BOS.............. LAD.......... 59.0
Bryant................ NL 2016......... CHC.............. COL........... 28.8
Donaldson........... AL 2015.......... TOR.............. NYY........... 46.8
Freeman.............. NL 2021......... ATL............... LAD........... 52.4
Harper................ NL 2015......... WSN............. PHI............ 43.2
McCutchen......... NL 2013........... PIT................ PIT.*........... 48.2
Stanton................ NL 2017......... MIA............... NYY........... 44.7
Verlander........... AL 2011.......... DET........... ... HOU.......... 77.9
*Played for SFG, NYY, PHI & MIL before reurning ro PIT.
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Joe Cohen, Holden, MA (After
McCutchen)
Incorrect theme guesses:
Mon - Pitchers who struck out 300 or more in a season but did NOT lead the MLB in K's that year.
Tues - Active MLB Player of the Year award winner
- Former regular-season MVP’s who played in the 2022 postseason
Wed - Regular-season MVPs who played in the 2018 playoffs
Sat - Players who won MVP awards in past decade.
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