MONDAY — 19-Feb
Q. Which former
Tiger was the MVP of the All-Star Game the only time it was played in a National
League park in a nation’s capital?
Hint: #1 He became
the first high school sophomore to win the USA Baseball Player of
the Year Award.
Hint: #2 He is from
a state that is home to only one Hall of Famer and today’s player is in the top
three players from there in most career offensive categories.
A. ALEX BREGMAN [B-R
Bio]
- Ans. Bregman was ASG MVP in 2017 at Nationals
Park in Washington DC.
He lasted until the semi-finals in the Home Run Derby that same
year. The MLB ASG had been played in Washington
in 1937 & 1956 in Griffith Stadium; 1962 in D.C. Stadium & 1969 in RFK Stadium (D.C. Stadium renamed),
all hosted by the AL Washington Senators.
ASG MVP was first awarded in 1962.
No MLB ASG was ever played in Ottawa.
Bregman played collegiately for the LSU Tigers.
- #1 Bregman was a sophomore at the Albuquerque Academy in 2010. The USA B PYA is awarded
annually.
- #2 Bregman, who many consider to be yet in the 1st
half of his playing career, ranks among New Mexico
natives, 2nd in doubles, stolen bases, OPS & slugging. He is 3rd in R, H, HR, RBI &
WAR.
FCR - Michael Ortman,
Clermont, Florida
Incorrect guesses: Brandon
Inge, Bryce Harper, Bill Madlock Al Kaline
TUESDAY — 20-Feb
Q. Which Hall of
Fame qualified former Rookie of the Year played twenty years in the majors, was
an All-Star nine times, has three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, a World Series Ring and
has won the Roberto Clemente Award yet did not have sufficient votes to get
into the Hall of Fame?
Hint: #1 He has more
career hits than Jimmie Foxx, Luis Aparicio or Reggie Jackson; more home runs
than Duke Snider, Cal Ripken or Al Kaline; more RBI than Rogers Hornsby,
Harmon Killebrew or Willie McCovey.
Hint: #2 He is a
member of the elite 300/300 “club”.
Hint: #3 He is the
first player this century to play every inning of an All-Star game.
A. CARLOS BELTRAN [B-R
Bio]
- Ans. He ought to make it very soon. In 2023 he was on 46.5% of HOF ballots cast
& this year received 57.1% of possible votes. A player needs 75% for HOF election.
- #1 Beltran’s stat totals: 2,725 H; 435 HR; & 1,587 RBI.
- #2 With 312 SB & 435 HR, Beltran joins 7 others with 300 of each.
- #3 Beltran played all 9 innings of the 2006 ASG in Pittsburgh. He had a single and double on 4 AB & also
reached on an error.
FCR - Dan Greder, Ames,
Iowa
Incorrect guesses: Lou
Whitaker, Andre Dawson, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield,
Reggie Sanders, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Howard, Bobby Abreu
WEDNESDAY — 21-Feb
Q. Which former
Tiger lent his bat to Fernando Tatis with which Tatis then hit two grand slams
in one inning?
Hint: #1 He received
MVP votes in each of his first five seasons in the majors.
Hint: #2 He still
holds the consecutive-game hitting streak for one of the teams he played for.
A. ERIC DAVIS [SABR Bio]
- Ans. In L.A. on 23-Apr-1999, STL’s Tatis performed
his monumental
feat with the aid of Davis’ bat. Davis did not play in that game. Davis spent 1993 & 1994 w/DET/.
- #1 Davis received NL MVP votes in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 & 1990. Only once in that
streak was he even in the top 10, but it did show that his outstanding
consistency which was noticed by many.
- #2 Davis’ 30-G hitting streak in 1998 from 12-Jul to 15-Aug is the best in
Baltimore Oriole history. The top
hitting streak for the franchise, however, is held by SLB’s George Sisler whose
41 gamer came in 1922, the year he hit .420
& won the AL MVP.
FCR - Jesse Asbury,
Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses: Kirk
Gibson, Ivan Rodriguez, Placido Polanco
THURSDAY — 22-Feb
Q. Whose
jaw-dropping World Series catch and throw from the outfield did NOT result in a
triple play because replay wasn’t a thing yet.
Hint: #1
Only four others from his country have made it to the majors.
Hint: #2
He finished his playing career with the Brewers after having played for
the Diamondbacks.
A. DEVON WHITE [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Watch the play here; Watch tag here & here… also interesting.
-
#1 Chili Davis was the first Jamaican
to be named an MLB All-Star in 1984. White was next in 1989. Here are all
the Jamaicans.
-
#2 White played for MIL in 2001 & ARI in 1998.
FCR - Jonathon
Symons, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Incorrect guesses:
THURSDAY BONUS —
22-Feb
Q. Who
is the only pre-expansion player to hit at least thirty home runs in each of
his first two full seasons?
Hint: #1
A future Hall of Famer was paid $10,000 to change positions so this
rookie could play regularly.
Hint: #2
Sammy Sosa broke his record for most home runs hit in a calendar month.
-
Ans. He hit 35 in his rookie
season 1937 then 33 in 1938.
-
#1 Hank Greenberg had been the
Tigers’ first baseman since 1933. York
was brought up as a catcher, but in his first full season at that position, 1938,
his 10 passed balls led the majors. Greenberg ended up in OF with York at 1B.
-
#2 York set the record with 18HR
in August of 1937. That figure stood for
6 decades until Sosa hit 20 in June in 1998.
FCR - Michael Schneider, Wilmington, Delaware
Incorrect guesses: Mel Ott, Tony Conigliaro, Jimmie Foxx, Joe
DiMaggio, Al Simmons, Mickey Mantle
FRIDAY — 23-Feb
Q. Who
was the last player to collect an extra-base hit in each of four consecutive
innings?
Hint: #1
It might however, have been the year before when he had his career day
at the plate.
Hint: #2
He once advanced to first base on a passed ball after being struck out
by a Hall of Fame pitcher on the pitcher’s 3,000th career strikeout.
A. LARRY PARRISH [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Parrish did his damage in
Atlanta on 30-Jul-1978 when hit a double in
the 2nd inning & HR in the 3rd off ATL’s Tommy Boggs. He then hit HRs in each of innings 4 & 5
off reliever Craig Skok.
-
#1 On 29-May-1977 in St. Louis, Parrish
went 5-for-5 with 3 HR, 5 R & 5 RBI.
-
#2 In the 4th inning on
the 4th
of July, 1984, Parrish whiffed, as 2,999 had done before him, on a knuckleball
thrown by Yankees starting P Phil Niekro. The pitch that had eluded Parrish also eluded
C Butch Wynegar & Parrish made it to 1st. Parrish advanced to 3rd, but was
stranded when teammate Donnie Scott became Niekro’s 3,001st
K.
FCR - Peter
Dupuis, Hooksett, New Hampshire
Incorrect guesses: Kole Calhoun, Fred Lynn, Shawn Green, Lou
Gehrig,
SATURDAY — 24-Feb
Q. Who
tied Jim Gentile for most grand slams in one calendar year by an American
League batter?
Hint: #1
After an All-American career as a quarterback in college, he turned down
offers from the NFL’s Chicago Bears and the AFL’s New York Titans to pursue his
baseball career.
Hint: #2
He had the game- and Series-winning hit in the final game of the last
World Series ever played without other postseason series preceding it.
A. JIM NORTHRUP [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. BAL’s Gentile had 5 GS in
1961, tying the NL’s Ernie Banks mark of 5 in 1955. Northrup tied them in 1968, hitting 2 of his GS
in 1 G! His 5th one, however came in the
WS. The regular season AL batter who
tied Gentile actually passed him—Don Mattingly with 6 in 1986. Mattingly was later tied by Travis Hafner in
2006.
#1 At small Alma College, Northrup not only excelled there in football and
baseball, but was a forward on the basketball team, ran track & golfed. His great love was baseball. He signed with DET in 1961.
-
#2 Northrup hit a triple over the
head of 7-time Gold Glove-winning CF Curt Flood, off reigning 1968 WS MVP Bob
Gibson in the 7th inning, driving in Norm Cash & Willie
Horton. Divisional play with
accompanying postseason playoff games began in 1969. Flood, one of the finest fielding CF of his
era, is unfortunately remembered more for this misplay than the rest of his
sterling 15-year career in the majors.
FCR - Obrey
Brown, Tallassee
Incorrect guesses: Nom Cash, Bill Freehan, Willie Horton, Joe
Carter, Mickey Stanley
WEEKEND BONUS — 24-Feb
Q. Who
was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine after playing
in only thirty-two major league games?
Hint: #1
He said he “…almost threw up” the first time he heard himself being interviewed
on the radio.
Hint: #2
After his MLB career, he coached baseball in Korea.
A. SHANE SPENCER [Wiki Bio]
-
Ans. Spencer was no doubt on that
cover because he had hit 12 HR in his first 73 at bats in 27 regular season + 5
postseason G in his 1st season with NYY before the SI issue was released on 12-Oct-1998.
-
#1 Spencer was the victim of a
hoax when an imposter gave an ESPN radio interview where the imposter made
several incendiary claims about Yankee teammates. Details here.
-
#2 Korea story here.
FCR - Kevin
Baker, New York City
Incorrect guesses: Clint Hurdle, Stephen Strasburg, Mark
Fidrych, Chan Ho Park, Jerry Royster, Matt Williams, Joe Charboneau
SUNDAY —
25-Feb
Q. Which
German native was able win a Triple Crown by choosing not to sign a major
league contract?
Hint: #1
He played three stints for his hometown team.
Hint: #2
He was one of the victims of a famous unassisted triple play.
A. MIKE BLOWERS [Wiki Bio]
-
Ans. Blowers was born in Wurzburg,
Germany into a U.S. military family.
When drafted by SEA in 1984, he chose to play for
the University of Washington & in his only season there, won the Triple Crown
in the PAC-10 North Division. His
glowing numbers at Yew-Dub were .383 BA, 16 HRs, 59 RBIs. He was then selected by MON in the 1986 draft.
-
#1 Blowers grew up in a suburb of
Tacoma, Washington and played for SEA 1992, 93, 94 & 95; then in 1997; & finally ending
his MLB career with them in 1999.
-
#2 In the 6th inning on
08-Jul-1994, BOS’s SS John
Valentin’s UTP retired Blowers & Keith Mitchell by catching Marc
Newfield’s line drive, stepping on 2B where Blowers had left and tagging Keith
Mitchell who had run almost all way from 1B to 2B as Valentin jogged cooly back
to the dugout. Watch it here. (Valentin fans like to point out that he was
he first player to turn a UTP & hit for the cycle. Troy Tulowitzky, another SS, is the only
other one to accomplish both feats.)
FCR - Mark
Neuman, Haddonfield, New
Jersey
Incorrect guesses: Heinie Zimmerman, Jake Stahl
WEEK’S THEME – Non-Hall
of Fame players who hit three grand slams in a calendar month
Beltran....... NYM....... 16-, 18-, 30-Jul-2006................. 70.1
Blowers...... SEA......... 03-, 14-, 18-Aug-1995................. 4.3
Bregman.... HOU........ 03-, 24-, 29-Jun-2023................ 35.4
Davis.......... CIN......... 01-, 03-, 30-May-1987............... 36.1
Northrup.... DET......... 24-(2X), 29-Jun-1968................ 22.1
Parrish....... TEX......... 04-, 07-, 10-Jul-1982................. 15.6
Spencer...... NYY........ 18-, 24-, 27-Sep-1998.................. 4.9
White......... MIL......... 10-, 15-, 20-May-2001............... 47.3
York.......... DET......... 16-, 22-, 30-May-1938............... 31.6
Hall
of Famer who also did it
Mike
Piazza..... LAD........ 09-, 10-, 24-Apr-1998........ 59.5
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent Whitehall, Michigan (After
Davis)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tues - Members
of the 2017 Astros
- 2017
Astros with the most "total correct bangs" in the sign-steal
scandal.
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