2025-07-14 National League Rookie of the Year Award pitcher winner who were also All-Stars in their rookie season

 

MONDAY  — 14-Jul-2025

Q.  Which pitcher struck out two hundred or more batters a season for a record nine straight years?

Hint: #1  He was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award without winning twenty games that season.

Hint: #2  He was the first pitcher to strike out ten consecutive batters in a game.

A.  TOM SEAVER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  From 1968 to1976, Seaver K’d  205 –1968

 

208 – 1969

283 – 1970

289 – 1971

249 – 1972

251 – 1973

201 - 1974

243 – 1975

235 – 1976

-  #1  Seaver’s CYA record in 1973 was 19-10.  Every winner from 1956 to 1972 had at least 20 W.  It wasn’t until 1982 that another starting pitcher won the award with fewer than 20 pitching wins.

-  #2  On 22-Apr-1970, Tom Terrific struck out 9 batters before setting down the final 10 SDP batters of the game.

FCR -  Michael Green, Las Vegas

Incorrect guesses:  Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan

 

 

TUESDAY  — 15-Jul-2025

Q.  Which pitcher broke Herb Score’s record for most strikeouts thrown by a rookie?

Hint: #1  He also holds the record for most career balks in All-Star competition.

Hint: #2  His nickname is one of the most popular ever in professional baseball history.

A.  DWIGHT GOODEN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In 1955 Herb Score struck out 245 to lead the majors and set an MLB rookie record.  Gooden passed him in 1994 w/276 K, again leading the majors.

-  #1  Gooden balked in the 1^st inning of the 1986 ASG, moving Rickey Henderson to 2^nd base.  In the 3^rd inning of the 1988 ASG, Gooden again was caught balking, this time the infraction moved the Paul Molitor down to 2^nd.

-  #2  Gooden is called “Doc” by fans, media and teammates alike.

Here are some baseball players we only know as “Doc”.

Yancey Wyatt Ayers

Albert John Bushong

Roger Maxwel Cramer

James Otis Crandall

Howard Rodney Edwards

Edward Stephen Farrell

Henry Homer Gessler

Wheeler Roger Johnston

John Leonard Lavan

William Riddle Marshall

George Francis Medich*

Roy Oscar Miller

Michael Riley Powers

James Thompson Prothro

Eustace James Newton

William Dennis Scanlan

Guy Harris White

 

Gooden belongs to  a 2^nd group, only call “Doc” occasionally

Sean Doolittle

Bobby Brown*

Roy Halladay

Arthur Irwin

Et al.

 

Both lists are much longer.

 

*Actual MDs!

 

FCR -  Dan Greder, Ames, Iowa

Incorrect guesses:  Sam McDowell, Mark Fidrych, Whitey Ford, Catfish Hunter

 

WEDNESDAY — 16-Jul-2025

Q.  Whose short, four-season career was good enough to keep him in the top dozen career WAR earners of the only franchise he played for?

Hint: #1  In his rookie season, he led his team with a WAR total more than twice that of the runner-up.

Hint: #2  The four votes of a fellow countryman were the only ones that kept his Rookie of the Year win from being unanimous.

A.  JOSE FERNANDEZ  [Wiki Bio]

-  Ans.  Fernandez played for MIA 2013 –2016.

-  #1  His WAR in 2013 was 6.2.  In 2^nd place that year was the newly re-branded Giancarlo Stanton with 2.8.

-  #2  In the 2013 ROY voting, LAD’s Yasiel Puig garnered 4 1^st-place votes.  Fernandez got the remaining 26.

FCR – Jim Lee, La Grange Park, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Lyman Bostock, Mike Trout

 

 

THURSDAY — 17-Jul-2025

Q.  Who is the only outright Rookie-of-the-Year-Award winner to help lead his team to a World Series victory over the Yankees in a full season that same year?

Hint: #1  His own teammate, a likely eventual Hall of Famer, finished well behind him in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Hint: #2  One writer described his windup on the mound as "reminiscent of a spastic squid".

A.  DONTRELLE WILLIS  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  The NL ROY in 2003, he & MIA beat NYY in the Fall Classic that year.

-  #1  Miguel Cabrera, widely expected to be a Hall of Famer (likely in 2029), finished 5^th in that year’s ROY voting.

-  #2  That colorful wording was coined by New York Times writer Alan Schwarz to describe Willis’ distinctive windup.

FCR -  Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Gil McDougall, Nomar Garciaparra, Bob Welch, Josh Beckett, Dwight Gooden, Fernando Valenzuela, Pat Zachry

 

FRIDAY  — 18-Jul-2025

Q.  Who was the first Rookie-of-the-Year-Award winner to help lead his team to a World Series victory over the Yankees that same year?

Hint: #1  Of his rookie starts, over forty per cent were complete games, with more than thirty per cent shutouts.

Hint: #2  He waited until the World Series was over before turning twenty-one.

A.  FERNANDO VALENZUELA  [Special SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In the 1981 shortened season, ROY Valenzuela was one of the mainstays of the LAD squad that beat NYY in the WS, having survived the one-time novel playoff structure.  Pat Zachry, also an NL ROY, helped his Reds sweep the playoffs in 1976.

-  #1  He set a rookie record throwing 8 SHO in his first full season.

-  #2  Valenzuela was born 01-Nov-1960.  The WS final game was played 28-Oct-1981.

FCR -  Denni Walls, Orrington, Maine

Incorrect guesses:  Mark Fidrych, Johnny Podres

 

 

SATURDAY — 19-Jul-2025

Q.  Which former Falcon is the only pitcher to start the All-Star Game in each of his first two seasons in the majors?

Hint: #1  He is a former John Olerud Award winner.

Hint: #2  Two Platinum Glove winners attended the same high school where he was an alum.

A.  PAUL SKENES  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Skenes was the NL’s starter for the ASGs in 2024 & 2025.  He pitched only the 1^st inning each time—2 hitless, scoreless innings.  Skenes pitched for the U.S. Air Force Academy in college.

-  #1  The JOA, awarded to Skenes in 2022, honors the college career of Washington State alum John Olerud, whose prowess on the mound & at the plate is well documented.

-  #2  Skenes attended Jesuit El Toro H.S. in Lake Forest, California.  MLB defensive aces Nolan Arenado & Matt Chapman also claim El Toro as their alma mater.

FCR -  Jim Cochran, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Incorrect guesses:  Orel Hershiser

 

 

SUNDAY — 20-Jul-2025

Q.  Which former White Sox reliever was credited with more than thirty saves in each of his first eight qualifying seasons?  In five of those years, he went over forty and once… fifty.

Hint: #1  After fifteen seasons, pitching for eight major league teams, he rose to fifth on the all-time leader board in career saves.

Hint: #2  His name became a verb.

A.  CRAIG KIMBREL  [Youtube Bio]

-  Ans.  From 2011 through 2018 Kimbrell had 46, 42, 50, 47, 39, 31, 35 & 42 saves.  He pitched for CHW in 2021.

-  #1  As of this writing, Kimbrel had 440 career MLB saves.

-  #2  “To kimbrel” is to mimic Kimbrel’s odd stance when peering in for the catcher’s sign.  If you are unfamiliar with it, click here.  Almost every pitcher has tried kimbreling at one time.

FCR -  Gregory Koch, Falls Church, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  Bobby Thigpen, Hoyt Wilhelm, Rich Gossage, Bobby Jenks

 

WEEK’S THEME – National League Rookie of the Year Award pitcher winner who were also All-Stars in their rookie season.

 

NL Pitcher                ROY          Team       RWAR                                   Career WAR

Fernandez................. 2013......... MIA......... 6.2................ 14.2

 

Gooden...................... 1984......... NYM....... 5.5................ 53.0

 

Kimbrel..................... 2010......... ATL......... 2.5................ 22.4

 

Seaver....................... 1967......... NYM....... 6.0.............. 109.9

 

Skenes...................... 2024......... PIT......... 5.9................ 10.7

 

Valenzuela................. 1981......... LAD........ 4.8................ 41.4

 

Willis.......................... 2004......... FLA........ 3.9................ 19.7

 

Note that Scott Williamson also qualifies for this week.  We will acknowledge him too, but without a question......... 1999......... CIN........... 2.7.......... 8.5

 

 

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Terry Gans, San Carlos, California

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  Hall of Famers who were known by their middle names

 

Tues    -  Mets pitchers who threw a no-hitter for another team

-   Pitchers who won Cy Young younger than 25 years old

-   Best pitchers ever for the Mets

-   Pitchers with the most wins for the Mets

-   Met pitchers that struck out batters in ASG

 

Wed     -  Rookie of the year with the highest WAR

-    

 

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