MONDAY — 04-Sep
Q. Which
slugger led the majors in WAR in four of his first five complete seasons? (In the fifth, he only led his league.)
Hint: #1
He is the youngest member of the thirty/thirty “club”.
Hint: #2
The secret to his success is possibly found in his briny pre-game snack.
- Ans. Trout’s
WAR rating from 2012 to 2016 of 10.5, 8.9, 7.7,
9.6 & 10.5, is jaw-dropping to say the least.
- #1 In
his rookie season of 2012, Trout hit 30 HR & had 49 SB—record level for
rookies.
- #2 Trout
eats pickles before every game.
FCR - Cliff Beiser, Kissimmee, Florida
Incorrect guesses: Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Bonds, Barry Bonds,
Jose Canseco, Ronald Acuna, Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols
TUESDAY — 05-Sep
Q. Which Hall of
Famer was the first player in organized baseball to hit sixty home runs in one season?
Hint: #1 He was the first
player to appear with teams in different leagues in consecutive World Series.
Hint: #2 Scouts were
reluctant to pursue him as a player because it was known he was epileptic.
A. TONY LAZZERI [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Hit 60 HR for PCL’s AA Salt Lake City Bees in
1925.
- #1 Played for NYY in 1937 and CHC in 1938 (facing his old team).
- #2 Ed Barrow signed him in spite his epilepsy
diagnosis. The condition affected
Lazzeri only a couple of times during his career.
FCR - George Alfano,
Redlands, California
Incorrect guesses: Babe
Ruth, Joe Hauser, Dick Stuart, Bill Skowron, Lou Gehrig, Sadaharu Oh
WEDNESDAY — 06-Sep
Q. Which pitcher was
named to the Pac-12 All-Century Baseball Team, along with Randy Johnson,
Jack McDowell, Mike Mussina and Tom Seaver, to name a few?
Hint: #1 He was unbeaten
in his first twenty professional starts including seven in the majors.
Hint: #2 He was
drafted by the Cubs and Indians and signed by the Angels and Rangers.
A. TIM LINCECUM [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Pitching for the University of Washington
Huskies, Lincecum, was also joined on this honorary team by pitchers, Mark Appel,
Trevor Bauer, Dave Berg, Mike Leake, Mark Prior & John Olerud.
- #1 Starts were in the minors in 2006-07 & in
w/SFG in 2007.
- #2 Drafted by the CHC late in 2003 & by CLE in 2003 but signed with
neither. In 2016, he signed as a free
agent w/LAA, but released at the end
of the season & signed in 2018 by TEX, but didn’t make tit
again to the majors.
FCR - Joe O’Neill,
London, Ontario
Incorrect guesses: Mark
Prior, Dave Berg
THURSDAY — 06-Sep
Q. Which
Phillie led the majors in home runs in four of his first six years with the
team?
Hint: #1
His career OPS+ is tied with Honus Wagner’s which is ahead of those of Nap Lajoie,
Ralph Kiner and Willie Stargell, to name a few notables.
Hint: #2
He once killed a seagull during a game.
A. GAVVY CRAVATH [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Led MLB 1913, 1914, 1915
& 1917 w/19, 19, 24 & 12. He also led the NL twice more.
- #1 Cravath’s 151 OPS+ (tied for 37th) finished ahead of
Lajoie’s (150), Kiner’s (149) & Stargell’s (147).
- #2 In a game in southern California, he hit a
high-arcing ball that killed a gull in flight.
His nickname “Gavvy” is a corruption of the Spanish word for seagull (gaviota).
FCR - John
Rickert, Terre Haute, Indiana
Incorrect guesses: Ryan
Howard, Ed Delahanty, Mike Schmidt, Harry Davis, Dave Winfield,
Dick Allen, Jim Thome
THOR’s DAY — 07-Sep
Q. Whose record for his franchise’s best
single-season fielding percentage at third base did Platinum Glove winner Matt
Chapman break?
Hint: #1
Partly because of how often
manager Bobby Cox used him as a pinch hitter, he now owns the franchise career
record for pinch-hits.
Hint: #2
He shared fielding duties at third base with reigning MVP George Brett.
A. RANCE MULLINIKS [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. In 2022 Chapman’s fielding .988
% at the hot corner eclipsed the 37-yer-old mark of .975 set by Mulliniks in 1986.
-
#1 Mulliniks holds the Blue
Jays franchise career record for most pinch hits (58), many of which also
occurred under manager Cito Gaston.
- #2
Mulliniks played in 4 G at 3rd base for KCR in 1981.
FCR - John
Rickert, Terre Haute, Indiana
Incorrect guesses: Lenny
Harris, Dane Iorg, Kelly Gruber,
FRIDAY— 08-Sep
Q. Which
of Babe Ruth’s namesakes pinch-hit for him in Ruth’s major league debut?
Hint: #1
He and two teammates formed an outfield trio so respected that they
became known collectively as “The Golden Outfield”.
Hint: #2
An important piece of baseball real estate was named for him.
A. DUFFY LEWIS [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Ruth was the starting
pitcher 11-Jul-1914 & was the winning
pitcher. By the 7th inning,
however, Ruth was tiring and Duffy was called to bat for him. Duffy singled. Ruth’s and Lewis’ birth names are both
George.
-
#1 The “Golden Outfield” consisted of Lewis, Tris
Speaker & Harry Hooper.
- #2 During his time as a LF w/BOS, Fenway Park
featured a 10'-high mound forming a steep
incline in front of the LF wall. Duffy mastered
the obstacle so well that it was nicknamed "Duffy's Cliff". Cartoons
depicted him as a mountain climber making catches amid sheep & snowcaps. (Couldn’t
find one.) The mound was reduced in 1934
& eliminated following the 2004 season.
FCR - Michael
Shea, Dublin, Ireland
Incorrect guesses: Babe Dahlgren, Tris Speaker
SATURDAY — 09-Sep
Q. Who was the last pitcher to bat as high as seventh
in a major league batting order? (BSO)
Hint: #1
His mother was his mentor developing his baseball skills.
Hint: #2
He developed his unique
high-kick delivery to fool his friends.
A. DONTRELLE WILLIS [Wiki Bio]
-
Ans. A strong hitter with a decent .244 career batting average and
28 XBH in less than 400 lifetime ABs, Willis came to bat in the 7 hole on 02-Oct-2005. [We’ve
eliminated Shohei Otani from questions like this for the time being. Otherwise…]
-
#1 Willis was raised by his mother Joyce Harris, an iron worker
who had played high-level softball. She taught
him baseball as well as any coach could.
He wrote his mother’s name inside his distinctive flat-billed cap.
-
#2 He used to play a simple game of “strikeout” throwing a tennis ball at a strike zone painted on a wall. Batters used broomsticks on offense. Needing something more to different to
deceive his buddies, Willis developed a high-kicking
delivery & added a twist to it
which made the ball appear to come out of his sleeve. Willis parlayed his funky wind-up into a
Rookie of the Year Award, two All-Star nods, a runner-up finish in a Cy Young
Award voting & a World Series ring.
FCR - Glen
Vasey, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Incorrect guesses: Warren Spahn, Fernando Valenzuela, Clayton Kershaw,
Ken Brett, Luis Tiant, Shohei
Ohtani, Adam Wainwright, Juan Marichal
SATURDAY SPECIAL — 09-Sep
Q. Which
major league manager was the victim of the most famous player uprising?
Hint: #1
For one game he was the equal of famed career .300 hitters Ty Cobb and
Bobby Veach.
Hint: #2
He played in the majors for a decade and Sam Crawford, Babe Ruth and Bill
James were some of his more famous teammates.
A. OSSIE VITT [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Vitt became manager of CLE
in 1940, but by his 3rd season at their helm, his
public sarcasm & his constant deriding of the players reached the boiling
point. A group of his players revolted. They privately begged team owner Alva Bradley
to get rid of their mean-spirited manager. They claimed that the tactless Vitt had
destroyed their morale & weakened their incentive to play well. When word of their plea became public,
however, fans started referring to the club as the Cleveland Crybabies, also calling
them a “bawl team” & throwing baby bottles onto the field during
games. Despite the drama, CLE lost the AL pennant by just 1 G. Vitt
was fired at season’s end.
-
#1 Batting right in front of teammates
Cobb & Veach on 30-July-1917, all 3 batters had 5 H each. This was Vitt’s high-water in
a career that saw him hit .238 with a mere 4 career HR in 4,523 PAs.
-
#2 Vitt was also teammates with Hall
of Famers Herb Pennock, Waite Hoyt, Harry Hooper, Harry Heilmann,
Hughie Jennings & Sam Crawford,
FCR - Dave
Raglin, McLean, Virginia
Incorrect guesses: Hughie Jennings, Leo Durocher, Steve O’Neill,
Lou Boudreau, Rogers Hornsby
SUNDAY — 10-Sep
Q. Which one-time Baltimore Oriole’s first major
league assignment was to pinch run for a pinch-hitter?
Hint:
#1 This Clemente- and Emmy-Award winning
speedster learned to switch hit in the minors.
Hint:
#2 The American League leader in stolen
bases year by year was Hall of Famer Rickie Henderson from 1980 to 1991
except for this player who broke the string and led in SB in the AL in 1987.
A. HAROLD
REYNOLDS [Wiki
Bio]
- Ans. On
02-Sep-1983,
Reynolds ran for slugger Ken Phelps who had just walked after batting for
Spike Owen. Renolds made it to 3rd
base on Tony Bernazard’s double, but was stranded there as the G ended.
- #1 Reynolds
was the recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award in 1991 & Emmy Awards for his
broadcasting skills on the MLB channel.
Switch hitting is usually learned in one’s youth. Learning it as an adult and effectively
enough use it successfully in the major would take enormous athletic ability, not
to mention determination.
- #2 Reynolds
swiped 60 bags in 1987. Henderson had
fallen to 41.
FCR - Greg Gits, Glen Ellen, Illinois
Incorrect
guesses: Alan Wiggins, Tim Raines,
Rickey Henderson
WEEKEND
BONUS —
10-Sep
Q. Who hit two triples in a World Series game
where he was the starting and winning pitcher?
Hint:
#1 He is the only lefthanded pitcher to
have a twenty-win season for the Brooklyn Robins.
Hint:
#2 He’s the one of Babe Ruth’s teammates
who was said to “out carouse” him.
A. DUTCH
RUETHER [SABR
Bio]
- Ans. In
the infamous 1919 WS, Ruether pitched all 9 innings of G 1 over CHW. He tripled in the 4th & 8th,
but also singled & drew a BB while scattering 6 H in a 1-R W.
- #1 The
NL squad based in Brooklyn, NY were called the Robins from 1915 through 1931
while their manager was the redoubtable Wilbert
Robinson. In 1922, Ruether put
together a record of 21‑12 for the reigning NL champs.
- #2 Ruether and Ruth roomed and partied
together as 1926 & 1927 Yankee teammates. Reuther’s antics may have led, in part, to the
end of his NYY & major league careers.
(Ruth apparently wasn’t slowed down at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
FCR - John Rickert, Terre Haute, Indiana
Incorrect
guesses: Nap Rucker, Dazzy Vance
WEEK’S
FINALE— 10-Sep
Q. Which one-time San Diego Padre was the first
National League player to win the Tony Conigliaro Award?
Hint:
#1 Broadcasting the 1983 All-Star game, Joe
Garagiola said, “Dickie Thon. He could be
the shortstop of the 1980s. He is a tre-MEND-ous
ballplayer!”
Hint:
#2 He was born in the U.S., his native language
is Spanish but his name means tuna in French.
A. DICKIE
THON [SABR
Bio]
- Ans. Thon
won the award playing for PHI in 1981
- #1 Broadcasters and coaches predicted a bright,
long future for Thon. Please watch video.
- #2 He
is Puerto Rican at heart and that is where he now resides with this family.
FCR - Joe Cohen, Holden, Massachusetts
Incorrect
guesses:
WEEK’S THEME – Select players
of note who played professional baseball on a teams in Salt Lake City,
Utah.
Player SLC MLB
Cravath...................... 1921, PCL AA.................. 1908-20.. 33.0
Lazzeri....................... 1922-25, PCL AA............ 1926-39.. 47.7
Lewis.......................... 1921-24, PCL
AA............ 1910-21.. 20.2
Lincecum.................... 2016, PCL AAA............... 2007-16.. 19.5
Mulliniks.................... 1978-79, PCL AAA.......... 1978-92.. 17.0
Reynolds................... 1983-84, PCL AAA.......... 1983-94.. 15.8
Ruether..................... 1915-16, PCL AA............ 2017-27.. 29.1
Thon.......................... 1977-80, PCL
AAA.......... 1979-93.. 23.9
Trout.......................... 2012, PCL AAA............... 2011-23.. 85.1
Vitt............................. 1922-25,
PCL AA............ 2012-21.... 5.4
Willis.......................... 2013, PCL AAA............... 2023-11.. 19.7
Additional professional baseball teams in and
near Salt Lake City include the
- Lagoon Farmers (1901);
- White Wings in 1901;
- Elders (1903-1904);
- Fruit Pickers (1905);
- Mormons (1909); and
- Skyscrapers (1911-1914)
However no sufficiently
interesting players could be found on these teams to merit inclusion in these
week’s theme, even though that was the original intent.
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Joe Cohen, Holden, Massachusetts
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tues - Select players who have stolen a base in
games in which they hit for the cycle (Super Cycle)
Fri - Players of note
who played for the Salt Lake Bees in the Pacific Coast League
- Players of note who played in the Pacific
Coast League after their major league debut
- Players of note who played in the minor
leagues for a Salt Lake City team
- Notable MLBers who played for Salt Lake City
in the minors
Sat - Players of note who have played in the Pacific
Coast League
- Players of note who have played baseball for
teams from Salt Lake City
Sun - Major league ballplayers who have played on
teams from Salt Lake City
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