MONDAY — 29-Jul
Q. Which Hall of
Famer called and begged to return home and quit the game before his stern father
convinced him to stay and that things would get better?
Hint: #1 The water
tower in his hometown sports a painted with version of his retired uniform
number.
Hint: #2 His future
manager said of him before his first major league game, “He has more speed than
any slugger I’ve ever seen and more slug than any other speedster.”
A. MICKEY MANTLE [SABR Bio]
- Ans. Here’s how Charles “Mutt”
Mantle handled his son’s request.
- #1 Picture here.
- #2 Quote is from Casey Stengel in Yankee spring
training in 1951.
FCR - Evan Thompson,
Mesa
Incorrect guesses: Rickey
Henderson, Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron
TUESDAY — 30-Jul
Q. Who is the only outfielder
to turn an unassisted double play in the World Series?
Hint: #1 He was on
the field, only a few feet away, when the World Series’ only unassisted triple
play was turned.
Hint: #2 Craig
Biggio tied him as the only two twentieth-century players to have fifty doubles
and fifty stolen bases in the same season.
A. TRIS SPEAKER [SABR Bio]
- Ans. In the 9th inning of the 7th G of
the 1912 WS on 15-Oct, Speaker was playing a dangerously shallow CF for BOS when
NYG’s Art Fletcher hit a line drive which Speaker speared then beat baserunner Art
Wilson back to bag at 2nd base.
- #1 In the 5th inning of the 5th G of the 1920 WS on 10-Oct, the Robins (Dodgers)
got consecutive singles from Kilduff &Miller. Pitcher Mitchell stepped up to the plate, hit
a liner to CLE’s 2nd baseman Bill Wambsganss who leaped & snared
the liner with the runners on the move.
Wamby simply stepped on 2nd & tagged a shocked Otto
Miller barreling toward him. The entire
crowd at League Park fell silent for a moment then erupted in cheers. More than a century later it remains the only
unassisted triple play in World Series history.
You can easily intuit who was playing CF for CLE when this occurred.
- #2 Speaker in 1912; Biggio in 1998. https://stathead.com/tiny/lGXjj
FCR - Eric Savage, New York City
Incorrect guesses: Bill
Wambsganss, Hal Trosky, Zach Wheat
WEDNESDAY — 31-Jul
Q. Which Hall of
Famer was born in Alabama, went to high school in New Jersey and attended
college in Pennsylvania?
Hint: #1 He stole
home in the first inning of his first World Series game.
Hint: #2 He played
his final year in the majors for the Chicago Cubs.
A. MONTE IRVIN [SABR Bio]
- Ans. B. 25-Feb-1919 in Haleburg. AL; graduated
from Orange HS in Orange NJ (Newark
Suburb) & attended Lincoln University in the city of the same name in PA.
- #1 In the 1st G of the 1951 WS, NYG’s Irvin stole home off Allie Reynolds & Yogi
Berra, scoring the 2nd R of a 5-2 W over NYY.
- #2 On 27-Nov-1955, Irvin was drafted by CHC from
NYG in the 1955 Rule 5 Draft. He played
111 G for CHC in 1956.
FCR - Stephen
Klatsky, Washington, D.C.
Incorrect guesses: Enos
Slaughter, Joe Sewell, Larry Doby, Jimmy Foxx
MIDWEEK BONUS — 01-Aug
Q. Which
Hall of Famer was known as “El Diablo”?
Hint: #1
He is credited as the first player to wear a helmet in a major league
game.
Hint: #2
He and Martin Dihigo are the only two players to be inducted into the
American, Cuban and Mexican Baseball Halls of Fame.
A. WILLIE WELLS [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. His range was so great and
his hands so fast that opponents, fans & teammates thought he was using
black magic, first attributed to him when he played in Mexico.
-
#1 Wells was beaned in a playoff
G & knocked unconscious. Against
medical advice, he played the next day, but with a construction helmet taped to
his head.
-
#2 Wells was twice MVP of the
Cuban League.
FCR - Joe
Haardt, Bethany Beach, Delaware
Incorrect guesses: Ralph Kiner, Minnie Minoso, Cristobal
Torriente, Orlando Cepeda, Tony Perez
THURSDAY — 01-Aug
Q. Which
Hall of Famer died at the youngest age?
Hint: #1
He was the first player to hit a double and triple in one inning in a World
Series game.
Hint: #2
He was credited with teaching Mel Ott the finer points of playing right
field at the Polo Grounds.
A. ROSS YOUNGS [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Youngs was done in by a
fatal kidney disease in the prime of his baseball career. He was only 30 years, 195 days old when he
died in 1927.
-
#1 2 H in a WS inning = 1921 WS, G 3, 7th inning. NYG entered that inning tied 4-4. They were leading by 8 at the end of it. In fact, he was the first player with 2 H of
any kind in a WS inning.
-
#2 Ott was, needless to say, an
apt student.
FCR - Gabe
Kinstlinger, Reisterstown, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Christy Mathewson, Ed Delahanty, Lou Gehrig,
Josh Gibson, Addie Joss, Roberto Clemente
FRIDAY —
02-Aug
Q. Who
appeared in the Negro League East-West All-Star Game at age forty?
Hint: #1
He is the Negro Leagues career saves leader.
Hint: #2
He was able to tour countries in Asia w/ Lonnie Goodwin's All-Star team
during on off-season.
A. ANDY COOPER [NLBM Bio]
-
Ans. Cooper pitched in the 1936
E-W ASG at 40 years old.
-
#1 Cooper accounted for 69 career
saves in the Negro Leagues.
-
#2 Goodwin’s AS team
visited and played ball in Japan, China & the Philippines in the winter of
1933-34.
FCR - Richard
Klee, North Hollywood, California
Incorrect guesses: Satchell Paige, Double Duty Radcliffe, Joe
Black, Hilton Smith,
SATURDAY — 03-Aug
Q. Which
on-time Chicago Orphan was the first American League pitcher to strike out at
least three hundred batters two seasons in a row?
Hint: #1
In perhaps the first great pitching duel of the Modern Era, he and his
opposite number both pitched every inning until the tie was broken in the 20th. However, he still had enough strength to do
cartwheels on the field after defeating his famous opponent.
Hint: #2
He was the second pitcher ever recorded to throw an immaculate inning.
A. RUBE WADDELL [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Waddell’s Ks = 302 in 1903
& 349 in 1904, for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s. Wadell played for CHC (Now the Cubs) in
1901.
-
#1 Waddell bested BOS’ Cy Young
on 04-Jul-1905. A write-up worthy of the game itself, here.
-
#2 On 01-Jul-1902,
in the 3rd inning, Waddell set down 3 Baltimore Oriole
batters on 9 straight strikes.
FCR - Tom
Veal, Spanaway, Washington
Incorrect guesses: Ed Walsh
SUNDAY —
04-Aug
Q. Who was
the first black player to homer in the American League, hitting it off a former
two-time MVP?
Hint: #1
He won the batting Triple Crown twice in the Puerto Rican Winter League.
Hint: #2
He once homered with his forty ounce bat on a pitch that had bounced.
A. WILLARD BROWN [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Willard hit his historic HR
off Hal Newhouser on 13-Aug-1947(2) in St. Louis. It
was his only HR in the AL.
-
#1 Brown won the PRWL TC in 1947-48
& 1949-50.
-
#2 Brown was well-known for his
heavy bat & for his willingness to swing at pitches well outside the strike
zone.
FCR - David
Serota, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Incorrect guesses: Larry Doby, Hank Thompson, Vic Power, Like Easter
WEEK’S THEME – Hall of
Famers who died in the state of Texas
Decedent Date City WAR
Brown............. 04-Aug-1996............. Houston................. 20.2
Cooper............ 03-Jun-1941............. Waco...................... 25.9
Irvin................. 11-Jan-2016............. Houston................. 32.1
Mantle............. 13-Aug-1995............. Dallas................... 110.2
Speaker........... 08-Dec-1958............. Lake Whitney..... 134.91
Waddell........... 01-Apr-1914............. San Antonio........... 58.4
Wells................ 22-Jan-1989............. Austin..................... 49.5
Youngs............ 22-Oct-1927............. San Antonio........... 32.7
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan
(After Wells)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
- HOF
outfielders
Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research. ⚾️
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