MONDAY — 17-Nov-2025
Q. Which
major leaguer managed six franchises in fourteen years, winning the World
Series once?
Hint: #1
He personally tagged out the baserunner for the final play of the Series
he won.
Hint: #2
He also coached. Every year he coached
the Cubs, a player from that team team won the National League Most
Valuable Player Award.
A. ROGERS HORNSBY [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. He was the manager of STL, NYG, BSN, CHC, SLB, the Cincinnati Reds and the Cincinnati Redlegs.
-
#1 In the 7th game of
the 1926 WS, Babe Ruth, hoping to surprise the Cards, took off to steal 2nd..STL
catcher Bob O’Farrell fired the pitch from Grover Cleveland Alexander to Hornsby
who tagged the Big Guy out. That out ended the game and gave the
Cardinals their first major league championship.
-
#2 Coach for CHC 1958.’59.
Mr. Cub Ernie Banks as NL MVP in 1958 & 1959.
FCR - Brian
Wood, Pacific Grove, CA
Incorrect guesses: Bucky Harris, Dusty Baker, Alvin Dark, Lou
Boudreau, Charlie Dressen, Leo Durocher, Phil Cavarretta
TUESDAY — 18-NOV-2025
Q. Which
Hall of Famer reduced his first and middle name to two initials?
Hint: #1
In doing so, he qualified for this week’s theme.
Hint: #2
He led the majors in pitching wins in his first two years with his new
team and won a postseason award.
A. CC SABATHIA [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. His grandmother nicknamed
him "CC" because his full name, Carsten Charles, was a mouthful. During his first press conference with the
Milwaukee Brewers, Sabathia explicitly stated he preferred his name to be
spelled "CC" rather than "C. C.". HOF in 2025.
-
#1 No other player in MLB history
has gone by CC. His last name is also
unique.
-
#2 Signed with NYY s a free agent
before the 2009 season then won 19 & 21 games
in the following 2 years. On his way to
winning the Yankees’ most recent World Series with them, he was named MVP of
the 2009 ALCS.
FCR - Frank
Workman, Escondido, California
Incorrect guesses: C.C. Sabathia, G.C. Alexander, RA Dickey
IN MEMORIAM —19-NOV-2025
Q. Which
pitcher tied a sixty-three-year old record of Christy Mathewson’s the same year
he won his franchise’s first Cy Young Award?
Hint: #1
The same year he set a personal best with sixteen wins before the
All-Star Game.
Hint: #2
He was credited with a “Hold” as the last pitcher on the mound in the
mid-summer classic just the year before.
Hint: #3
He was the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game in the Cradle of
Liberty in the nation’s bi-centennial year.
Hint: #4
Radio broadcaster Jerry Coleman described him once on the air as
"the left-hander with the Karl Marx hairdo."
Hint: #5
After his playing days, he operated a barbecue stand at Qualcomm Stadium
called The All American Sports Grill.
Hint: #6
He regaled the audience at SABR 49 with his take on the game.
A. RANDY JONES [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. The NL record was pitching
68 consecutive innings without issuing a base-on-balls, set by Mathewson in
1913 & tied by Jones in 1975. It was
broken a quarter century later when Greg Maddux set the current NL
standard at 73⅓ innings in 2001.
-
#1 He had 16 pre-break—he made
his 2nd but final All-Star team—and finished 22-14
& won the aforementioned hardware.
-
#2 The NL were victors that year at Milwaukee
County Stadium in 1975.
- #3 Jones started & pitched 3 scoreless
innings for the NL, he & they being the 7-1 winner of the game in Philadelphia.
- #4 You be the judge: 1, 2, 3, 4. (Perhaps more Harpo
than Karl?)
- #5 Looks terrific! Perhaps Boog has
an admirer.
- #6 At the SABR convention in San Diego June
26-30, 2019, Jones shared the podium with Steve Garvey. It was lively, full of Padre stories &
very interactive.
FCR - Eric
Stone, Los Gatos, California
Incorrect guesses: Don Newcombe
WEDNESDAY
— 19-NOV-2025
Q. Which
humble slugger’s number of American League home run titles is second only to that
of Babe Ruth?
Hint: #1
When he retired, he had passed Jimmie Foxx as the American League career leader in home runs by a
right-handed batter, yet in the bizarro-world of Hall of Fame voting, he was
not voted into the Hall until his fourth vote.
Hint: #2
He won the Most Valuable Player Award following his sixteenth season in
the majors, that year leading the majors in home runs and runs batted in. However, in his MVP acceptance speech, he
thanked his home ground crew and gave them recognition by name!
Hint:
#3..He and teammate John Roseboro had rare stolen bases in the same
game.
A. HARMON KILLEBREW [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Killebrew led the AL in HRs
six times (1959, 1962-64, 1967, 1969), Ruth:
12. Behind Killebrew are A-Rod
with 5 then Ted Williams and Ken Griffey Jr. with 4 apiece
-
#1 When he retired in 1975,
Killebrew had 573 lifetime home runs.
For AL righties, even now, only Alex Rodriguez has more.
-
#2 In 1969, he hit 49
HR and had 140 RBI.
-
#3 On 04-Jun-1969, Killebrew & Roseboro each stole 2B off Yankee
reliever Lindy McDaniel & C John Ellis. As Rod Carew stole home in the top pf the 8th,
Killebrew stole 3B & Roseboro took 2B.
FCR - Steve
Berman, Wanaque, New Jersey
Incorrect guesses: Frank Howard, Jim Rice
THURSDAY — 20-NOV-2025
Q. Who
hit the first double in All-Star Game history?
Hint: #1
He made history again the following year in the All-Star Game when he
stole home.
Hint: #2
He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA with the fewest votes.
A. PIE TRAYNOR [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. In history’s first MLB
All-Star Game in 1933 in Chicago, STL’s Pepper Martin started at 3rd
base. Traynor entered the game as a
pinch-hitter in the 7th inning & promptly hit a double off
Lefty Grove. Grove stranded him there
& Traynor was replaced before he had the chance to demonstrate his
well-known fielding prowess. The AL won
4-2.
-
#1 In the 1934 ASG in the Polo
Grounds, Traynor reach on E3 & was moved around to 3rd. The AL’s Mel Harder & C Bill Dickey
couldn’t keep him there as he stole home.
Rod Carew is the only other player to steal home in All-Star
competition.
-
#2 Traynor received 93 of 121 votes to reach 76.9% on his 9th
vote on 1948.
FCR - Matt
Monitto, Bristol, Connecticut
Incorrect guesses: Frankie Frisch, Earl Averill, Charlie Gehringer, Al Simmons, Lon Warneke
FRIDAY — 21-NOV-2025
Q. Who
is the only outfielder to turn an unassisted double play in the World Series?
Hint: #1
During his career in the majors, some of his teammates were Babe Ruth,
Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx
and Jack Chesbro.
Hint: #2
He ranks in the Top Ten in career major league statistics in: WAR, batting average, hits singles, doubles,
triples, time on base, sac hits and so forth.
A. TRIS SPEAKER [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. Playing for BOS in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 1912 WS, Speaker, who liked to play shallow, grabbed a line drive
off the bat of Art Fletcher then beat baserunner Art Wilson to 2B.
-
#1 Additional Hall of Fame
players he played with include Lefty Grove, Harry Hooper, Joe Sewell, Stan Kovaleski,
Al Simmons, Sam Rice, Jimmy Collins & Herb Pennock.
Inquiring Minds:
Jimmy Collins Played
with Speaker on the Red Sox in 1907
Cy Young Played
with Speaker on the Red Sox in 1907 & 1908
Jack Chesbro Played
with Speaker on the 1909 Red Sox
Babe Ruth Played
with Speaker on the Red Sox 1914 & 1915
Herb Pennock Played
with Speaker on the Red Sox in 1915
Stan Coveleski Played
with Speaker on Cleveland Indians 1916 to 1924
Joe Sewell Played
with Speaker on the Cleveland Indians 1920-1926
Sam Rice, Walter Johnson, Goose Goslin & Stan Coveleski played with Speaker on WSH in 1927
Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove & Al Simmons all Played with Speaker PHA in 1928
- #2 WAR – 9th overall, 6th
for position players
BA
- 9th
H
- 5th
BA
- 9th
1B
- 10th
2B - 1st
3B
- 6th
T/B - 8th
Etc.
…
FCR - Steve
Krevisky, Middletown, Connecticut
Incorrect guesses: Harry Heilmann
SATURDAY — 22-NOV-2025
Q. Who
got career advice from a future U.S. president?
Hint: #1
He was the first manager to guide the Yankees to Word Series defeats in
consecutive seasons.
Hint: #2
In ten Hall of Fame votes, he went from 1.2% of the ballots to 63.9%. However the feeling among fans & other
baseball cognoscenti was virtually unanimous when he was selected for
enshrinement by the Veterans’ Committee.
A. MILLER HUGGINS [SABR
Bio]
-
Ans. When Huggins was in law
school at the University of Cincinnati, one of his more athletic-minded
professors was one William H. Taft. Huggins sought his counsel on whether a
career in law or a career in baseball would be the better choice. Taft was quick to respond with baseball for
Huggins, in spite of Huggins’ diminutive—5'6"—stature. Both men rose to the tops of their respective
fields.
-
#1 The Yankees’ first 2 WS were
losses, 1921 & 1922, both to their cross-town rival, NYG, John McGraw’s Giants.
-
#2 Became a Hall of Famer in
1964, 35 years after his death.
FCR - Dave
Rickard, Tigard, Oregon
Incorrect guesses: Yogi
Berra, Joe Torre, Ralph Houk, Bob Lemon
SUNDAY — 22-NOVr-2025
Q. Which
Hall of Famer holds the record for career losses by a National League pitcher in the Modern Era?
Hint: #1 He was the first left-handed pitcher
in the Modern Era with twenty wins in a season for the Philadelphia Phillies. It wouldn’t happen again for a half century.
Hint: #2 He graduated from the University of Virginia
with a BS & MA in Mathematics & Chemistry.
A. EPPA RIXEY [SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Rixey’s career record is 266-251
w/CIN & PHI.
-
#1 Rixey was 22-10 I 1916 for
PHI. The next Pillie lefty to win 20 was
Christ Short in 1966 whose record was 20-10
in1966.
-
#2 At 6'5", he stood out on
campus and on the mound.
FCR - Naveed
Chowdhury, San Jose
Incorrect guesses: Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Burleigh Grimes
WEEK’S THEME – Double-Unique Hall of Famers
Additional
Qualifiers:
Addie Joss
Biz Mackey
Bid McPhee
Edd Roush
Turkey Stearnes
Cristobal Torriente
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Bob Preusser, Littleton, Colorado
(after Sabathia)
Gregory
Koch, Falls Church, Virginia (who also figured out the theme early) pointed out
that “Hornsby isn’t double unique anymore. Negro Leaguer Rogers Pierre took away that status.” Good work!
Thanks for that.
Incorrect
theme guesses:
-
Hall
of Famers whose names are expressions of agreeing/confirming something someone
said. (e.g. "Rogers that!" "Sí. Sí.")
-
Players
whose first names are their mothers’ maiden names
Thur- HOFers
named for a parent
-
HOFers
with unique first names or nicknames amongst HOFers
-
Players
whose first names are unique among Hall of Famers.
-
Unique
nicknames among HOFers
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