Sunday, November 24, 2024

2024-11-18 Pitchers active in 2024 with at least 115 career wins

MONDAY  — 18-Nov

Q.  Which former Monarch pitcher has the same pre-game meal before every start?

Hint: #1  He is one of the oldest pitchers to win a Cy Young Award after undergoing Tommy John Surgery.

Hint: #2  He still holds the all-time strikeouts record for both his university and the school’s athletic conference.

A.  JUSTIN VERLANDER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  He reportedly orders 3 crunchy tacos, a Mexican pizza & a large Mountain Dew.  He pitched for the Old Dominion University Monarchs.

-  #1  He won the CYA at age 39 in 2022—a year after the famous medical procedure.  It was his 3rd CYA.

-  #2  Verlander still holds the career strikeout record for ODU w/427 K in 335 ⅔ innings. This is also the all-time K record for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) & for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

FCR -  Matt Van Hoose, Springfield, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Chris Sale, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Andy Pettitte

 

 

TUESDAY  — 19-Nov

Q.  Which Tiger was selected as Conference Pitcher of the Year five years before he played for Detroit?

Hint: #1  He has been the starting pitcher for the American League All-Star team and thrice been the starting pitcher for the National League All-Star team.

Hint: #2  He struck out at least ten batters in a game ten times in each of five straight seasons.

A.  MAX SCHERZER  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Scherzer pitched for U. of Missouri Tigers and  & won his POY 2005.  He joined DET in 2010.

-  #1  Started for AL AS 2013.  Starter for the NL AS team 2017, 2018, 2021.

-  #2  10+K/G = 2015 (11X); 2016 (13X); 2017 (15X); 2018 (18X); 2019 (11X);

FCR -  Steve Charnick, Ocean, New Jersey

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 20-Nov

Q.  Which Dodger lefty led the majors in ERA for four consecutive seasons?

Hint: #1  The lowest seasonal ERA of his career fell short of qualifying for the league or MLB title because an injury prevented him from pitching the thirteen additional innings he needed.

Hint: #2  He once struck out all fifteen batters in a five-inning perfect game in his senior year in high school.  The game was shortened by the Mercy Rule, but not before he added a grand slam himself.

A.  CLAYTON KERSHAW  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Kershaw led all qualifying pitchers in the majors with the lowest ERA from 2011 through 2014 with season totals of 2.28, 2.53, 1.83 & 1.77.

-  #1  His sparkling ERA of 1.69 in 2016 fell short of the number of innings needed to be in the running.  He had 149 IP but needed 162.  He was affected by a back injury that put him on the disabled list multiple times that season.

-  #2  Attended Highland Park H.S. in a suburb of Dallas.  Watch his 15-K H.S. gem a of a playoff G against NW HS in Justin, TX.

FCR -  Frank Ittner, Silver Spring Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Sandy Koufax, Waite Hoyt, Jim Bunning

 

 

THURSDAY  — 21-Nov

Q.  Which high school pitching star made an ursine decision even though he had been drafted in the first round?

Hint: #1  He chooses peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before every start.

Hint: #2  His teammate & roommate in college became a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher in the majors.

Hint: #3  Solid evidence exists that he was a Yankee fan when he was younger.

A.  GERRIT COLE  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Cole was drafted 28th by NYY in the 2006 June Amateur Draft.  He chose instead to become a UCLA Bruin.  His stock rose dramatically there as he was selected #1 overall in 2011 by PIT.

-  #1  He is a self-proclaimed “foodie” & is not shy about his preference for West Coast food.

-  #2  At UCLA, Cole roomed with Trevor Bauer.

-  #3  Click here for evidence.

FCR -  John Burbridge, Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Andrew Saalfrank, Shane Bieber

 

 

FRIDAY  — 22-Nov

Q.  Which Hoosier led the majors in innings pitched and games started in the pandemic-shortened year of 2020?

Hint: #1  He has been an All-star in each league.

Hint: #2  He holds the single season and career strikeout records for his D-1 university.

A.  LANCE LYNN  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Lynn pitched 84 innings & started 13 G.  Lynn was born in Indiana.

-  #1  Was an NL AS w/STL in 2012 & an AL AS w/CHW in 2021.

-  #2  Playing the University of Mississippi, Lynn set the record for Ks in a season (146) & in a career (332).

FCR -  Daniel O’Connor, Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania

Incorrect guesses:  Happy Felsch

 

 

SATURDAY  — 23-Nov

Q.  Who was the first Cincinnati Reds pitcher since 1900 to throw ten strikeouts in his MLB debut?

Hint: #1  He is famous for the variety of arm angles, pitching speeds and number of different types of pitches he can deliver effectively.

Hint: #2  His wind-up(s) appears to be a tribute to Luis Tiant, Fernando Valenzuela and Hideo Nomo all at once.

A.  JOHNNY CUETO  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  On 03-Apr-2008, Cueto had a perfect game through 5 innings & got the W.  His K total of 10 set the new mark for a rookie’s debut G in MLB.  He matched fellow countryman Juan Marichal whose debut had only 1 H + 10 or more Ks.

-  #1  Watch him here.

-  #2  Cueto seen here.

FCR -  Mahnoor Hissam, Lahore, Pakistan

Incorrect guesses:  Ewell Blackwell, Tom Seaver, Hunter Greene

 

 

SUNDAY — 24-Nov

Q.  Which one-time Phillies’ starting pitcher is the active leader in most batters hit by a pitch?

Hint: #1  In eleven of his seventeen major league seasons he is in double figures in number of batters hit by a pitch he threw.  In four of those, he led the league.

Hint: #2  He has a ring from World Series in each league.

A.  CHARLIE MORTON  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Morton’s HBP lead of 186 is significantly ahead of Johnny Cueto’s 120, 2nd on the list.

-  #1  He led his league in HBP in 2013 (16), 2014 (19), 2017 (13) & 2018 (16).

-  #2  Morton played for the 2017 World Series-winning Houston Astros & in 2021, he was with the Atlanta Braves who won it all.

FCR -  Jason Winston, Riverside, California

Incorrect guesses:  Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton Curt Schilling

 

 

 

WEEK’S FINALE  — 24-Nov

Q.  Which pitcher reached two thousand career strikeouts in the fewest innings?

Hint: #1  The first season he reached three hundred strikeouts, he led the majors.

Hint: #2  He won his first Cy Young Award the first year he led his league in Earned Run Average.

A.  CHRIS SALE  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Sale reached 2,000 career strikeouts in 1,626 innings pitched, breaking Pedro Martínez' record of 1,711⅓ innings.

-  #1  In 2017, Sale struck out 308 batters pitching in his first year with BOS.  That same season, he led MLB in IP (214), ERA+ (2.45) & K/9 (12.9) & came in 2nd in CYA voting.

-  #2  Sales’s ERA in 2024 was 2.38 which also led MLB.  He also led everybody in W (18), W/L% (.857), ERA+ (174), HR/9 (0.5) & K/9 (11.4).  Awarding him the NL CYA seemed like an easy decision.

FCR -  Anthony Zydlewski, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan

 

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – Pitchers active in 2024 with at least 115 career wins

 

Player             Wins         IP              Years

Cole................. 153.......... 1,954........... 12

Cueto.............. 144.......... 2,256⅓........ 17

Kershaw......... 212.......... 2,742⅔........ 17

Lynn................ 143.......... 2,006⅓........ 13

Morton............ 138.......... 2,125⅔........ 17

Sale................. 138.......... 1,958⅓........ 14

Scherzer......... 216.......... 2,878........... 17

Verlander........ 262.......... 3,415⅔........ 19

 

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

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  Players to win the pitcher’s Triple Crown and win Cy Young unanimously in The same season

 

Tues    -  Pitchers who won exactly 3 Cy Young awards

 

Sun      -  Pitchers who led the league in both starts & innings pitched in the SAME season at least once

-   Oldest active pitchers

-   Active pitchers with World Series rings and a top-3 Cy Young finish

 

 

 

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