Monday, July 15, 2024

2024-07-08 Silver Slugger batters who say their hitting was improved after being coached by hitting guru Walt Hriniak

 MONDAY  — 08-Jul

Q.  Who has the highest career major league batting average of all living players?

Hint: #1  He was the most recent batter to have the American League’s top batting average for at least five seasons.

Hint: #2  He is the only Red Sox player with at least seventy multi-hit games in a season.

A.  WADE BOGGS   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Boggs’s career BA is .328, [.3279 –Rod Carew’s is .3278 & Honus Wagner’s is .3276.] 39th all-time.  He recently turned 66 years old.

-  #1  Boggs hit .361, .369, .357, .363 & .366 in 1983, 1985-88.

-  #2  72 X in 1985, Boggs had at least 2 H per G.

FCR -  Steven Coleman, Belleville, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Mookie Betts, Terry Forester, Manny Ramirez, Luis Aparicio, Ichiro Suzuki

 

 

TUESDAY — 09-Jul

Q.  Which one-time Baltimore Oriole was the first player to hit the very first pitch of a season for a home run?

Hint: #1  He won as many Gold Glove Awards for defense in the outfield as Barry Bonds, Andre Dawson or Jim Edmonds.

Hint: #2  Although he is often remembered for his defensive acumen, he had more extra-base hits in the 1980s than any other major leaguer.

A.  DWIGHT EVANS   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 07-Apr-1986, Evans began his 15th season in the majors by coming to bat against future Hall of Fame pitcher Jack Morris.  The 1st pitch of the season was quickly deposited into the Tiger Stadium seats.  Watch here.  After 19 years w/BOS, Evans spent his 20th & last season playing for BAL.e found

 

 

 

 

 

-  #1  All 4 OF players won 8 GG each, as did Paul Blair, Alex Gordon & Garry Maddox.

-  #2  From 1980 thru 1989, Dewey had 605 EBH to lead all major leaguers.

FCR -  Jack  Minnis, Laurel, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Paul Blair, Eddie Murray, Brady Anderson Cal Ripken Al Bumbry, Bobby Grich

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 10-Jul

Q.  Who was the first player to hit more than sixty home runs after he turned forty?

Hint: #1  He was the first unanimous American League Rookie of the Year award winner.

Hint: #2  He was the first player to hit no triples in a full season the year after he had led the league in that category.

A.  CARLTON FISK   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Fisk hit a total of 72 HR over the 6 seasons he played after his 40th birthday.

-  #1  ROY in 1972.  The only unanimous ROYs before Fisk were in the NL:  F. Robinson, Cepeda & McCovey.  Since ’72 each league has had 11 more each.

-  #2  Fisk led the AL with 9 3B in 457 AB in 1972.  In ’73, with 508 AB, he hit nary a one.

FCR -  Dan Silverberg, Aventura, Florida

Incorrect guesses:  Henry Aaron, Barry Bonds, Jimmie Foxx, Jen Griffey Jr

 

 

THURSDAY — 11-Jul

Q.  Who is the only American League player to amass four hundred total bases in a season since Joe DiMaggio did it in 1937?

Hint: #1  In his first game after being declared a regular starter on his team, he hit the longest home run ever measured at Milwaukee's County Stadium.

Hint: #2  He holds the all-time record for grounding into the most double plays in one major league season.

1.     A.  JIM RICE   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Rice had 406 TB in his MVP year, 1978.  No AL batter has reached the 400 level in any of the 45 seasons since.  DiMaggio had an amazing 418 in 151 G in 1937.

-  #1  On 02-Jul-1975(1) in “Cream City”, Rice launched a HR (estimated at nearly 500’) off Brewers’ Bill Castro in the 3rd inning with 2 on, breaking the scoreless tie.  Rice hit a solo HR 2 innings later.

-  #2  Rice had 36 GIDP in 1984.  He threatened to break it the following season but, alas, fell short with 35.

FCR -  Jesse Asbury, Noman, Oklahoma

Incorrect guesses:  Jimmie Foxx, Albert Pujols, Albert Belle, Willie Horton, Joe Torre

 

 

FRIDAY  — 12-Jul

Q.  Who hit the history’s first regular-season major league home run in the month of March?

Hint: #1  He racked up more home runs than any other player in the 124-year history of his franchise.

Hint: #2  He led the league in walks in four of the first five full years of his career.

A.  FRANK THOMAS   [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Thomas provided all his team’s R for the G when he teed-off on fellow Hall of Fame‑member‑to‑be Randy Johnson in the 1st inning on 31‑Mar‑1996 as his CHW fell to SEA 3‑2.

-  #1  Thomas’ 448 HR leads all White Sox batters.  His career total is 521, tying Ted Williams and Willie McCovey on the career HR list.

-  #2  Thomas led in BB w/138, 122, 109 & 136 in 1991, 1992, 1994 & 1995.

FCR -  Jack Minnis, Laurel, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Ryan Zimmerman, Jim Thome, Ted Williams, Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds

 

 

SATURDAY — 13-Jul

Q.  Who is the first player to finish a major league season with more RBI than hits that year?

Hint: #1  Coach on an opposing team is quoted as saying, “He hit a pop-up against us one day that went so high… all nine guys on our team called for it.”

Hint: #2  He holds the record for the most consecutive at-bats without hitting a triple.

Hint: #3  The day after this player hit his five hundredth career home run, Tony Gwynn got his three thousandth career hit.

A.  MARK MCGWIRE   [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  In 1999, McGwire produced 147 RBI w/only 145 H playing for STL.  Max Muncy jad had a similar year too.  In 2023, he had 105 RBIs w/102 H.

-  #1  Quote from Marlins coach Rich Donnelly, about McGwire.

-  #2  4,618 days after his triple off Teddy Higuera on 20-Jun-1988, McGwire next made it to 3rd in 1 AB on 02‑Aug‑1999 off Trevor Hoffman.  It was his 6th & final 3-bagger.

-  #3  McGwire’s hit the 500th of his career 583 HR on 05-Aug-1999.  Gwynn collected the 3,000th of his 3,141 H in Montreal on 06-Aug-1999.  [Coincidence?  You be the judge!]

FCR -  Gabe Kinstlinger, Reisterstown, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Gary Sheffield., Manny Ramirez., Eddie Murray, Frank Thomas, Harmon Killebrew, David Ortiz, George Brett

 

SUNDAY — 14-Jul

Q.  The White Sox have had the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB June Amateur Draft only once where they picked a player whose career WAR was not negative.  Who was that pick?

Hint: #1  He was granted Free Agency an amazing four times by the same major league team.

Hint: #2  He holds the record for the most years between seasons of one hundred runs batted in.

A.  HAROLD BAINES   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Baines was the #1 overall pick, right out of high school in 1977.  His career WAR was 38.8.  CHW’s only other #1 overall pick was Danny Goodwin in 1971 who spent 7 years in the majors, retiring with a -1.7 WAR.

-  #1  Baines received the gift of Free Agency from BAL 4X: 

            01-Nov-1993;

            20-Oct-1994;

            06-Nov-1995; &

            29-Oct-1997.

-  #2  Baines had 113 RBI for CHW in 1985.  Didn’t have another 100+ until playing for BAL & CLE w/103 in 1999—a 14-year stretch.

FCR -  Patrick Roth, Chicago

Incorrect guesses:  Dick Allen, Frank Thomas, Raul Ibanez, Chris Sale

 

 

 

WEEK’S THEME –Silver Slugger batters who say their hitting was improved after being coached by hitting guru Walt Hriniak

 

Player                         WAR            SS

Boggs.......................... 91.4............ 8

Thomas....................... 73.8............ 4

Fisk.............................. 68.5............ 3

Evans.......................... 67.2............ 2

McGwire...................... 62.1............ 3

Rice............................. 47.7............ 2

Baines......................... 38.8............ 1

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Not a soul.

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  Players who played in the longest professional game

 

Tues    -  Players with cool mustaches

 

Wed     -  Players who won the 10th Man Award for the Red Sox

 

Thur     -  Boston No. 1 picks

-   Most games played as a Red Sox

-   Boston Red Sox players who were drafted out of high school

-   Members of the Boston Red Sox HOF who were drafted out of high school

 

Fri        -  First-round picks with > 40 career WAR

 

 

 

If you know someone who would enjoy receiving daily Horsehide Trivia questions, they need only drop an email message to horsehidetrivi@aol.com.

 

Click here => THIS WEEK to see this week’s quiz, compete with questions, answers and even the incorrect guesses.

 

Scroll back to see previous Horsehide Trivia posts as far back as 2010.  Quizzes before that may also be available upon request.

 

 

Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.  ⚾️

No comments:

Post a Comment