2024-07-01 Triple doubles

 MONDAY  — XX-Mo

Q.  Who played in every New York Yankees/Brooklyn Dodgers World Series game?

Hint: #1  He played under Bill Dickey with Phil Rizzuto.

Hint: #2  He was the only batter to take Don Larsen to a three-ball count during Larsen’s perfect World Series game.

A.   PEE WEE REESE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  The only team Reese played for in the postseason was the Brooklyn Dodgers.  The only postseason games he played were World Series games.  The only postseason opponent he ever played against was the New York Yankees.  He played in 7 WS, 44, WS G, had 46 WS H and took home 1 ring.

1941 - L

1947 - L

1949 - L

1952 - L

1953 - L

1955 – W

1956 - L

-  #1  All 3 men played on the US Navy's WWII team.

-  #2  Reese was the 2^nd batter of the G on 08-Oct-1956.  The count was 3-2 before Reese watched a 3^rd K go by.

FCR -  Kevin Baker, New York City

Incorrect guesses:  Carl Furillo, Yogi Berra, Gil Hodges, Hank Bauer, Duke Snider, Dale Mitchell

 

TUESDAY  — 02-Jul

Q.  Which Pittsburg native played eighteen years in the majors, playing for only one team then became a manager in the majors and managed only that same team?

Hint: #1  He replaced a legend at a legendary position.

Hint: #2  He and his teammates took the meaning of teammate to a whole new level.

A.  BILL RUSSELL   [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  A native of Pittsburg, Kansas, Russell played for (1969-86) and managed (1996-98) LAD.

-  #1  Russell took over at SS for LAD not long after Maury Wills was traded to PIT in 1967.  Wills had been the 1962 MVP & the 1^st ever All-Star Game MVP that same year.  Between Wills’s departure and Russell’s arrival, LAD worked with various other shortstops:  Dick Schofield, Zoilo Versalles, Tommy Dean & Gene Michael.  Wills even returned briefly & Russell began as an outfielder.  Eventually, he was given the opportunity at SS & started Dodger games there 1972-83.

-  #2  Russell was part of an infield with Steve Garvey at 1^st, Davey Lopes at 2^nd & Ron Cey at 3^rd.  Those four played together long enough to inspire poetry.  Read here.

FCR -  Doug Greenwald, San Francisco

Incorrect guesses:  Ossie Bluege, Mel Ott, Red Schoendienst, Danny Murtaugh

 

WEDNESDAY  — 03-Jul

Q.  Cy Young threw the first no-hitter in Red Sox history, but who was the first left-hander to do so?

Hint: #1  He is the last left-handed pitcher to win twenty-five games in one season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hint: #2  A switch-hitter, he is one of history’s best hitting pitchers.

A.  JESSE TANNEHILL   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Tannehill’ no-no:  17-Aug-1904.  Young’s:  05-May-1904.  The team was more commonly referred to as the Boston Americans, mostly to distinguish them from the NL’s Boston Braves.

-  #1  His record was 25-13 in 1898, his first full season in the majors.  The record looks safe for the time being.  For one thing, Paul Skenes is a righty.

-  #2  As a batter, he posted a career .255 batting average (361-for-1414) with 190 R, 55 2B, 23 3B, 5 HR, 142 RBI & 105 BB.

FCR -  Andrew Milner, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Bob Veale, Mel Parnell, Tim Wakefield, Deacon Phillippe

 

THURSDAY  —04-Jul

Q.  Who has the most career hits of any player born in Brooklyn, New York?

Hint: #1  In eight straight seasons of playing fewer than 145 games each, he had more than 200 hits.

Hint: #2  He is forever linked with Pete Rose.

A.  WEE WILLIE KEELER   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Keeler ended with 2,932 H.  Other Brooklyn-born players include Lou Whitaker (2,369), Joe Judge (2,352), Joe Torre (2,342) & Tommy Davis (2,121).

-  #1  His numbers:

Year      G        Hits

1894*   129      219

1895*   131      213

1896*   126      210

1897    129      239

1898    129      216

1899    141      216

1900    136      204

1901    136      202

Avg.     132      215     *League champion (BLN)

-  #2  Keeler had a 44 consecutive G hitting streak for the Orioles to begin the 1897 season.  That mark, still the NL record, was tied by Pete Rose in 1978.  Keeler stands alone for the most G (longest streak) by a lefty.

FCR -  George Sibley, Gloucester, Massachusetts

Incorrect guesses:  Ray Fosse, Pete Browning, Tommy Holmes, Bud Harrelson Ty Cobb, Joe Torre

 

FRIDAY  — 05-Jul

Q.  Who was the Baltimore Orioles’ manager the season shortstop Miguel Tejada set their team record for RBI in a season?

Hint: #1  As a BBTB player, he played fourteen years in the majors and wore the uniform of five different teams.

Hint: #2  The sport he dropped to focus on baseball might have seen him compete in the Olympics.

Hint: #3  His father was a professional piano tuner.

A.  LEE MAZZILLI   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Tejada had 150 RBI in 2004. Mazzilli managed the team in 2004 & the 1^st 107 G of 2005.

-  #1  He played for NYM (2X), TEX, NYY, PIT & TOR.  Although he could throw easily with either hand, Mazzilli took the advice of his professional coaches & settled on just throwing as a righty.  Mets’ director of scouting, had described him this way: “Bats right-left.  Throws right-left.”

-  #2  Introduced to ice skating by his father, Lee became the standout and he won or shared national age-group Long Track national championships 3 X & won a Short Track national title 4 X.

-  #3  Mazzilli’s father, Libero, immigrated with his family to the U.S. from Bari, Italy, where piano tuning was the family trade.

FCR -  Matt Van Hoose, Springfield, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Buck Showalter, Davey Johnson, Hank Bauer, Mike Hargrove

 

SATURDAY — 06-Jul

Q.  Which charming Panamanian batter tied Hall of Famer Max Carey by getting two hits in an inning, twice in one game?

Hint: #1  When he (not Carey) reached free agency stratus, he signed one of the largest contracts that had ever been seen.

Hint: #2 He was an important part of member of a famous baseball “company”.

A.   RENNIE STENNETT  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Pittsburgh’s Max Carey helped his team toward their 1^st WS championship by, in the game on 22‑Jun‑1925, getting 2 H in the 1^st & 8^th innings as they overwhelmed STL 24-6.  Then on 16‑Sep-1975, PIT’s Stennett did the same against CHC at Wrigley Field, this time in the 1^st & 5^th innings.

-  #1  In December 1979, Stennett signed a $3,000,000 5-year contract with SFG.  He would only play 2 of those 5 years.

-  #2  The Pittsburgh Pirates of the 1970s were a dominant offensive force, winning the WS in 1971 and 1979. They and their clubs of white ash became known as “The Lumber Company”.

FCR -  Fred Worth, Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Incorrect guesses:  Rod Carew, Manny Sanguillen, Carlos Lee

 

SUNDAY  — 07-Jul

Q.  Which Reds pitcher from Wyoming led the majors in pitching losses in his second season, but led the world in games finished five years later?

Hint: #1  His son pitched in the majors for seven seasons.

Hint: #2  If we add in his middle name, he becomes over-qualified for this week’s theme.

A.  JEFF RUSSELL   [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Russell played for CIN in 1983 & 1984, the latter being when he took losses 18 X.  Playing for the Rangers in 1989, he racked up 66 GF and led the AL in saves with 38.  He attended and was drafted from Wyoming HS in Wyoming, Ohio, a Cincinnati suburb.

-  #1  His son, James Russell, pitched in relief in the NL 2010-2016.

-  #2  Jeffrey Lee Russell has 3 sets of double letters.

FCR -  John Rickert, Terre Haute, Indiana

Incorrect guesses:  Tom Browning, Dick Ellsworth

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – Triple Doubles:  Baseball names with at least 3 sets total of double letters  in their first and last names as we know them.  (Did we miss any?) 

Wee Willie Keeler............. 54.3

Lee Mazzilli....................... 15.6

Pee Wee Reese................ 68.4

Bill Russell....................... 31.4

Jeff Russell....................... 14.8

Rennie Stennett............... 13.9

Jesse Tannehill................ 47.0

None of them was a bookkeeper from Tennessee, Mississippi or even Tallahassee.  No did any ever even imagine traveling to Woolloomooloo.

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Roger Lipsett, Woburn, Massachusetts

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Most career hits by a Dodger shortstop

 

Sat       -  Players with double letters in both first and last names

 

Sun      -  Players with double (consecutive) letters in both their first and last names

-   Double-Uniques

  

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