2024-07-22 Players with WAR ratings 5.0 or more above the MVPs of the same year

MONDAY  — 22-Jul

Q.  Whose uniform number was the first one ever retired?

Hint: #1  Of the six highest single-season RBI totals in recorded major league history, three (3!) are his.

Hint: #2  He accumulated at least 100 RBI in thirteen consecutive seasons.

A.  LOU GEHRIG  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Gehrig’s uniform #4, one of the first ever assigned, was designated never to be given to any other Yankee.  Other teams & even other sports have adopted the tradition as a way of honoring the memory of their all-time greats.  NYY has now frozen in time the uniform numbers of an additional 22 former Yankees.

-  #1  His 185 RBI in 1931 is the highest ever for a first baseman, for an American League player & for a left-handed batter.  Here are the top 24 places on that list.

-  #2  Gehrig’s accomplishments as a player can be overwhelming.

FCR -  Gary Moore, Walker, Michigan

Incorrect guesses:  Babe Ruth

 

 

TUESDAY  — 23-Jul

Q.  Which player tied Don Mattingly and Dale Long for hitting a home run in the most consecutive games?

Hint: #1  He and two Hispanic players set a record when three members of the five hundred-home-run club played in the same game.

Hint: #2  His brother was drafted out of Ohio State University and played as high as AAA in the minors.

A.  KEN GRIFFEY Jr.   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Each hit HR in 8 straight G.  Griffey 20- to 28-Jul-1993.  Dale Long, did it for the Pirates, 19- to 28‑May-1956.  Mattingly’s HR streak was 08 to 18-Jul-1987.

-  #1  On 11-Jun-2005,Raphael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa & Jr. all played in the G in Cincinnati when the Reds thrashed the Orioles 10-1.

-  #2  Craig Griffey,3 years younger than Jr., played professional baseball from 1991 to 1997.

FCR -  Steve Klitzner, North Miami Beach

Incorrect guesses:  Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Dale Long

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 24-Jul

Q.  Who broke Jerry Walker’s record for the youngest player ever to appear in an All-Star game? 

Hint: #1  In his first three seasons in the majors, he struck out 744 batters.

Hint: #2  He once lasted only a third of an inning in a postseason game.

A.  DWIGHT GOODEN   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  When he started the 1959 ASG for the AL, Jerry Walker was 20 years old.  Gooden was 19 years, 7 months & 24 days old on 10-Jul-1984.

-  #1  In 1984-86, Gooden had 276, 278 & 200 K.

-  #2  Pitching for CLE on 30-Sep-1998 in G 2 of the ALDS, Gooden K’d former MVP Mo Vaughn, the G’s 4^th batter.  It was the only batter Doc retired that day.

FCR -  Jeff Freedman, Westwood, California

Incorrect guesses:  Clayton Kershaw, Jackson Merrill, Kerry Wood, Wade Miley, Catfish Hunter

 

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  — 24-Jul

Q.  Who was the first Yankee outfielder to win the American League Most Valuable award in consecutive seasons.

Hint: #1  He only won one batting title and only won one RBI title, but his timing was exquisite.

Hint: #2  He hit the most AL home runs during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower, but it a was a different presidential family that would have more influence on him later in life.

A.  MICKEY MANTLE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Mantle was AL MVP in 1956* & 57.  Catcher Yogi Berra had won in 1954 & 55.

-  #1  In ’56, he won the Triple Crown, but he didn’t just lead the AL in the 3 categories, he led the majors in each.  He hit .353 & had 130 RBI to go with his 52 HR.  He did have 3 additional HR titles, 37, 42 & 40 in 1955, 58 & 60.  He famously had 54 HR in 1961, 7 behind the leader.

-  #2  Mantle homered 284 X while President Eisenhower was in office 1953-61 (behind only the 313 of the NL’s Eddie Mathews).  In 1993 Mantle was admitted to the Betty Ford Center for alcohol rehabilitation.  Betty Ford was the first lady when her husband, Gerald Ford, was U.S. president.

FCR -  Judah Kaplan, Teaneck, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses:  Roger Maris, Joe DiMaggio

*Unanimous

 

THURSDAY  — 25-Jul

Q.  Who established an all-time major league record in the game where the opposing team also set an all-time record?

Hint: #1  He holds the American League record for most time elapsed between BBWAA MVPs.

Hint: #2  His brother became a successful baseball personality/commentator on television.

A.  CAL RIPKEN   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 14-Sep-1987, after 8,264 continuous innings of game play, Cal was lifted from the game.  Why would he be no longer needed on defense?  Because the Orioles’ opponent that day was the Toronto Blue Jays who had already hit 9 HR to set a 1-G record.  Fred McGriff added a 10^th and the record still stands.

-  #1  Ripken was the AL MVP in 1983 & again in1991, an 8-year gap.

-  #2  Billy Ripken is known to most who watch the MLB TV channel

FCR -  Stefan Grossman, Bethesda

Incorrect guesses:  George Brett, Robin Yount, Jose Canseco, Joe DiMaggio

 

 

FRIDAY — 26-Jul

Q.  Who was the first Yankee after Joe DiMaggio to collect at least one hundred runs batted in each of five consecutive seasons?

Hint: #1  He was the first member of the three thousand hit club with a thousand hits in each league.

Hint: #2  He holds the career record for hitting the most doubles in All-Star competition.

A.  DAVE WINFIELD   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Winfield’s 100+ RBI:  1982-86, 106, 116, 100, 114 & 104 respectively.  (DiMaggio 1936-42, the 1^st 7 seasons of his career.)

-  #1  He had 1,134 H in the NL w/SDP then 1,976 H in the AL w/NYY, CAL, TOR, MIN & CLE.  Albert Pujols now also meets those same criteria.

-  #2  Winfield was an All-Star 12 X, 4 in the NL, 8 in the AL.  He hit 7 2B in total.  Cal Ripken has 3 & is tied for 2^nd w/8 others.

FCR -  Bill Lewers., McLean, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Johnny Mize, Roberto Alomar, Mark Teixeira, Paul O’Neill, Tim Raines

 

 

SATURDAY — 27-Jul

Q.  Who was the first pitcher traded after leading his team in wins for the previous seven years then in the very first season following the trade, led the majors in wins?

Hint: #1  He led the majors four times in complete games.

Hint: #2  He has been honored with a statue outside a stadium and by having a postage stamp printed with his likeness.

A.  FERGIE JENKINS   [SABR Bio]

Ans.  Jenkins was traded on 25-Oct-1973 by CHC to TEX for Vic Harris and Bill Madlock.  From 1967 thru 1973, Jenkins posted season’s win/loss records of 20-13; 20-15; 21-15; 22-16; 24-13; 20-12; & 14*-16, each time the best record on the Cubs’ staff.  With TEX in 1974, his record was 25-12.  *3-way tie

-  #1  .  Jenkins led MLB complete G with 20, 24, 30 & 29 in 1967, 1970, 1971 & 1974 respectively.

-  #2  The statue is outside Wrigley Field & was unveiled 20-May-2022.  The stamp has a face value of 59¢ Cdn. & was first issued 01-Feb-2011 in Chatham, Ontario.

FCR -  Gordon Schrage, Park City, Utah

Incorrect guesses:  Cy Young, Tom Seaver, Catfish Hunter, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay, Greg Maddux, Pete Alexander, Cy Young, Lefty Grove, Steve Carlton, Gaylord Perry

 

 

WEEKEND BONUS — 27-Jul

Q.  Which Hall of Fame five-hundred-home-run club member fell short of the Mendoza Line as a rookie?

Hint: #1  He later had five seasons in a row when he earned a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award.

Hint: #2  The timing of retirement raised a few eyebrows.

Hint: #3  Stadium equipment was not always his friend.

A.  MIKE SCHMIDT  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Schmidt hit .196 in his rookie season, only bumping up to.197 when his 1972 “cup-of-coffee” numbers are figured in.  His career HR total is 548.

-  #1  From 1980 through 1984, Schmidt was a complete player, being honored for his defense & his offense.

-  #2  Schmidt left the majors for good after the last out of the 1989 ASG on 11-Jul in Anaheim.  He announced decision to retire several weeks earlier to the surprise of most.

-  #3  In a G in Houston’s Astrodome in 1974, Schmidt hit what he thought felt like a certain HR.  When it fell as a single, he realized that his blast had hit equipment in the stadium’s ceiling.

FCR -  Mike Rice, Seattle

Incorrect guesses:  Ivan Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Lefty Grove, Barry Bonds

 

 

SUNDAY  — 28-Jul

Q.  Who finished in the Top Three in Cy Young Award voting ten (10!) times?

Hint: #1  He is the most recent ,and only the second pitcher in the Expansion Era, to have a twenty-win season with three different franchises.

Hint: #2  He won back-to-back Cy Young Awards for the first time since Jim Palmer did it.

A.  ROGER CLEMENS  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Clemens finishes 2^nd in CYA voting in 1990* & 3^rd in 1992* & 2005*.  However, he also finished 1st in 1986**, 1987*, 1991*, 1997*, 1998* **, 2001 & 2004.

-  #1  He had seasons of 24-4 (1986), 20-9 (1987) & 21-6 (1990) w/BOS; 21-7 (1997) & 20-6 (1998) w/TOR; 20-3 (2001) w/NYY.  Gaylord Perry had done it w/SFO, CLE & SDP.

-  #2  Clemens CYAs = 1986-87, 1998-99.

* WAR leader

** Unanimous

FCR -  Tom Howell, Reno

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – Players with WAR ratings 5.0 or more above those of the specific BBWA MVPs.

 

Year   MVP……………’s WAR     Leader’s - WAR          Delta

1934... Mickey Cochrane..... 4.5........ Gehrig........ 10.5...... 6.0

1955... Yogi Berra................ 4.5........ Mantle.......... 9.5...... 5.0

1971... Joe Torre................. 5.9........ Jenkins..... 11.8...... 5.9

1974... Steve Garvey........... 4.4........ Schmidt....... 9.8...... 5.4

1979... Willie Stargell........... 2.5........ Winfield....... 8.3...... 5.8

1984... Willie Hernandez..... 4.8........ Ripken....... 10.0...... 5.4

1985... Willie McGee............ 8.2........ Gooden....... 13.3...... 5.1

1992... Dennis Eckersley..... 2.9........ Clemens...... 8.8...... 5.9

1996... Juan Gonzalez......... 3.8........ Griffey.......... 9.7...... 5.9

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan (after Mantle)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  Players with the fewest strikeouts in a 40-plus HR season

 

Wed     -  HOFers with last name beginning with G

-   Players who debuted before turning 20

-   Youngest NY award winners

 

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