2025-09-22 Players whose first three major league hits were home runs

MONDAY  — 22-Sep-2025

Q.  Who was the first player to compile four 30/30 seasons in a five-year span?

Hint: #1  He was the fastest player in MLB history to record 200 homers and 200 stolen bases.

Hint: #2  He passed Duke Snider on the career home run list, but he is about to be overtaken by Mike Trout.

A.  ALFONSO SORIANO  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Year        HR    SB        Team

2002...... 39...... 41       NYY

2003...... 38...... 35       NYY

2004...... 28...... 33       TEX

2005...... 36...... 33       TEX

2006...... 46*.... 41       WSN

*Franchise record

-  #1  He hit both water marks in 929 games.

-  #2  Snider  ended with 407 HR; Soriano, 412; Trout has 403, but has 5 more years on hits contact.

FCR -  Jim Cochan, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Incorrect guesses:  Andre Dawson

 

 

TUESDAY  — 23-Sep-2025

Q.  Which player collected the most RBI in a game, while driving in all of his team's runs in that game?

Hint: #1  He is the official record-holder for the most GWRBI in one American League season.

Hint: #2  He once hit an inside-the-park grand slam at Fenway Park.

A.  MIKE GREENWELL  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 02-Sep-1996, Greenwell was 4 for 5 w/2 R & 9 RBI, in 10 innings.

-  #1  The game-winning RBI (GWRBI) was used in MLB from 1980 to 1988, as "the RBI that gives a club the lead it never relinquishes."  Greenwell had 23 such in 1988.

-  #2  INTP GS = 01-09-1990

FCR -  Michael Schneider, Wilmington, Delaware

Incorrect guesses:  Jim Bottomley, Bill Buckner

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 24-Sep-2025

Q.  Who is the only Colorado Rockies batter to lead the National League in strikeouts this century?

Hint: #1  He ghosted an organization that sent him to play for the Ghosts.

Hint: #2  He passed Alex Rodriguez as the fastest shortstop to reach one hundred career home runs.

A.  TREVOR STORY  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Story’s 191 K paced the Senior Circuit in 2017.

-  #1  Drafted by COL in the 1^st round in 2011, Story spent his 1^st 47 games as a professional playing for the Ghosts of Casper, Wyoming.  He left COL for BOS after the 2021 season.

-  #2  Story’s century homer came in his 448^th career game, faster than Alex Rodriguez (470 g).

FCR -  Carter Doney, Provo, Utah

Incorrect guesses:  Vinny Castilla, Troy Tulowitziki, Mark Reynolds

 

 

THURSDAY  — 25-Sep-2025

Q.  Which player’s fan base often attends home games prepared to spell out his name, with a concerted competition to be the hyphen?

Hint: #1  His 0-for-sixteen at the start of his rookie year was not an accurate representation of things to come.

Hint: #2  One wag said of him, “He’s so white, he’s translucent!”

A.  PETE CROW-AMSTRONG  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Not unique, but rare enough in baseball.

-  #1  His career started with a bang once he began hitting.

-  #2  PCA does have an extremely light complexion.

FCR -  Stephen Wright, Naperville, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Mookie Betts, D’Angelo Jimenez, J J Redick

 

 

FRIDAY  — 26-Sep-2025

Q.  Which catcher improved his chances for the majors from Draft no. 834 in the 27^th round to no. 12 overall in the first round by playing in college for three years?

Hint: #1  He participated in MLB playoffs every year from 2015 through 2021, with three separate teams.

Hint: #2  A two-time All-Star and a Double-Unique, is on the extended squad of a current postseason-qualified team.

A.    YASMANI GRANDAL  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Originally taken in the 27^th by WS Champs BOS to 12^th in 2010 by CIN who added a signing bonus of $2,000,000.  He played for the University of Miami between draft events and is now in the school’s Sports Hall of Fame.

-  #1  2015-18:  LAD; 2019:  MIL; 2020-21 CHW. 

-  #2  An AS in 2015 & 2107; He is under contract with BOS.  Click here for Double-Uniques explanation.

FCR -  Jim Williams, West Allis, Wisconsin

Incorrect guesses:  Jonathon Lucroy, Dave Henderson, Rick Monday 

 

 

SATURDAY  — 27-Sep-2025

Q.  Which outfielder for the World Series champion Oakland A’s, had been the first ever draft choice of another franchise?

Hint: #1  In his first full season, he and his fellow outfielders each had double figures in home runs.

Hint: #2  His debut in the majors was as a pinch-runner.  He promptly stole second, flashing the speed he would be known for.

A.  BILLY CONIGLIARO  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  He won a ring for his minimal action, 48 games, with the 1973 A’s.  Conigliaro was the Red Sox’ choice in MLB’s debut draft in 1965.   He was in the first round, the 5^th overall.

-  #1  In 1970, the BOS OF team showed Tony C. w/36, Reggie Smith w/22 & Billy w/18 HR.  The WS-winning Orioles were the only other AL team that could match that outfield power that year.

-  #2  Billy’s debut was in the 12^th .  He made it to 3^rd base & would have been the winning run had his teammate not hit into a double play.

FCR -  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Incorrect guesses:  Rickey Henderson, Dave Henderson, Steve Henderson

 

 

SUNDAY  — 28-Apr-2025

Q.  Who subbed for Gary Sanchez when the Yankee catcher was sidelined with an injury?

Hint: #1  He was once traded for the player who is now baseball’s most handsomely compensated.

Hint: #2  He was the catcher in a perfect game.

Hint: #3  He hit a home run on a pitch that was the slowest ever thrown in the Statcast era.

A.  KYLE HIGASHIOKA  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Higashioka’s debut was replacing Sanchez in 2017 after a single game in the minors.

-  #1  In December 2023, NYY traded Higashioka, Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Randy Vásquez & Jhony Brito to SDP for Juan Soto & Trent Grisham.

-  #2  On 28-Jun-2023, Higashioka caught Domingo Germán's perfect game.

-  #3  On June 12-Jun-2022, Higashioka hit a home run on a 35.1 miles per hour pitch off of first baseman Frank Schwindel who came in to pitch in the eighth inning.  It was the slowest pitch hit for a home run since the debut of Statcast in 2015.

FCR -  Matt Clairmont, New Minas, Nova Scotia

Incorrect guesses:  Francisco Cerveilli

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – Players whose first three major league hits were home runs

 

Batter                            Team                          Dates               Career HR

Armstrong*................. CHC...... 25-Apr-+14-Jul-2024   [Uh-oh!]........ 12

Conigliaro................... BOS................ 16-,17-Apr-1969.................. 40

Grandal*...................... SDP............. 30-Jun-+02-Jul-2012............. 194

Greenwell.................... BOS......... 25-,26-Sep-,01-Oct-1985......... 130

Higashioka*................ NYY............. 01-+03-,04-Jul-2018............... 57

Soriano........................ NYY..... 24-Sep-1999+08-,09-Apr-2000..... 412

Story*........................... COL................ 04-,05-Apr-2016................ 204

 

These players also fit under this week’s theme:

Rodolfo Castro.............. PIT.................. 09-+11-Jul-2021.................. 22

Chick Fullis.................. CHC............. 06-,07-,08-May-1929.............. 12

Darick Hall.................... PHI.............. 30-Jun+01-Jul-2022............... 10

Keith McDonald          STL     04-+06-+15-Jul-2000  3

*Active in 2025

PCA’s 1^st & 2^nd home runs were preceded by 17 additional non-home run hits.  How he got on this list is under investigation.  I apologize.

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Steve Berman, Bergenfield, New Jersey (After Greenwell)

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